■ Jane B. Cadalig
Potential employers and job seekers must know their roles and what they should prepare before participating in job fairs to facilitate the hiring process.
This is why the Department of Labor and Employment-Cordillera conducted a separate briefing for employers and job applicants before the job fair on May 1 set at the Baguio Cultural and Convention Center and at SM Baguio.
Around 27 companies were initially listed to take part in the job fair at the BCCC with 1,679 vacancies while 20 employers are expected to participate at SM Baguio with 367 vacancy slots.
DOLE-Cordillera Assistant Director Emerito Narag said the agency conducted separate orientations for employers who confirmed their participation in the job fair and job seekers who registered for the event.
The briefing for the companies was aimed at making the employers understand their role in the job fair, which is to make the hiring process easier for those looking for a job.
“Employers should understand that the goal of a job fair is to allow the hiring of workers on the spot. This is the return on investment the government will get in allotting resources for the conduct of job fairs,” he said.
He added job fairs aim to avoid the process where an applicant is asked to return to the company after the initial meeting with the employer and ends up not being hired.
“This is why we invite companies with a lot of vacancies to the job fair,” he said.
The orientation for job seekers, meanwhile, aimed to assist the applicants prepare for the hiring process.
During the briefing, Narag said DOLE has oriented the applicants about the documents they should secure and bring and how to dress for the interview, among the other things they need to prepare.
Job seekers are also told to do a research on the companies participating in the job fair to see if their qualifications or skills fit the demands of the industry they want to work in.
The May 1 job fair, which will be in various sites nationwide, will also see the participation of government agencies that will bring their services and programs closer to the people by setting up their booths in the job fair sites.
