Okaz Organization for Press and Publication has entered into a partnership with Bayt.com to be the exclusive media partner of the first Virtual Job Fair in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia slated on Nov. 22-26, 2008. Amer Zureikat - regional manager, Bayt.com, said the Virtual Job Fair is a job fair that takes place completely 100 percent online. Within the five days of the fair, job seekers will be able to apply to jobs 24 hours a day while employers will be available online in their online booths to chat to them, ask and answer questions and explain employment opportunities in their companies, he said. The fair is completely free for jobseekers, he pointed out, adding that they simply log on register and start enjoying all the benefits. Moreover, Zureikat said the costs to employers are extremely low compared to the costs of the traditional brick and mortar fair. “Savings are huge as no travel and commuting costs are incurred by either jobseekers or employers, nor are expensive physical booths, branding materials and collaterals required.” “All the action and interaction happens online and the costs, both direct and indirect, are thereby sharply reduced while efficiencies are maximized,” he said. “This really is a very high value proposition for both jobseekers and employers and an opportunity for employers to really and truly maximize their recruitment ROI,” he added. Compared to the ones held previously in Dubai and in Jordan, he said, Virtual Job Fair in Saudi Arabia “promises to be even more exciting because of the valuable learnings and experience we gained in Dubai and Jordan.” “Things are looking extremely promising so far in KSA and we are definitely expecting the same kind of positive response. The marketing calendar for this event is extremely aggressive and response to date has been outstanding,” he said. As to the benefits of the fair to employers and iobseekers, Zureikat said Bayt.com's Virtual Job Fair is the most innovative, creative and advanced way for companies to brand themselves as a preferred employer and to source top talent. The most relevant benefits for employers are that they are enabled to build employer brand. As a pioneer on an innovative platform, the fair will generate applications from talent during and after the event in digital format; use filtering tools to capture the right candidates; communicate vital information to candidates - such as company culture, FAQs, financial information, brochures, newsletters and CV drops; and increase relevancy of candidates as compared to traditional fairs where everyone turns up. The fair will also save time and money as costs are reduced by 70 percent compared to traditional job fairs. He added that the fair also increases convenience with no need for physical booths or printing BTL collateral. Furthermore, the fair will measure success with detailed reporting (including the frequency of visits to employer's booths, the daily and overall virtual job fair access by jobseekers and more). As for job seekers, the most relevant benefits to them are that they are enabled to make better career decisions with increased amounts of information and interact with employers through text, voice and video chat, Zureikat said. __
