Students wait in line to talk to a job interviewer at the third Asian career fair organized by the Asian Career Fair Consortium in the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Feb 15. Liu Chang / China Daily

The cold weather couldn't stop more than 200 students and young professionals from attending the third Asian career fair and job skills seminar organized by the Asian Career Fair Consortium (ACF) on Feb 15.

The fair, which was held at the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, got its start three years ago, thanks to a group of board members of the Chinese American Professional Association (CAPA).

Edward Wan, CAPA president, realized that young Chinese students needed help in finding jobs. So the fair was initiated for both Chinese students to find jobs and for local companies to provide information.

Approximately 25 companies set up booths at the fair. More than half of them were American companies or government agencies, such as Wells Fargo, the Social Security Administration and the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Yang Zhang, a graduate student in information systems at the University of Maryland, told China Daily that he believed it was a good opportunity to communicate with different companies.

"I could learn how these companies developed in the US," said Zhang. "Before nailing a job, we need to do plenty of survey and research. That is why I came here today."

There is often an assumption that graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields find it easier to get hired. According to the US Census Bureau, last year STEM graduates had relatively low unemployment, but the graduates are not necessarily employed in STEM occupations.

At 9.1 million, the college major with the most graduates was business, while multidisciplinary studies was the major with the smallest number of graduates at 275,000.

US News reported that the National Institutes of Health, for example, has developed a program to help new biomedical doctorates find alternative careers in the field.

As the executive coordinator of the ACF, Wan noted that the Asian-American professionals are unique because of their excellent academics and work ethic.

"But they lack a common sense of corporate American society," he said. "For example, people skill is more important than technical skill. Teamwork is highly valued here."

"The event is ultimately purported to pay back to the community," Wan said. "Whether you are from China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong."

changliu@chinadailyusa.com