AROUND 5,245 job openings will be available in the upcoming one-day job fairs, which will be held simultaneously in Cebu City and Dumaguete City on June 12, 2023.
The Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE 7) announced that the job fairs, named “Kalayaan Job Fair,” will be held to commemorate the 125th Independence Day.
As of Thursday, June 8, the agency said 2,317 of the total job opportunities are for the job fair in Cebu City.
The DOLE 7 has confirmed that 30 employers have registered to participate in the job fair, which will be held at the Mountain Wing Atrium of SM Seaside City Cebu on Cebu South Coastal Road in Cebu City.
Based on current records, the top positions being offered by employers in Cebu City are healthcare associates, retail associates and service crew, each with 200 vacant positions.
Customer representatives, social media specialists and outbound sales representatives have 100 vacancies each.
Dumaguete job fair
Job seekers in Dumaguete City are advised to visit Robinsons Place, where they can choose from 2,078 local job openings and approximately 850 listings for international employment.
According to DOLE 7, 46 employers have committed to the job fair in Dumaguete City, offering top positions such as customer service representatives with 600 vacant positions, production support crew with 300 openings, and English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL) teachers with 100 job offers.
Luchel Taniza, information officer of DOLE 7, said on Thursday, June 8, that there are more organizations interested in partnering for both job fairs in Cebu City and Dumaguete City.
“There are still others that are processing the needed requirements to partner with the job fair, for example, certificate of no pending case,” she said.
Hired-on-the-spot opportunities
Taniza expressed hope for more hired-on-the-spot (hots) opportunities during this job fair.
“Actually, it is always the hope of DOLE to achieve more hots, but of course, in our analysis, it is on the employers’ end whether they will hire on the spot,” she said.
Taniza explained that some employers prefer to conduct additional interviews or a more thorough hiring process rather than making immediate offers on the spot.
In some cases, applicants may be contacted by employers after the job fair for further evaluation.
However, she encouraged job seekers attending the upcoming job fairs to be prepared to be hired on the spot.
Job seekers are advised to prepare pre-employment requirements, including a biodata or resume, a 2x2-sized photo, a certificate of employment (if available), a diploma or transcript of records, and an authenticated birth certificate.
While she did not provide specific estimates, she hopes for a larger number of hots compared to the Labor Day Job Fair, which had 199 HOTS.
She also urged applicants to seek assistance from the local Public Employment Service Office to receive employment coaching and guidance on how to excel in job interviews.
Transportation assistance
DOLE 7 Director Lilia A. Estillore encouraged job seekers in Cebu City to take advantage of the job fair, saying transportation assistance will be provided.
“In coordination with the Department of Manpower Development and Placement, our partners for the Cebu City Kalayaan Job Fair, Angkas and MyBus, will support us on June 12 by ferrying job seekers to and from the job fair site,” she said in a statement on Thursday, June 8, 2023.
She mentioned that job seekers will receive a P25 discount when using the promo code “AKSXDMDP” to book motorcycle-taxis through the ride-hailing app Angkas.
Job seekers residing near downtown Cebu City are also encouraged to make use of the complimentary rides offered by MyBus buses. The pickup point is located near Fuente Osmeña Circle in Cebu City.