MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Forty-two final year students and alumni of Northern Caribbean University (NCU) were interviewed for job opportunities during the annual Career Day Expo held on Tuesday, March 19, 2013.

The event, which was organised by the Department of Career and Employment Services of NCU under the theme ‘Creating Opportunity Amidst Uncertainty’, also featured informal interviews to further facilitate students who are daily becoming more apprehensive about an uncertain job market when they graduate.

“The main purpose of the expo was to provide recruitment opportunities for final year students and alumni, as well as to showcase career opportunities in private and public sectors,” said Carolyn Smith, director of Career and Employment Services at NCU. “We also wanted to create an environment for students to build networking linkages with prospective recruiters.”

According to the findings of the January 2012 Labour Force Survey from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, Jamaica’s unemployment rate spiked in that month and puts the unemployment rate at 14.1 per cent, compared to 12.9 per cent in 2011.

“In addition to the formal interviews done by the companies and the informal interviews on the floor, students also submitted résumés to interested companies which used the opportunity to build their databank of prospective employees,” added Smith.

One of the companies that conducted interviews — 30 in all — was Courts Jamaica, and according to Senior Human Resource Officer Lizma Forbes, the programme is a key component of the organisation’s recruitment strategy.

“Our internship programme ensures that students are exposed to six weeks of work experience in the areas of sales, customer service and cashiering,” explained Forbes. She added that “at the end of the six weeks, an evaluation is done and interns may be employed once they meet the needs of the organisation”.

The internship programme is in its second year. “Our focus is on universities and community colleges across the island,” Forbes said.

Human Resource Manager and Consultant of IMCA Jamaica Derval Graham, in his presentation, said that one of the most important needs of the job market today is that of critical thinkers. “This is required in order to solve problems that are critical to the work process despite the fact that people may be technically competent. Working with people and having a good attitude towards work are also necessary qualities prospective employees need in order to survive in the world of work.”

Graham’s presentations were titled: ‘What employers look for in a recruit’ and Your rights as a job-seeker’. He was one of two presenters.

For Denise McFarquhar, a final year student at NCU majoring in accounting, it was a nerve-wracking experience before the interview.

“At first I was nervous because I did not know what to expect, but when I got there, I used the time I had to settle down and review the possible questions that I think they would ask,” said McFarquhar. “However, I was able to answer the questions asked appropriately and so, I can only hope for the best.”

The expo, which was held on NCU’s main campus, had 42 exhibitors and three recruiters participating from organisations in the hospitality, natural and applied sciences; life, physical and social sciences; and trade, skills and entrepreneurship sectors.

The keynote speaker was Senior Director of Human Resource, Pension, Policy and Training at the Bank of Jamaica Novelette Panton.