8 June 2020, Kathmandu, Genese Cloud Academy, Girls in Tech - Nepal and Jobs Dynamics successfully co-hosted ‘Virtual Job Mela’ – probably the first of its kind virtual IT job fair in Nepal on 1 June 2020. More than 30 companies had set up their online job stalls with hundreds of jobs to match participants’ dream jobs. The job fair saw participation of 500+ enthusiastic youths.
The entire world is going through the crisis brought by COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdown has been ongoing in Nepal for the last two months. Youths have been missing the entire cycle of academics, and its transition i.e. from attending regular classes to exploring new job roles. Finding that first job right out of college is rarely easy, but it’s even more challenging during a pandemic. Keeping this harsh reality in mind, Girls in Tech - Nepal in collaboration with Genese Cloud Academy and Jobs Dynamics hosted a virtual job fair with an aim to bring together employers and job applicants.
As part of the job fair, applications were called from interested participants a few weeks prior to the virtual event, and shortlisted applicants were notified of the timing through email. During the actual event, the applicants could browse companies in a virtual lobby, enter the companies’ virtual booths, check out open positions, and have chats with company representatives, all in real-time. Job seekers and employers were connected with each other through ZOOM, a video conferencing tool. The job fair provided a completely digital event experience for job seekers and recruiters. Candidates matching the requirement were hired on the spot.
Dinesh Silwal, CEO of Datalytics Pvt. Ltd., one of the exhibitors, expressed happiness on joining the job fair. He added, "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."
Similarly, Susmita Dhital, a student of ISMT College and one of the participants in the job fair shared,
"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 from 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 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 front-end developer."
Elated by the enthusiastic participation of youths in the event, Shristi Shrestha, Coordinator of the virtual IT Job Fair shared,
“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.” Girls in Tech - Nepal aims to host similar IT job fairs in the future too.
