What is Armada’s vision and source of inspiration?

Armada is a platform for students to meet their recruiters and to witness the world after KTH. It is essential to create a platform where these opportunities can mingle with your endeavor in today’s competitive world, especially tough during pandemic times. Hence, the Armada Jobs Fair creates a better medium of communication for students with many companies under one roof, aiming to provide the best companies for KTH’s great engineering minds. Armada strives to make it easy for students to shape their own future; with this mission, they have successfully achieved hosting their 40th edition... and counting!

How is Armada changed because of the pandemic?

The pandemic has brought organizational and platform changes to provide the best engagement for students and companies. Armada has moved from hosting a physical fair to a digital fair, and we were visionary about it. The decision for going digital was taken in late spring of 2020, so we planned according to digital requirements. Having a digitalized Armada is the first time for us, so we will be missing features of physical Armada like the lounge, physical communication, Diversity Doom, and The Green Room. However, as the world is adapting, we have adapted much faster than usual, and are excited to provide the same quality and engagement as previous years of Armada.

How is the team overcoming so many changes, as Armada’s central theme is physical communication between students and recruiters, from around 40 years of its inaugural hosting?

It is exciting to say that the digital fair was always on our minds, since 2008, and we organized a digital hybrid fair as Armada 2.0 that year. Yes, it was not really possible to do well at that time, but now with excellent internet access, we think we can do this. In 2018, we evaluated the chances for the digital or the hybrid fair to complement the main physical fair, and now here we are: going fully digital with our best force! Armada is a student organization with a dedicated team that is always on its toes to adapt and perform. Hence, we are not taking this change from physical to digital as an end of something, but rather as the evolution. We utilize all social media platforms, from Instagram, Facebook, the Armada Website, and our essential partner Graduateland. Armada team is in regular communication with companies to adapt to digital mediums. Companies and Armada are frequently running trial sessions on digital platforms to learn how to provide uninterrupted service to students during the upcoming main days.

Going digital makes Armada more sustainable and approachable to everyone, since as has been the case, many students cannot come to campus easily. What is your take on that increase in supply and how will it affect the demand?

We are providing the same quality through the digital medium with a better approach for students and recruiters. The better approach is that in that term, anyone can attend the fair sitting at their home. Earlier, many students used to miss the fair because of their different engagements, but now we have made it possible to attend from any place and get the same opportunities to shape their future. Yes, going digital is helping Armada to go sustainable. Our internal communication, fair promotions are paperless and also as a fair, so can Armada finally be as well. Articles are digital so companies will be unable to provide any handouts. Also, as the main days are digital, so much energy can be saved by not using logistics and transportation.

What special sustainable and diversity steps is Armada taking this year?

Sustainability and Diversity are in our roots, and we have always tried our best to put our efforts as exemplary for every event hosting organization. This year we have introduced the Sustainability and Diversity Index to select companies for the fair. We score each company on these two engagements and then select. We are also hosting Knightec, an event where six female KTH Alumni who have achieved tremendous success in their lives will share their experience with students. This event brings up the importance of diversity, making sure we take this into consideration, as success is not a matter of gender, but talent and expertise. Also, we are going carbon neutral, we are estimating the energy consumption from the early days of Armada 2020 and plan to plant equivalent trees to achieve our sustainability goals.

How tough is it to make a big event like Armada sustainable?

It is not tough to be sustainable, as sustainability is in our roots, and we plan everything according to our core values, always taking them into careful consideration. For example, we designed our promotion mostly paperless through digital platforms.

What is Armada personally for you?

Armada, for me personally, is about meeting my friends, who eventually has become my family. The fair has helped me to make new friends, which would not have been possible without Armada. Armada is like an organization where you help people grow and see them growing because it takes quality time to plan such a big event. It feels like to be a part of a well-organized company where you work, laugh, and make memories of a lifetime.

How to sign up for the fair?

The sign up for the fair is very easy:

The students can find us on Instagram and Facebook by typing “THS Armada” and then they should follow us as we actively put all the sign up information there. All the sign up information can also be seen on our website (https://armada.nu/) and students can register through the link available there.