Business & Money | Thursday 12 January, 2017 2:16 pm |

Virtual job fairs cater to an increasingly internet-based job market, enabling easy job hunting and hiring for both sides of the employment process. A new poll by Bayt.com titled Virtual Job Fairs in the MENA found that more than a quarter of respondents regularly participate in virtual job fairs, and satisfaction levels among them is high. Nearly two thirds (61.1%) of respondents who have used virtual job fairs said that they were satisfied with their experience, with one quarter (23.4%) claiming to be very satisfied.

 

For those who have experienced or utilized virtual job fairs for finding talent, there are many advantages in regards to convenience and efficiency. According to respondents, the main advantages of virtual job fairs are easily collecting CVs and tracking candidates (37.6%), reducing the time and cost to hire (24.2%), being able to access talent from anywhere without travelling (22.6%), and increasing a company’s reach nationally and regionally at minimal expense (11%).

 

While respondents cited technical competence and access to the internet (22.6%) and limited social interaction with employers (19.5%) as the main disadvantages of virtual job fairs, respondents are mostly satisfied with the advantages they offer and with their experience using virtual fairs.

 

A majority (54.9%) of respondents cited finding employment as their main reason for using virtual job fairs, but other reasons include submitting CVs to selected companies (21.4%), finding internships (9.8%), talking with representatives of selected companies (5.9%), hiring new candidates (5.2%), and gathering information about the labor market (2.9%).

 

“Efficiency, effectiveness and convenience are the essential ingredients that support job seekers in today’s competitive climate. For this reason, virtual job fairs are an increasingly popular tool among job seekers who are empowered with the information they need and the ability to explore a wide variety of employment options from virtually any place,” said Muhammad Younas, Director of Product at Bayt.com. “Employers are equally positive about the effect that virtual job fairs have on their bottom line citing reduced time and cost to hire, and streamlined CV collection and candidate tracking. Employers can get in touch with Bayt.com directly to participate in our upcoming Virtual Job Fairs online at virtualjobfair.bayt.com.”

Bayt.com will be hosting several virtual fairs in the MENA in the upcoming months. For more information please visit http://virtualjobfair.bayt.com/.

 

Data for the 2016 Bayt.com ‘Virtual Job Fairs in the MENA’ poll was collected online from October 18, 2016 to November 4, 2016. Results are based on a sample of 2,660 respondents. Countries that participated are the UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Qatar, KSA, Yemen, and Others.