DUBAI // Cancer survivors who are looking to get back to work are invited to attend a jobs fair to be held at the end of the month.
A number of large international and local companies, such as Majid Al Futtaim, Aramex, Thomson Reuters, and Bayt.com, will be present at the event taking place on October 31 at the Sofitel hotel in Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Organised by Pure Hearts 4 Cancer, a volunteer-run organisation founded in 2011, it is the group’s third employment fair.
"The idea is to get together companies and cancer survivors in one place so they can meet," said Rania Amer, the organisation's founder.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about cancer.”
Cancer is often perceived by employers as a liability, said Ms Amer, who founded the organisation after witnessing an immediate family member deal with the disease in 2008.
“We as individuals, when we hear about cancer we think it is deadly,” she said, explaining that people in the UAE often prefer to keep the disease a secret for fear of losing their jobs.
Ms Amer said many cancer survivors need assistance after being away from the job market for a long time, while others also need help rethinking their choice of careers.
“Some people cannot go back and do the same line of work,” she said. “Every case is different. We need to understand the person’s status and condition in order to help them optimise their performance.”
The event will feature training sessions for job seekers looking for tips on how to handle interviews.
Anyone interested in attending must first register online by sending a copy of their CV and their medical records. For more information, visit www.purehearttoday.com
vtodorova@themational.ae
