Job fair helps fresh graduates meet potential employers in person

A job fair is being held to help new university graduates facing the stress and difficulty of finding employment.

- Sharon Salim

The event — the University Graduates Fair — does not guarantee that participants land a position, but it does help with the seemingly insurmountable task of getting a foot in the door.

At the fair on Aug 15, recent graduate Oliver Syn, who has a computer science degree, told The Straits Times that the hardest part is not securing a job, but getting an interview.

"Most employers are looking for fresh graduates with a minimum of two years of experience," said Mr Syn, 25.

"We just try our luck sending in our applications for entry-level job openings; we still don't know what the statuses (of the applications) are, whether they are pending or rejections."

Mr Syn and fellow computer science graduate Noah Ng were able to talk to recruiters from Singapore General Hospital, one of the 20 or so employers at the fair.

"We were perhaps looking for backend IT roles, and wondering if they have job openings for fresh graduates like us," said Mr Ng, 26, adding that family and peer pressure have added to the stresses of finding a job.

One of their university course mates, Mr Louis Mineo, 26, said he appreciates such face-to-face job fairs as they offer a faster track to getting responses from employers compared with applying online.