Girls in Tech Nepal in collaboration with Genese Cloud Academy and Jobs Dynamics hosted a virtual job fair dubbed ‘Virtual Job Mela’, reportedly the first of its kind virtual IT job fair in Nepal on 1 June 2020.
The ‘Virtual Job Mela’ aimed at gathering employers and job applicants in a single platform via online job stalls where each participating company would market its job listing(s). The organizers report 30 plus companies and more than 500 job aspirants participating in the job fair.
Girls in Tech Nepal mentioned the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic bringing challenges in the academics as well as the job search. Hence, it brought along a number of companies and the job aspirants to provide them a common ground to connect and discuss with one another. Firstly, it asked for applications from the aspirants a few weeks prior to the virtual event thereby shortlisting applicants and later notifying them via email.
During the job fair, the applicants could browse companies in a virtual lobby, enter their virtual booths, look out for the job openings, and chat with their respective representatives, all in real-time on the Zoom app. And the companies hired the ones they found eligible right on the spot.
Sharing her experience in the fair, Susmita Dhital, a student at ISMT College said, “I had a great experience with the Virtual Job Mela. As a fresher who is looking for a job, I got a chance to be interviewed by reputed companies like IMS Software, BitsBeat, and so on. Similarly, as a fresher, I also got an opportunity to know what kind of questions are asked in an interview, and the kinds of candidates organizations look for. These interviews gave me positive energy and the power to learn and explore more for the posts I have applied. I had four interviews. Among them, the first interview was best for me. I am hopeful that they will know my skill and hire me for the position of a front-end developer.”
One of the exhibitors and the CEO of Datalytics Pvt. Ltd., Dinesh Silwal stated, “It was our first time participating in a job fair of this kind. Normally, we want to be in the room with somebody and look them in the eye when we want to offer them a job. But the virtual job fair is a new reality. It provided us a unique experience. We have hired a few team members through this job fair.”
Furthermore, the coordinator of the virtual IT Job Fair mentioned, “Sometimes good things come out of a tough situation. While we were planning to organize the fair, we wanted to provide an efficient way for employers and job seekers to connect with each other without having to leave their homes in this lockdown period. We are extremely glad to see such enthusiastic participation of youths and companies. With 500+ Applicants, 300+ Jobs, and 30+ Companies, we feel we have achieved our first milestone.”
