Job seekers invited to meet employers

Over 800 job seekers are expected to interact with potential employers at Serena Hotel tomorrow during an event dubbed Rwanda Job Day. This is the third edition of the annual event under the theme ‘Go Ahead, Unlock your Potential’ that seeks to enable potential employers interact with people who have the skills they need. Diana Ingabire Karemano, the event coordinator and director of Job Rwanda Initiative, told The New Times that, eighteen companies have responded to their call to participate in the event. Some jobseekers have secured jobs during similar events in the past. The arrangement is that people looking for jobs register before the event and on D-day, they are led to specific potential employers or companies with job openings that match their skills. Armed with written curriculum vitae, job seekers enter one after another inside a selected potential employer’s stall to make a presentation. The company can indicate either they can meet the demand. If yes, the candidate can sit an oral interview. If one is interested in trying more than one company, they can proceed to interact with as many potential employers as possible. “The intention is not always to get a job straight away; one may not get a job the very day, but companies also give tips on future opportunities. The job seekers also learn basic skills, especially on how to be confident during a job interview,” said Karemano. Good opportunity Last year, one such people who participated was Delphine Uwitonze, who graduated in Bio Technology in the College of Technology in 2011. She learnt about the Rwanda Job Day after graduation and she registered. “There were not a lot of companies in the scientific domain, but I got interested in a non government organization called Kizito Mihigo Foundation. I asked them to register me as a member. Later on there was a job opportunity. I sat and passed the exam”, she said. Uwitonze is now commissioner in charge of art and culture in Kizito Mihigo pour la Paix (KMP), a foundation of a young Rwandan artist who is much inspired by the Rwandan history and the hope for future. Looking for a job in her area of academic qualifications, Uwitonze returned in the second edition in January this year but “did not get a chance to be hired, because “science-based companies are not yet responding to this event massively”. This lady has registered again to participate in this year’s edition, where she expects to secure a job that is in line with her academic papers. “I want to secure a job, work for sometime as I get experience and then start my own business,” she said. In the coming event, participating companies include those in the telecommunication sector such as MTN and Tigo and in the banking sector like Fina Bank, Ecobank and Banque Populaire du Rwanda. The City of Kigali will also have a stand at Serena. “We shall exhibit the achievements of Kigali employment service centre. We appreciate this private initiative which is in line with our mission to reduce unemployment,” said Bruno Rangira, the city spokesman. “We would like to have more companies, for example in the education sector like universities—then supermarkets, etc. we invited them but not all the invitees have responded to our call”, said Karemano. The third Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV 3) 2011-2012 indicates that 8 per cent of people in the working age group in rural areas are unemployed. The unemployment rate in the City is 13 per cent. The government targets to create 200,000 jobs per year to fill this gap. Francois Ngoboka, Director of Research and Employment in Ministry of Public Service and Labor, said:“it’s good news that the private sector is bringing new forums where individuals can get information on job opportunities.”