300 job seekers meet 50 companies at ‘speed-dating’ event in Barcelona
Làbora organizes 1,000 five-minute interviews for long-term unemployed
A ‘speed-dating’ event for 300 job seekers took place in Barcelona’s Born cultural center on Monday. Làbora, a civil society group, organized 1,000 five-minute interviews between applicants and 50 different companies. The vast majority of people attending are long-term unemployed.
Some of the participating companies were Carrefour supermarket, energy company Acciona, and Aigües de Barcelona, the capital’s water supply company. The hospitality sector was also present, such as Acta Voraport hotel.
"I decided to give this event a chance as I thought it was a good way to welcome people to the work environment," Oscar Lasmarias, the hotel director, told Catalan News Agency (ACN) during a break between his 19 scheduled interviews.
The hotel has been part of the event since 2019 and in the past Lasmarias hired people - still working there today - via the Ared foundation, which focuses on giving second chances to people with a high risk of social exclusion.
Some of the interviewees will be called soon for a second interview. The vast majority of job opportunities are focused on administrative roles, receptionists, and sales. This is the eighth time the event has been.
"A lot of people do not know how to get interviews. This is a big day for them," a spokesperson from Làbora told ACN. "Some may have not had a job interview for over a year, and today they have five of them simultaneously," she added.
Lorena is one of the interviewees; she lost her job last year. After doing the first interview, she feels excited as it has been "a total success," she said.
Since she became unemployed, Lorena has been doing a training program with Làbora. "I can now tackle all these interviews more easily as I am much more confident," she added.
Results are not immediate, as some will get a second interview in the upcoming days, but Làbora believes that a lot of employment opportunities will arise, as has been the case in other years. Even if candidates have not been scheduled for an interview with a company, they can still introduce themselves at the event.