Yogyakarta Fresh Graduates Express Frustration as Job Fair Employers Prioritise Experience

A job fair held on the campus of Yogyakarta State University (UNY) in Sleman was crowded with fresh graduates from various universities in Yogyakarta on Wednesday. According to attendees, searching for work at an offline job fair is more engaging as they can directly inquire about the positions offered. Alif, a 2025 graduate of Geodetic Engineering from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) who is currently seeking employment, stated that finding work through online platforms presents its own challenges because applicants cannot immediately learn the specific details of the jobs on offer. “I am still a job seeker at the moment. I have been trying for a while, but mostly online because the information I found about job fairs has only emerged quite recently,” he said. “At an offline job fair, it is easier to ask questions. We do not need to wait until we pass the selection process; we can directly ask what the actual job description entails and what is required,” he continued. Afif therefore believes job fairs remain relevant amidst the rise of digital recruitment processes. He hopes such events can be held more frequently, involving more companies to open wider opportunities for job seekers. “I hope we can have more job fair opportunities like this. If more companies participate, it would likely be even better,” he said. Meanwhile, difficulty in finding work remains a challenge for fresh graduates in Yogyakarta. Besides the scarcity of suitable vacancies, some fresh graduates also complain about recruitment processes that still consider the applicant’s university background. This was felt by a number of job seekers attending the job fair on the UNY campus. One of them, Afifah, a graduate of the Management Study Programme from the Faculty of Economics and Business at PGRI University Yogyakarta, hopes companies will prioritise candidates’ abilities and experience over their university background. Afifah, who graduated this year, admitted she is still struggling to find a job. According to her, many companies require one to three years of work experience, while new graduates are precisely seeking an opportunity to gain their first experience. “It is rather difficult, especially when they sometimes ask for one year or three years of experience. Whereas we are trying to gain work experience, but we keep getting rejected,” she said. Amidst tight job competition, she feels the presence of job fairs is quite helpful for fresh graduates to obtain information directly from companies. Besides learning about the required positions, job seekers can also discuss placements and the qualifications sought by companies. Nevertheless, Afifah hopes companies will no longer focus too heavily on an applicant’s university of origin during the selection process. “I hope they do not just look at applicants from this university or that university. Do not be choosy about campuses,” she said. Meliana, a graduate from the Management Study Programme, Faculty of Economics and Business at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University Yogyakarta, added that companies should place greater emphasis on assessing the skills and experience possessed by applicants. “What I mean is the qualifications should not be exclusive to certain universities. It should be about skills and experience, not just because of whether this is from one campus or another,” she stated.