| Danial Norjidi |
THE Brunei Job Fair 2016 concluded yesterday, and recorded a total of 21,001 visitors, out of which 5,081 people were identified as unemployed.
Prior to the Brunei Job Fair, the statistics of jobseekers in Brunei stood at 9,282 people. Based on this and the registered data obtained from the Job Fair, the latest number of active jobseekers is currently 12,800.
The job fair was organised by the Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office, and was held from November 27-29 at Exhibition Halls 1 and 2 of the Bridex International Exhibition Centre, carrying the theme, ‘Realising employment excellence through capacity building, competency and performance’.
A number of activities and sharing sessions took place during the Job Fair, and aimed to help the employability and marketability of local jobseekers, such as CV writing clinics as well as “Ace Your Interview” and career counselling workshops.
The invited speakers at the workshops and sharing sessions were experienced career and industry professionals, from companies including Brunei Gas Carriers, BruneiLNG, Brunei Shell Petroleum, Baker Hughes, UBD CoNECT and Damit Worley.
According to the speakers, most of the members of the audience consisted of recent graduates. “A lot of them were enthusiastic and after the sessions, a few of them stayed behind to have their CVs reviewed by us”, said one of the speakers.
Another speaker highlighted that an important point to note in relation to CVs and submitting a CV is that it is equivalent to a passport for a jobseeker, and to always include a cover letter with information that can’t necessarily be included in a CV, such as reasons for applying for the position.
The next step after the submission of a CV would be to ace the interview. The “Ace Your Interview” workshop was focused on preparing potential candidates to not only be well-prepared in answering questions in interviews, but also to present themselves better, such as dressing appropriately, observing punctuality and showcasing the right attitude.
Potential candidates should also conduct prior research of the company and the position they are applying for to better prepare themselves at the interview, it was shared.
The Career Counselling Workshops helped identify a jobseeker’s strongest career interest amongst six occupational themes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC).
It was shared that through this test a jobseeker can discover their top interest area and a list of suggested careers based on their interest profile.
This can help a jobseeker in the long run to find their true career interests and paths.
The Career Counselling sessions were also aimed to help jobseekers identify future potential job interest areas to help them strike a balance between their innate interest and to link it with the industry demand.
Another highlight of The Brunei Job Fair 2016 was the ‘Perseverance, Resilience and Success’ talks, during which inspirational individuals were invited to speak about their journey to success.
Aside from the workshops and talks, exhibitors were also present to give guidance to the local jobseekers who attended The Brunei Job Fair 2016. Amongst them was DARE (Darussalam Enterprise) which was present to encourage local jobseekers to take up entrepreneurship.
DARE also opened up registrations for their next cycle of the Industry Business Academy (IBA) and the Startup Bootcamp Programme. So far, 324 jobseekers have registered for the IBA and 270 for the Startup Bootcamp Programme.
DARE also held sharing sessions by previous Startup Bootcamp Programme participants who shared their experiences being in the programme and on the conception of their companies.
In a press release, the organisers stated that jobseekers are more than welcome to approach the Job Centre Brunei, which can provide the necessary platform for local jobseekers to grow, learn, improve their CV and interview skills.
These programmes will also assist in ensuring that the skills gained will be relevant to the manpower demand of the industry.
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