MANILA, Philippines - Thousands lined up as the two-day 3rd Manila Bulletin Classifieds Job Fair opened Monday at the Activity Center of Trinoma North Mall in Quezon City.
The job fair which runs until Tuesday is expected to attract around 4,000 applicants trying their luck in various positions and vacancies offered by up to 60 participating companies.
''I will not be surprised if the number (of job applicants) dramatically increases this year,'' said Raul Rodriguez, Manila Bulletin head for corporate communications, noting the job fair's high employment rate in the first two years of staging the event.
Rodriguez said companies participating in Manila Bulletin's job fair have a reputation of hiring big numbers of applicants and that jobseekers have a wider choice of job items to choose from.
Moreover, companies are open to hiring applicants not just college graduates but even college undergraduates and high school graduates as long as they meet the companies' requirements for a particular job, he said.
One applicant, Christian Mark Sales, said that he is a veteran of numerous job fairs, but he finds the Manila Bulletin's job fair more enticing to job seekers as it offers a wide array of work positions for college graduates, college level students and even high school graduates.
Aside from offering jobs to various applicants with varying skills and educational attainment, Sales said that Manila Bulletin's job fair offers lectures given by qualified resource persons that help the job seekers' chance of being hired.
For 20-year-old first job fair applicant Ren Mark Saraga who finished a two-year computer technician course admitted being nervous but he eventually gained confidence when informed that topnotch lecturers will be on hand to provide them with pointers in handling the pressures of job interviews.
Cheng Alojado, 21, a former cashier whose contract with Bench recently expired, is beaming with coolness and self-belief that she would get a job in any field of customer service positions not only due to her sterling record but also because of the well-organized job fair that the Manila Bulletin arranged for the thousands of job seekers.
The lecturers for the two-day event who will give tips and help boost the confidence of the applicants are Ana Maria Bongato, April Anne Salonga, Ging Igual and Atty. Marianne de Castro General.
Mrs. Paciencia Pineda, executive vice-president advertising department of the Manila Bulletin told the applicants that Manila Bulleting is giving them a chance and opportunity to succeed.
However, she noted that the applicants' future is in their own hands as she told them to rise above by working hard and working smart adding that ''no one can put a good man down.''
The two-day Manila Bulletin job fair starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m.
