Over 200 UNMIL Staff and 25 leading employers participated in the first job fair organized by the Integrated Mission Training Center (IMTC) of UNMIL on 30 April.  The one-day event at the Monrovia City Hall comes as UNMIL gradually reduces its strength leading to likely retrenchment of a number of national and international staff positions.

 
The job fair was meant to help civilian staff connect with likely employers and more easily find new jobs in the Liberian labour market. It was also intended to sharpen their job seeking skills.  According to Hubert Price, Director of Mission Support, the event was “both a showcase of the talents we have in UNMIL and an opportunity for staff to look for other opportunities as UNMIL transitions.”

Bridget McCarthy, chief of IMTC, said many UNMIL staff had submitted resumes and applications to employers at the fair. Some of the employers had over 50 resumes.  “I think it’s been a huge success and this is the first time we’ve done this but it’s not the last,” said McCarthy.
 
A measure of the success of the fair was bringing jobseekers and employers together under one roof. “Our goal was to bring everyone together,” said Amr Sallam, a training officer with the IMTC and one of the key organizers of the event.  “Prior to the day of the job fair, we helped staff members prepare their Curriculum Vitae. We held workshops for them to learn how to market themselves and prepare for interviews,” said Sallam.
 
Maersk, the shipping company, received over 20 resumes from prospective candidates, according to Managing Director Morten Juul. The company currently has a vacancy for a Chief Accountant. “Recruitment in Liberia is difficult and this job fair gives us a chance to meet a lot of potential candidates,” he said, adding that, “we have taken their names down and many of them have the skills we are looking for."

Mildred Dean, vice president for administration of the Liberian Women’s Chamber of Commerce, said she would be spreading the word to the network of employers so as to connect jobseekers with their members.

Hanna Massaquoi, Human Resources Manager of Population Services International, said they had received 15 resumes.  She said PSI would review all the resumes with the hope of finding a match for the two vacancies currently available.

With over 30 vacancies on display at the job fair, AcelorMittal possibly had the most openings of all the employers.  Communication Manager Aissa Bright explained that the company is looking to “Liberianize” a number of positions previously occupied by international staff.   “That means we are looking for more qualified Liberians to make the company’s future in Liberia more sustainable in the long term,” she said.

The job fair attracted 25 employers including Action Aid, Acelor Mittal, Eco-homes, Era Trade Corp. Elohim  Group of Companies Inc., Great Impact Limited, Golden Veroleum, Guaranty Trust Bank, ILab Liberia, International Relief & Development, International Rescue  Committee, Liberia Entrepreneurial and Economic Development Inc.,  Liberia Equipment Ltd., Liberia Institute of Management, Liberia Women Chamber of Commerce, Maersk Liberia Ltd., Ministry of Information, Culture & Tourism, National Democratic Institute, National Oil Company of Liberia, Office Express, Oxfam, Population Service International, Restoration of Educational Advancement Programs,  Rosan Services, RTI international , Save the Children, United Bank of Africa, United Nations Volunteers  Liberia, UNDP, and US Embassy.