Inexperienced graduates find no luck at job expo
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
In the last year, Andri, not his real name, has applied for jobs at numerous petrochemical companies, scoring a couple of interviews. However, in the end none of the companies were interested and he remains unemployed.
Andri left his house in Bekasi early on Wednesday morning for Trisakti University in West Jakarta, where he hoped to grab one of the vacancies at a job expo sponsored by the university's student council.
A chemical engineering graduate from Andalas University in Padang, West Sumatra, Andri was optimistic that he was qualified to work in the laboratory of a medium-sized petrochemical company. However, he was discouraged after reading that applicants were required to have at least three years experience in their particular field.
"I just graduated last year. My only experience is giving private tutorials. I don't have the courage to apply for those positions," he said in dismay.
Andri gave up and left the job expo without even trying to apply. He did not bother to pay Rp 20,000 (US$2.35) for a walk-in interview and to submit his application.
"The vacancies require experienced applicants and graduates from reputable universities. Since I don't meet either requirement, I better just leave before I get disappointed," he said.
However, Andri said he would not give up looking for a job.
"I know the competition is tough but I will keep trying until I get a job suitable for my educational background," he said.
Andri is just one of hundreds of job-seekers who have come to Trisakti University for a four-day job expo that opened on Tuesday. Twenty-seven companies operating in Greater Jakarta are offering positions to university graduates.
The job expo organizers said the expo would likely only attract a modest number of applicants. On the first day, about 700 applicants showed up and were interviewed by the companies. About 400 applicants had shown up by the afternoon of the second day.
The organizers had expected about 4,000 job-seekers in total at the expo.
Some applicants regretted the timing of the expo.
"They held it during Ramadhan, and it is already close to the Idul Fitri exodus," complained Andi from Jati Waringin, East Jakarta.
According to data from the Central Statistics Agency, there were 549,356 unemployed people of different educational backgrounds in Jakarta in 2002.
There were a total of 9,132,104 unemployed people nationwide in 2002, of which 5,659,715 were fresh graduates holding diplomas or bachelor's degrees.
In July, thousands of job-seekers swamped the Kartika Chandra Hotel on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta for the chance to apply for one of the vacancies at a job fair being held there. The overwhelming turnout caused massive traffic jams on nearby roads.