If you work in HR, it may not surprise you to learn that many young people in Romania make their first career decisions without ever having spoken to someone employed in the role they dream of. Only 19.8% of students consider themselves well prepared for a real job, while 44.8% say they do not feel prepared, according to the “Voice of Romanian Students” study conducted by Undelucram.ro. The study, based on responses from 1,314 students and 342 HR professionals, also shows that only 11% of employers believe young people are truly prepared for their first job.

In response to this need, on October 22, in Bucharest, Undelucram.ro is offering free access to Campus2Work 2026 – The Festival of Futures, held at the Romanian-American University, for 500 students who create their Future Profile, accept the invitation to prepare for their professional future, and want to meet employers with a built profile, not just a generic CV.

Campus2Work proposes an integrated concept built around three components: the expertise of career facilitators, practical activities, and networking with employers. The event is also supported by the Campus2Work Student Guide, a career resource available in both physical and digital formats, bringing together employer profiles, real salary data, and a toolkit for the first professional steps.

“One of the challenges we see among young people entering the labor market is that they have to make important career decisions very early, sometimes before having enough contact with the professional environment. We want to offer them a context in which they can learn more about their own profile, see what options exist in the market, and speak directly with people from companies before deciding where and for what role they want to apply,” says Costin Tudor, CEO of Undelucram.ro.

Before the Campus2Work festival, each student can create a Future Profile, based on education, skills, experience, and interests, and can discover the professional profile that matches their strengths. Students can upload their CV and, if they choose, make it available to partner companies. This way, they can leave the event with concrete opportunities for the next step in their career.

Participants can choose from 19 workshops, speak with representatives of more than 25 partner companies, and learn directly from professionals what different roles, challenges, and career paths look like. The agenda also includes 10 presentation sessions and covers both practical preparation for recruitment, including how employers evaluate candidates, and the development of key skills for the professional environment: communication, collaboration, making the most of one’s potential, continuous learning, career guidance, and understanding relevant topics and tools for the industries students may work in. 

“Campus2Work is exactly the kind of event Kari would recommend to young people at the beginning of their journey. A space where they can ask questions, speak with people from companies, and find out, in practical terms, how to take their first steps in professional life. And the Kaufland team will be there, together with Kari. We look forward to welcoming them to our workshops for an open discussion about how they can use Artificial Intelligence to find the right role and about the questions worth asking before making a choice.

Congratulations to Undelucram for the way it has built this festival, and thank you for the opportunity to once again be close to a generation we strongly believe in,” says Estera Anghelescu, Recruitment & Employer Branding Director, Kaufland Romania.

The Career Path component introduces activities and challenges throughout the day, so that participants can interact with several areas of the event and turn the information they receive into practical experiences.

The format also responds to another conclusion of the study: only 28% of students say their university effectively helped them transition toward a job, while the same percentage of HR professionals say their organizations have active partnerships with universities. Campus2Work creates a context in which these two worlds meet directly: students can understand what a role involves before applying, while companies can interact with future candidates before the formal recruitment process begins.

“Between university and the first job, there is no perfect map; there is curiosity, questions, and the courage to try. Through Campus2Work, we transform the beginning of a career from a step into the unknown into an honest conversation about exploration, learning, and possibilities,” says Roxana-Paula Dadiloveanu, Country People and Culture Head, tbi bank.

For students, Campus2Work 2026 is an opportunity to turn questions about their first job into clearer steps: from discovering their own professional profile and interacting with employers, to applied workshops and useful resources for entering the labor market.

Registration for the Festival and the creation of the Future Profile are available on the official Campus2Work page.

For employers, the event is more than a presence point at a career festival. It is an opportunity to meet young people at the stage when they are forming their first professional reference points and to turn junior recruitment into a process that is more connected to the needs of the new generation.