Growth & Jobs | Some 100 persons benefit from job preparation webinar

MORE THAN 100 young adults benefited from a free webinar, titled ‘#SecureTheJobJA’, which offered consultations on how they could sharpen their skills to secure the job of their dreams.

The virtual webinar was hosted by educational manager and consultant Jason Brown last Tuesday.

Brown says the webinar was born out of his desire to help other young people equip themselves appropriately in approaching the working world. This desire came after he endured a challenging period of struggling with unemployment.

He said being employed and secure in his endeavours, he “saw it fit to help and uplift as many persons as he could”.

The webinar had participants between the ages of 18 and 30 years, of which 47.6 per cent had a bachelor’s degree as their highest qualification. About 27.8 per cent had a high-school diploma, 15.9 per cent had a master’s degree, and 8.7 per cent had skills certification.

Of the total participants officially registered, 66.1 per cent were actively job hunting, while 33.9 per cent were already employed.

One participant, Gizelle Fraser, said the webinar was informative and provided her with guidance.

“It [was] very inspiring to me, especially at this point in my life where I feel hopeless and without direction,” she further noted.

Another participant, Dane Dunkley, indicated that the session “was a pleasure and very informative”.

Overall, participants’ industries of interest incorporated finance, medicine, marketing, national security, information technology, communications, and logistics.

Against this backdrop, the presenters provided resources and coaching on preparation for an interview, developing an online presence, how to answer a call from an organisation, résumé creation, and proper mannerism for the professional space.

Brown said the collaboration forged with these professionals helped to provide insights needed to make the job-hunting process “less daunting”.

“We had presenters from Jamaica and the United States of America, namely, human resource and leadership consultant Natassia Wright; financial educator and coach Carlton Stewart; and digital strategist Shane Bennett, who took the participants through crafting the perfect CV, building a creative portfolio, and interview tips,” he said.

During her presentation, Wright provided résumé templates and encouraged participants to make use of online classes to develop themselves, especially during the pandemic.

“Go into the workforce and change the world. Don’t go in there and get mixed up in mediocrity. You were created to stand out,” she urged.

Bennett encouraged participants to volunteer in the industries they wish to work. He said based on his experience, doing so will help boost their chances of landing a job.

He also guided the participants on how to embrace their ‘superpower’ and build their career portfolios using platforms such as LinkedIn.

“LinkedIn is the best search engine optimisation social media platform that is available. When people are searching for you, will they find you? You have to be able to set yourself apart,” Bennett advised.

Stewart urged the participants to develop an attitude of professionalism, as an interview can be conducted when they least expect it.

“Always assume that you are being interviewed. Always treat every conversation that you are having with a prospective employer [as an interview], because you never know when you will get your big break,” he shared.

Brown encourages persons seeking employment to remain hopeful throughout the challenges of job hunting, adding that he is looking to host part two of #SecureTheJobJA in October 2021.

The event was shared on YouTube @ Life Lessons with Jason, after exceeding the capacity on the Zoom platform.