First-ever National Virtual Careers Super Fair a resounding success

The virtual event (which went live last April 13 on GradPhilippines.com) pulled in impressive numbers: There was a total of 22,400 website visitors during the campaign; 17,372 unique visitors prior to the event; 6,133 unique visitors on the day of the event; 33 live exhibitors participated in the event; and there was an average of 135 visits per booth.

But more than the numbers, NVCSF’s success lies in the way it effectively and efficiently linked fresh graduates who are eager to jumpstart their careers with companies that are as excited to take them into their fold—despite the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NVCSF is a project of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the country’s largest newspaper, together with JobMarket.ph and Inquirer.net, and in partnership with Prosple, an industry-leading careers and education technology provider, which holds all Grad sites (GradAustralia.com.au, GradNewZealand.nz, GradPhilippines.com).

“We understand how tough it is to find meaningful work in a company that takes care of its employees. So it is an honor to be able to help out the country’s new graduates through these kinds of job fairs,” said Adela Mendoza, Inquirer’s Classifieds Ads manager, whose department was tasked to spearhead the virtual job fair.

NVCSF also featured inspiring and motivational talks by some of the country’s most respected speakers.

Career Talks

A talk on “How to achieve work-life balance as a young professional in the time of pandemic” was delivered by Jesse Francis Rebustillo, president of the Philippine Association of Professional Speakers.

Maricel Gatchalian-Badilla, Ph.D., an Inquirer Academy trainor and associate professor at the University of the Philippines delivered a talk on “How to budget and handle personal finance for fresh graduates and young professionals,” while Ken Lerona, a PR and marketing practitioner, delivered a talk on “How to improve selfconfidence and deliver a lasting impression when applying for jobs.”

Aside from the speakers, there were also lively industry-specific panel discussions which delved on engineering, construction and property services; technology; retail, sales and consumer goods; accounting, advisory, banking and finance; BPO; and R&D and manufacturing.

When it comes to the 33 exhibitors who participated, it was a good mix of companies from different fields including Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corp. (MIESCOR), Universal Robina Corp., Nestlé Philippines Inc., Canva Solutions Inc., Shopping Center Management Corp., and Accenture Philippines. 

Also among the exhibitors were Unilab Inc., Republic Biscuit Corp. (Rebisco), Gardenia Bakeries Philippines Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Philippines, Alveo Land Corp., China Online Innovations Inc. (51Talk), LBC Express Inc., BPI-Philam Life Assurance Corp., and Federal Land Inc. 

Western Digital, Ernst & Young Global Services (Philippines) Inc., Great Deals e-Commerce Corp., BDO Life Assurance Company Inc., Personal Collection Direct Selling Inc., TeleTech, Cathay Land Inc., Conduent, and Empire East Land Holdings Inc. also participated in the event. 

Completing the 33 exhibitors were Primer Resources Corp., Suntrust Properties Inc., Pilipinas Teleserv Inc., Northern Trust Corp., TSD Global Inc., Optum Global Solutions Inc. Philippines, Mondelez Philippines Inc., Dominion Chemical Corp., and De Los Santos Medical Center.

“Our sincerest gratitude goes out to all the stakeholders who made this event as successful as it was. We hope to launch similar events in the future as we remain committed to helping the country’s new graduates and young professionals reach their dreams,” Mendoza said.

Article writer: Kenneth M. Del Rosario