Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, successfully held the first hospitality industry edition of its popular Virtual Job Fair (VJF) concept, from September23 –27. The VJF, held on Bayt.com’s website, focused specifically on employers and jobseekers in the hospitality industry, giving them the opportunity to interact in an efficient, practical online platform. Professionals looking for jobs had the opportunity to chat with employers, learn more about them, download media, and apply to vacancies from the comfort of their own home or office, completely for free. More than58,700jobseekers participated in the event.
The Bayt.com Hospitality Industry Virtual Job Fair was supported by event sponsors Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC and Marriott International Inc., alongside media sponsors Khaleej Times and Al Arab Al Youm.
“Our Virtual Job Fair concept has proved very popular amongst jobseekers and employers, and our hospitality-focused event was no different. We successfully united industry specialists from both sides of the employment sphere, proving that online recruitment has a pivotal role to play in the way that employers engage with potential employees,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com. “Bayt.com is dedicated to creating the most convenient, successful ways for employers and jobseekers to interact, so that everyone can benefit from maximum exposure to the people who matter to them. Our website and VJF events allow job seekers to easily find the newest and most exciting jobs in the Middle East, from more than40,000 registered premium employers.”
The VJF is extremely popular with employers at the forefront of the recruitment industry, who see the benefits and importance of state-of-the-art employer-branding activities. They are prepared to tap into the most advanced technologies to harness the power of the web to interact with top talent on a real-time basis in order to hire the region’s best. Many top employers participated in the event, including Food International, Mövenpick, The Meat Co, and TribesME.
Over the past two years, Bayt.com has hosted more than14 successful online job fairs, which have welcomed job seekers and professionals from across the Middle East. For the fair, Bayt.com constructs animated3D ‘virtual booths’ on the website for the different participating companies. The virtual booths, like physical job fairs, are branded with the exhibitor’s name and logo and provide visitors access to a range of information about that particular company.
“The Bayt.com Hospitality Industry Virtual Job Fair was a very successful and effective virtual event, which has helped us at Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels to interact and engage with job seekers from different countries. We also managed to answer career-related questions, communicate the company culture and explain the uniqueness of each brand within the company’s portfolio. I can say that we have been through a true career job fair experience with no need to leave our offices,” said Robert Dodds, Vice President - Human Resources, Marriott International Inc. and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C, Middle East and Africa Continent.
The Virtual Job Fair offers a variety of significant advantages to job seekers and employers alike. For jobseekers, the VJF saves time off work and travel and logistical costs associated with visiting physical job fairs, while providing professionals complete confidentiality and the convenience of participating in the job fair from the comfort of their home or office.
In terms of employer benefits, Bayt.com’s Virtual Job Fair is the ideal forum to increase brand awareness and visibility, allowing organisations to advertise their job vacancies on the Middle East’s number one job site, which already has over8.75 million registered users from over94 industries and185 countries. Participating in the online job fair also minimises the hassle, time, and resource requirements often associated with event management at a physical job fair; allows for cost savings of up to50% and can maximise an organisation’s HR ROI. After the event, employers that participated will have the option to measure the success of their presence in the Virtual Job Fair with advanced and accurate reporting tools.
“Our team found the Bayt.com Virtual Job Fair very beneficial in replenishing our talent pool, and in sourcing a diverse selection of candidates. It is an innovative and smart way of recruiting,” said Marianna Couvaras, Head of HR, Food Fund International, an employer who used the Hospitality VJF as a platform to reach relevant candidates.
For more information and to find out how to participate in Bayt.com’s upcoming Virtual Job Fairs, log on to vfairs.com or email at vjf @bayt.net.