Earlier this afternoon, I went to SM Megamall to join a job fair called "MVP Career Fest 2011" - my first ever (and hopefully the last) participation in a job fair.
I arrived at the mall at around 1:30pm. This actually started at 10am and ended 6pm. As I had my bag checked at the mall's entrance, (by a guard who was just talking to another guard and not even looking at what she was supposed to CAREFULLY check), I was planning of going to the restroom first to change shoes and freshen up, but as I walked into the mall, I saw a crowd of people, lined up, holding envelopes and Philippine Star newspapers. Obviously, those lines were for the career fest. I immediately asked the guard to confirm if it was for the said Job Fair. Yes indeed. It was for the JOB FAIR.
Good thing, I registered online. Thanks to RJ ARAW, my former classmate and is currently a Network Admin at PLDT :) I had my Online Registration and DOLE forms printed out, filled out and READY! There was a dedicated line for ONLINE REGISTERED Applicants and was probably 5x faster than those who weren't. The line started at the ground floor of the mall. After 20-25 minutes, I finally reached the registration booth at the 5th Floor! Imagine how loooooong the lines were and how many applicants were there, seeking for a precious job! I was then given a sticker tagged "APPLICANT", pinned on the left side of my blouse for identification.
Just like any other job seeker, all it takes is patience - an enormous amount of patience. And I dare not lose this one - HOPE, just a little bit of this is enough to fuel me and drive to get my dream job.
It was not as hard as I thought it would be. When I entered the hall, I was already eyeing PLDT's booth. It didn't take me that long to find theirs. I abruptly logged my name in their guest book, checked for job vacancies, and submitted my photocopied CV. Great! They have an opening for Network Operations Engineer! (NOC Analyst). The attendant (HR) said that CVs will only be collected at the fair and I should wait for their call in the following days.
After submitting my CV to PLDT, I kind of wandered inside the MegaTrade hall, checking out other booths for possible Telecom Companies, to which I could submit my CV. I found another PLDT booth so I submitted my CV again for the same post. The more entries you send, the more chances of winning! LOL.
Other companies that sponsored the fair, as far as I can remember, were ePLDT (or iPlus), Smart, Maynilad, Meralco, Ayala Land & Makati Med. Others... I could no longer remember probably because of lack of interest in their industry. :P
I'm glad I didn't dress up. It was painless to distinguish fresh grads from experienced employees. Basing on the exterior (only), most who were dressed up (in business attire), carrying their envelopes of resume WITH PRIDE, are fresh grads while most who were only in jeans and got CVs inside their bags are experienced employees.
This is my first serious job hunting. My first experience to actively look for my "dream job", while unemployed. It's kind of frustrating if you keep being invited for interviews only to know that you won't get hired in the end. So I am trying HARD not to lose myself, not to lose faith in myself. I hold on to the principle "When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window" -and surprisingly much better! Generic it is, but so true, it really happens.
So let me close this blog with a quote:
"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a butterfly."
