- CHERYL G. CRUZ
The first-ever career fair to be initiated by leading online job portal JobStreet in Bacolod City is set Feb. 18 at SM City, with about 30 participating companies.
Hirer Marketing lead Gian Lorenzo Adato said Tuesday, Feb. 7, that no prior registration is needed for jobseekers to join the career fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at SM Bacolod Atrium, with about 150 jobs up for grabs, like customer service representative, administrative assistant, accounting staff, and sales representative, among others.
They just have to be ready with their resumes and other documents, and be prepared for interviews, Adato added.
The fair is in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Bacolod City government, through its Public Employment Service Office.
It is also a culminating highlight of the JobStreet caravan, set from Feb. 13 to 18, with Bacolod chosen as first site.
JobStreet Philippines head of marketing Kim Viray said this is because the highly-urbanized city is “emerging as the top hub for commerce, especially within industries like retail, food and beverage (F&B), hotel, and IT/tech.”
Bacolod is also home to some of the brightest minds in the Philippines, with students graduating from top schools and universities in the city, Viray said in a press briefing at Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod.
Many jobseekers have returned to their provinces, or decided to reside outside Metro Manila even after the pandemic. “This means that we have more local quality talents looking for better career opportunities, so we’re here to help them make it even more possible,” Viray added.
He said that about 100,000 jobseekers in their platform are based in Negros Occidental, including Bacolod, and 47 percent of hirers or employers in Western Visayas are found here. This reveals the potential of the province’s job market to thrive post-pandemic, eventually leading to a boost in the local economy and improved quality of life.
“The caravan marks our first-ever on-ground activity after the pandemic, and we’re glad to start this initiative in Bacolod,” Adato said in a press release. “We look forward to reaching out to more candidates and hirers not just in Western Visayas but also in other parts of the country to make our vision of providing jobs to Filipinos more attainable.”
JobStreet will also reach out to students of the University of St. La Salle Bacolod and La Consolacion College Bacolod during the weeklong caravan, in a bid to assist the future workforce in navigating the labor market. “Through the campus tour, students and aspiring professionals will learn relevant job-hunting tips and up-to-date career insights for the youth.”
For more information about the caravan in Bacolod, visit @JobStreetPhilippines on Facebook or visit jobstreet.com.ph.
JobStreet started in 1997, and is the leading employment portal in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, with over 15 million jobseekers in the platform, as of last year. It continues to reshape the recruitment process, like the scheduled caravan in Bacolod next week, to provide support and opportunities for local hirers and jobseekers, and as part of its commitment to boost the labor market by going hyper-local./CGC
