Emirati jobseekers flock to RAK career fair

Staff from universities from across the UAE attended the 7th edition of the fair, while free training sessions were held on how to write a CV, interview techniques and presentation.

Ali Abdullah has been unable to find work for a year and a half and was not hopeful of finding employment at the fair. Lee Hoagland / The National
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RAS AL KHAIMAH // Hundreds of Emirati job seekers and students attended the RAK Career Fair hoping to find employment or further their education.

The fair, the seventh to be held, was split into three sections – education, training and employment – with staff from universities from across the UAE on hand to give information about their institutions and the courses they offer. Free training sessions were held on how to write a CV, interview techniques and presentation.

Stalls for about 30 government departments and private firms were busy receiving applications for a range of positions.

“So far we have identified three candidates that we want to move forward with, in addition we have two people that are being evaluated,” said Victoria Hatton, Emiratisation talent acquisition manager for Al Futtaim Group, a company looking to fill four positions in RAK as well as hundreds more across the UAE.

“We conduct interviews here in the booth if we find the right candidates,” said Ms Hatton.

Asma Shaima, 22, came to the jobs fair in the hope of finding a career with Etisalat or at the emirate’s court.

“I applied to Etisalat and RAK Courts so far,” said the RAK resident. “I hope to secure a job through this expo.”

Hisa Ali, 20, was searching the fair to find a job in customer service. “I was here last year, but I didn’t get hired,” said the high-school graduate.

Ali Said said he had been looking for work closer to home in RAK for the past few months after leaving a job in the capital. “My previous employers were bad. I was working in a company in Abu Dhabi with a lousy salary.”

The 25-year-old electrical technician used to make the six-hour round trip to Abu Dhabi each day because he couldn’t afford to rent an apartment in the city. “For six months I used to commute every day from RAK to Abu Dhabi.”

Ali Abdullah, who also trained as an electrical technician, said he had been unable to find work for a year and a half. “It’s been hard to find a job,” said the 21-year-old RAK resident. He was not hopeful of finding employment at this year’s fair.

Organisers said more than 300 jobs were available in the financial sector, while the human resources department at RAK government was looking to hire 100 new staff.

“We have over 100 positions available this year in 14 government departments in RAK. We hope our youth apply for the openings we have,” said Badr Al Tunaiji, the department’s public relations manager.

Students Yusra Abdullah and Fatima Al Hamad were keen to learn more about the courses they needed to find the right job.

“I have visited the Sharjah University booth to collect information about the fees and course for dentistry,” said 17-year-old Yusra, while Fatima asked about business administration and accounting.

The jobs fair will run at the RAK Exhibition Centre until March 5.

tzriqat@thenational.ae