Facilitating new encounters that yield great results quickly. The Cabildo de Tenerife focused on the youth population yesterday at the Employment Fair Attracting Talent. This sector has an unemployment rate in the Canary Islands of 34.5%, yet it is the most sought after by companies. The interest of the people of Tenerife in job search and career guidance was evident at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds, with over 3,000 people participating. Twice as many visitors as last year attended an event where youth and talent recruitment were the main focus.
Commitment, enthusiasm, languages, attitude, and availability were the most sought-after requirements at the booths of over 70 companies and 15 Third Sector entities that saw the Fair as a great opportunity to find new personnel. Entrepreneurs like Óscar Rodríguez from the Centre for Studies and Professional Development described the day as a chance to “receive many CVs in a short amount of time”. Moreover, the entrepreneur emphasized the active search for talents on the island, “especially those under 35 years old”.
Gisell Rodríguez (17), Aaron García (19), and Sonia Castañeda (35) are among the thousands of students who were looking to enhance their CVs and connect with potential employers yesterday. Gisell Rodríguez highlights that her main goal is to find a job related to the field she is studying, in her case, Business Management and Administration.
Visitors inquiring at different company stands / María Pisaca
Other students like Aaron García are aiming to balance their studies with employment. The student is in his first year of the Administration and Finance programme and wants to start saving money to get his driver’s license. Aaron tried his luck, for the first time, at this event to understand the requirements that companies demand and how to tailor his CV to them. In Sonia Castañeda’s case, her goal for the day was to make new contacts, get to know companies, and find a new job. As a future career advisor, she described the event as “a window to professional development”.
Red Cross ‘My CV in 3 steps’ post / María Pisaca
The adult population is also actively seeking employment. Aware of the challenges of finding a job at an older age, Alexandru Juncu (57) also attended the Fair. He has been actively job hunting for many years and is a single father. He has worked in solar panel installation, photovoltaic energy, plumbing, and maintenance. Despite considering himself a versatile individual, he wonders: “I don’t know if I can’t find work because of my age or my white beard.” After years of desperation to secure a job, Juncu participated in the Fair with the expectation of connecting with companies that can offer him the needed career advancement.
Numerous booths were set up at the Fairgrounds to provide a chain of guidance. At the entrance, there was a first booth for advice on creating a CV and a professional personal image. This was followed by other booths like makeup and hairstyling where queues formed with people receiving aesthetic advice before moving on to photography and video booths. Specialists in this area helped visitors leave the venue with a Photobook that they could attach to their respective job application documents.
The most important thing is to define our professional profile and create a valuable personal brand
The Red Cross offers its tool My CV in 3 steps through Google. With this, users can input their data to create a useful and concise document to send to the desired company they want to join.
“The most important thing is to define our professional profile and create a valuable personal brand.” These are some of the key points that the career advisors from Barrios por el Empleo of the Red Cross like Cathaysa Núñez offered to visitors. Individuals must know themselves to focus and define their search. The advisor describes this task as unpaid work that affects people’s emotional state. “In a demotivated situation, it can impact the productivity of the search,” she points out.
Young people without work experience should bring a touch of creativity to the documents they present. Cathaysa Núñez is convinced that everyone “is good at something, and that is an experience.” She also encourages self-critique and defining areas for personal improvement.
The audience also showed interest in the type of photo to include in their CV. The Red Cross advisor explains that it is not necessary to add images if the person does not feel comfortable. This is a personal aspect where “what’s important is that each person believes in their CV”.
