“Suki na po talaga ako ng job fair. Kung saan meron, talagang pinupuntahan ko dahil gusto ko magkaroon ng trabaho. (I am a regular at job fairs. Whenever a job fair is conducted, I go there to apply because I really want to have a job.),” says Roshena Jalandoni of Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Roshena was invited to speak in front of jobseekers, employers and guests during the opening of the Kalayaan Job Fair at KCC Mall de Zamboanga on June 12, 2018 to inspire and motivate jobseekers to give their best during the interviews. She continues to say…
“In 2015, I participated in DOLE’s job fair at Zamboanga ECOZONE. I thought I was the earliest when I arrived at the venue at 7:00 am but I was surprised to see that there were already a lot of jobseekers lining up at the registration!”
She applied for various positions with different employers before finally ending up with an employer that hired her on the spot as a Checker for KCC Mall de Zamboanga.
“I am a living testimony that one can really land a decent job at job fairs like this. All it takes is determination and the will to really pursue it. Now, I am very proud to say that I am promoted as a Team Leader. I am very thankful to DOLE for giving this opportunity to jobseekers,” Roshena claims.
“I urge jobseekers to really prepare when applying for a job and not to lose hope because I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t persevere,” she adds.
Inviting a former jobseeker to testify of her success is a first for the region and has proved to be an inspiring featwhich served as a motivation for jobseekers to do well during the job fair.
About 13, 407 vacancies from 33 employers across Zamboanga City were open for applicants during the Independence Day Job Fair held at the KCC Mall de Zamboanga? with vacancies in construction, retail, police, and health.
DOLE 9 Regional Director Ofelia B. Domingo shared that DOLE 9 constantly reminds job seekers to be prepared in all aspects ? mentally, physically and even spiritually. This has translated positively since HOTS (Hired-on-the-spot) for the Kalayaan Job Fair is at 24% or a total of 283 applicants.
“It is observed that more applicants preferred to look for jobs locally as evidenced by the high number of HOTS (hired-on-the-spot) for local vacancies obtained at the end of the job fair which was at 232 applicants,” she said.
“Moreover, our employers are very keen not only on education and skills of the applicant, they also look at the attitude ? they look for someone who can handle the job despite a stressful environment”.
DOLE 9 gave the same opportunities to Zamboangue?o jobseekers this year. Director Domingo reported to Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III that among 1,2014 registered applicants, 1,170 were deemed qualified for the posts they applied for, while 1,240 people had been interviewed as of 4pm on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the number of jobseekers placed is expected to increase over a course of 30 days as soon as near-hires submit lacking documents and/or undergo final interviews with employers.
The job fair was conducted in partnership with the local government of Zamboanga City thru its Public Employment Service Office (PESO), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
Aside from the job fair, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also conducted business counselling to interested entrepreneurs as part of the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan(TNK) initiative.
This year’s celebration of the 120th Anniversary of Philippine Independence is anchored on the theme “Kalayaan 2018 Pagbabagong Ipinaglaban, Alay sa Masaganang Kinabukasan.”
END/kcg