by Naim-Ul-Karim
DHAKA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Stalls from scores of local and foreign-based IT companies filled the institute, fielding questions and accepting applications from thousands of job-seekers at a career fair in Dhaka.
The "Dhaka IT-ITES Job Fair 2017" this year was held at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) at Bangladesh's top Dhaka University on Saturday.
Thousands turned up to attend the day-long career fair in the hope of finding their dream job, as hundreds of jobs were on offer at the fair on the spot.
Bangladeshi State Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, through social media has personally campaigned for the country's first-ever state-sponsored job fair exclusively for IT and IT Enabled Services (ITES).
Palak encouraged talented youth from across the country to join the job fair.
He also describes the philosophy behind the fair.
"We want to establish the fair as a platform to create employment for 2 million Bangladeshi youths in IC and ITES in the next five years," he said.
Organizers said the objective of the initiative is to create an employment platform for those who are interested in building their careers in the IT-ITES Sector.
The Bangladeshi government's ICT Division and Leveraging ICT for Growth, Employment and Governance (LICT), in partnership with the Bangladesh Computer Council, Ernst & Young, IBA, and Bikroy, a leading online marketplace in Bangladesh, organized the fair.
Since Saturday morning, it was abuzz with thousands of hopeful job aspirants decked out in both jeans and suits who went from table to table gathering information.
Tiny rooms were set aside as a space where they could fill out application forms.
The stall attendants were seen busy dealing with the job seekers. The fresh graduates couldn't contain their excitement as they flocked to different stalls and pavilions.
"I've submitted my application and I expect to have a telephone interview with a big IT company soon," said one job applicant confidently.
He said the fair comes as a big blessing for him and many others as they received the opportunity to talk directly with the employers or representatives of the companies they might potential be working for in the future.
"Normally, when we apply for a job, sometimes we get a call quickly for an interview, but other times we have to wait for months for a reply. Here employers' representatives directly talked with me and informed me of their decisions aa to whether they wanted me or not. This is really good. very efficient," the applicant said.
"I had fruitful discussions with some companies. I expect they will soon call me because I have passed the initial tests. I hope to get a job," said the job seeker.
Another job aspirant, Munir Ahmed, said if the big companies attend the career fair then they can understand the job demands from their relevant recruitment officials.
"Such a fair helps us at least to prepare ourselves for future jobs although we don't get offered positions on the spot."
Apart from fresh graduates, organizers say many qualified ICT professionals have been connected with the companies that need their expertise.
"It is our hope that this is only the first of several such events around the country connecting ICT job seekers with employers," said Misha Ali, marketing director of Bikroy.
Abdullah Ar Rubayet, senior Human Resource and Administrative executive of leading local Mir telecom, the first IGW Operator of Bangladesh, said a job fair is always an excellent arrangement to reach job aspirants directly.
"Job fairs are not merely a platform to find talented job seekers but also an opportunity for companies to showcase themselves to others."
He said, "We're very glad to attend the fair. We've collected applications from many job seekers. We'll scrutinize those and call many of them to join our company."
