Jewelry’s Largest Recruiting Event Ushers in the Next Generation of Talent
GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair draws 600 to the Javits Center in New York
NEW YORK – July 28, 2016 – The brightest luminaries in the gem and jewelry industry met with emerging talent during GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair on July 25 in New York. The annual event sponsored by JA New York drew 600 – including notable personalities, GIA students, recruiters and jewelry enthusiasts – to the Javits Center for the industry’s preeminent recruiting and networking fair. Job seekers had the opportunity to meet with 42 companies looking to fill hundreds of open positions and 24 career coaches with specialized expertise.The event marks the 25th anniversary of GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair, which was founded in 1991 in Santa Monica, Calif. Since then, the event has connected companies with thousands of future employees at more than 60 events in California, India, Las Vegas and New York.
Rahul Kadakia, a GIA graduate and the international head of jewelry for Christie’s who got his start with the auction house at a GIA Career Fair in 1994, kicked off the opening panel “Job Success in Today’s Market” with video footage of the record-setting $57.6 million sale of the Oppenheimer Blue diamond, where he served as auctioneer. “People are realizing more and more the rarity of rare jewels and gems,” he told the rapt audience. Kadakia went on to urge job seekers to stay on top of market trends and know where your customers are.
Next, Yancy Weinrich, senior vice president of Reed Jewelry Group, took the stage and echoed the importance of understanding revenue and where the sales come from. “Learn the business. Understand the broader business,” she advised.
“Trust holds this industry together,” said Steven Lagos, founder and chief creative director for LAGOS during his time at the podium. “Being bright-eyed is important… Passion is important in this business,” he added.
The newest member of the industry on stage was Natalie Tjaden, a recent GIA graduate and merchandising assistant for Jewelry Television. “The best opportunities are the ones that come from outside your comfort zone,” she said about pursuing a career that would take her around the world. Tjaden has gone from working at the source in Brazil to being an on-camera expert at JTV since completing her Graduate Gemologist diploma.
Martin Rapaport, chairman of the Rapaport Group, rounded out the panel with lively and sage advice for job seekers based on his decades of experience in the industry. Following a question and answer period, job seekers had the opportunity to meet with the 42 companies recruiting for talent and speak with one of 24 career coaches specializing in various fields of interest.
The success of GIA’s Jewelry Career Fair over the past 25 years is due to the generous mentorship of career coaches, expertise of panelists and participation of recruiters. The next event will take place in Carlsbad on Friday, Oct. 7. For more details, visit gia.edu/career-fair or email careerfair@gia.edu. Follow @GIANews #JewelryJobs for updates.
