Hundreds of job-seekers look over the job openings listed at the 70th Mega Local jobs Fair in Cebu City Sports Center. (CDN PHOTO/ JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Fresh college graduates like Harvey Tenebro know that a job fair is as good a place as any to find immediate employment.
“My prospects? I’m looking for any job I can grow in experience with the company,” Tenebro said.
The 20-year-old graduate of Salazar College of Science and Institute of Technology sought his luck at the 70th Mega Local Jobs Fair yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Complex, his third visit to a job fair.
The fair was facilitated by the Department of Manpower Development and Placement (DMDP), in partnership with the Cebu City government, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI).
At least 46 companies with 6,536 job vacancies took part in the fair.
Requirements
Ma. Suzanne O. Ardosa, acting DMDP chief, said they hoped that 20 percent of the applicants get hired on the spot.
Several government agencies like the Social Security System (SSS), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and PhilHealth were also present to help job-seekers process requirements.
Ardosa urged employers to not only hire qualified applicants on the spot, but also balance the job vacancies between entry level jobs and top management jobs.
“We really asked them to send people who can decide to hire people instead of just making referrals,” she said.
However, Ardosa said several companies have recruitment processes that need to take place in the office rather than in the job fair itself.
Soft opening
DMDP will follow up on the status of job-seekers’ applications after the event to determine the number of applicants hired.
Companies that joined the fair came from the retail sector such as Forever 21 and Watsons, as well as business process outsourcing companies.
Ardosa said most of the job vacancies are from retail stores, to meet the need for mall workers in the soft opening of SM Seaside in October.
“They have immediate need of manpower, so a lot of retail people approached us,” she said.
She said they could also hold barangay job fairs in areas near SM Seaside as suggested by several companies.