Employer Game Night combines career networking with fun and games

Bingo, Jenga, and Cuban food—three things you might not expect to find at a typical career-themed event. But there’s all that and more at the second annual Employer Game Night on Monday, when students will have the opportunity to network with employers and advance their professional development in a fun, low-pressure atmosphere.

Employer Game Night is open to all students, but is targeted to undergraduates from multi-cultural backgrounds and first-generation students. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Cabral Center. Registration is encouraged, though students can attend without doing so.

The event premiered last spring after Northeastern’s chapters of the Black Engineering Student Society, the Association of Latino Professionals for America, and the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers approached the Office of Career Development with the idea of launching a new career event. The goal was to help break down barriers and create opportunities for diverse populations of students on campus through an informal and engaging format. This year, the Latino/a Student Cultural Center joined as a co-host.

Eleven employers will participate, with each hosting a game booth with easy-to-play activities to engage with students. In addition to sharing their resumés, students will have the chance to play “Minute to Win It” games, like balancing a Slinky on their heads, or test their skill at Heads Up! or Jenga. A game of Bingo will challenge students to connect with employers outside their fields of study; students will be able to fill out their Bingo sheets by meeting with these employers, and by doing so can win prizes.

In between networking with employers and eating, students will be able to take advantage of three professional development workshops:

Incorporating authenticity in your professional identity

6-6:30 p.m.

This workshop will focus on how to represent your true self in a professional environment, especially during interviews and in the work place. It will emphasize image and personal branding as it pertains to students of color.

Embracing your story

6:30-7 p.m.

This workshop will focus on how to share your cultural experiences in a cover letter, during the interview, and beyond. It will emphasize public speaking and communications.

Maximizing your co-op experience as a student of color

7-7:30 p.m.

This workshop will feature a panel of students and alumni who will share their experiences transitioning between school and work, including after graduation. It will focus on how to develop community and manage your identity as a student of color in the workplace.

Participating employers comprise City Year, the commonwealth of Massachusetts, the state Department of Transportation, the state Department of Environmental Protection, Deloitte, EverQuote, Johnson & Johnson, Lyndra, NetApp, PeaceCorps, and Playworks.