Bayt.com to boost Lebanon's labor market with country's first virtual job fair

This September, job seekers can log on to the Bayt.com website for the unique opportunity to search for jobs, submit a CV, and interact with employers - in what has been hailed as one of the most convenient and hassle-free recruitment forums available today.

VJF Lebanon 2009, in cooperation with media partner Al Balad, will provide candidates with the easy and unique option to 'attend' the job fair from any Internet-accessible computer and submit their resumes to participating companies of interest; while enabling local, regional and international employers to establish an active talent-seeking presence, without physically being in a location.

Bayt.com's COO, Dany Farha commented:

'We have already held six virtual job fairs around the Middle East region, and they have proven to be a very popular way for job seekers to actively find and apply for employment - all via one central and convenient location. Holding this VJF in Lebanon demonstrates our commitment to providing a boost to the country's labor market especially during this global economic downturn while showcasing how we develop innovative and easy methods to facilitate the process for employers to actively find, interact with, and recruit relevant job seekers; and for job seekers to easily research vacancies from some of the best employers in the country.'

The innovative virtual job fair features animated 3D "virtual booths" on the website for different participating companies, and like a physical job fair, each booth will be branded with the exhibitors' names and logos and will provide access to a range of information about the company, including corporate culture, the company's business activities and recruitment practices.

The fair will additionally feature a CV drop option for job seekers to directly submit their resume to the booths of their choice and directly apply for advertised jobs; and the opportunity for employers and job seekers to interact in real time via online or video chat. A series of links will enable job seekers to connect to a directory of current vacancies in a particular company, avoiding the hassle of having to root through various job postings.

Farha went on to explain how the virtual job fair offers a variety of benefits to job seekers.

He said: "The fact that this fair will be fully online means that professionals currently employed but seeking new employment don't have to take time off work to visit a physical location - saving them both time and the costs of travel to a physical location. In addition to this, the fair is completely confidential, so professionals can search and apply for jobs without fear of being recognized, unlike a physical job fair."

As for employer benefits, the virtual job fair provides the ideal forum to increase brand awareness and visibility, and allows organizations to advertise their job vacancies on the Middle East's number one job site, which already has over 3.5 million registered users, of whom are 150,000 Lebanese, from 94 industries and 182 countries.

Participating in the online job fair also minimizes the hassle, time, and resource requirements often associated with event management at a physical job fair. It allows for cost savings for more than 50% and can maximize an organization's HR ROI. Post event, employers that participated will have the option to measure the success of the virtual job fair for their organization, with Bayt.com's advanced reporting tools.

"More and more employers are beginning to understand the significant role that online recruitment plays in the global marketplace, and how it is perhaps the most practical method of interacting with job seekers today. We are looking forward to welcoming many of Lebanon's job seekers to find the job they've been looking for and for more employers to fill their talent gaps. In so doing, we are fulfilling our role as a leading recruitment job site in the region that seeks to improve the Middle East's labor market through practical, efficient and measurable means," concluded Farha.