Thousands of job seekers flocked to SM Megamall's Megatrade Hall last June 27 and 28 to try their luck in applying for the open positions presented at the Philippine Daily Inquirer's Career Expo.

Hallo Hallo Job (HHJ) was among the companies that participated in the job fair, bringing office-based and field vacancies from Hallohallo Inc. and its affiliate groups. Representing the company were HR Manager Cielo Camayang, Operations Supervisor Yuri Sakuma, and HHJ Director Nicon Fameronag, who opened the expo with an inspirational speech.

By the end of the event, HHJ has attracted a total of 1,256 applicants who deposited their resumés, underwent a preliminary interview, and signed up for an account at the indexing site. Most of them were Millennials targeting web-based and sales-related roles.

This has been HHJ's second participation in an Inquirer-organized employment convention; the first being a campus job fair hosted by Inquirer Job Market and STI College in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Job Market is Inquirer's recruitment section aiming to be an avenue "where good job seekers and good jobs meet." Career Expo is its annual networking event that features game-changing job fair fixtures such as resumé "mailboxes," interview rooms, and internet booths.

A total of 205 job-seekers showed interest in the career opportunities offered by Hallo Hallo Job during the Job Fair sa Barangay 2017, a recruitment convention organized by Antipolo City's Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

Held on June 20, 2017 at the Lingkod Pinoy Center in Robinsons Place Antipolo, the job fair attracted hundreds of professional and skilled workers who took a chance at the varied list of job openings presented by the participating companies.

The job providers consisted of private business organizations and manpower agencies, some of which specializing in overseas placements.

Hallo Hallo Job likewise presented vacancies from its affiliates, particularly Cool Japan Shop, Hallohallo Inc., and Hallohallo Entertainment Inc., one of the newly formed groups under the Hallo Hallo Alliance that aims to capture hearts of the Philippine audience by producing pop culture-based entertainment programs.

To continue fulfilling its vision of bringing employment opportunities closer to Filipinos, the business indexing site is scheduled to take part in more job fairs in the coming weeks as an official partner of over a dozen local PESO's in the country.

Continuing its mission to bring employment opportunities closer to Filipinos, the Philippine Star's Classifinder section held the May 2017 edition of its semi-monthly Career Guide Job Fair on May 23 and 24 at the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

Likewise, Hallo Hallo Job has once again participated in the event as one of its regular sponsors and job providers, presenting this time a longer list of openings from more partner companies. Among them were Hallohallo Inc., Circus International, and Hallohallo Builder Inc., which are all part of the alliance that operates the business indexing site.

With positions focused on information technology and digital services, the company's booth was able to attract almost 400 applicants with backgrounds in computer-related fields.

They underwent an initial interview conducted by a Hallohallo Inc. human resources representative after getting oriented and given freebies by the Hallo Hallo Job team led by its director Nicon Fameronag and newly appointed operations supervisor Yuri Sakuma.

The jobseekers also signed up for a Hallo Hallo account to gain access to services and perks offered by the alliance's web-based businesses, while new clients have pledged to include Hallo Hallo Job in their placement efforts.

The professional networking site hopes to keep traction in gaining new members and further strengthen its ties with the Philippine Star in the coming editions of the recruitment event.

Inspiring messages and insightful advice filled the Del Carmen Hall of STI College – Sta. Rosa Campus on May 16, 2017, as the educational institute held its annual job fair organized in partnership with the Philippine Daily Inquirer's employment-generating initiative called Job Market.

Hallo Hallo Job was among the companies invited to present job openings to STI seniors, who were the recipients of the career-oriented motivational talks delivered by some of the school's revered leaders and instructors.

The event's theme, dubbed as "Bridging the Gap from Enrollment to Employment," incorporated STI's approach to learning in the activities scheduled for the day. Rolling a recruiting convention and a forum into one gathering, the attendees were able to receive both words of wisdom and employment opportunities from the guests.

One notable topic discussed that day was the definition of success, which the students likened to happiness and fulfillment. It was also pointed out that landing a position in the field of one's expertise and genuine interest is indicative of a fruitful career.

Having that in mind, Hallo Hallo Job specifically chose vacancies that match the courses offered in STI Sta. Rosa. Design, engineering, information technology, and hospitality posts from the professional networking site's partner companies proved to be greatly desired by the future graduates, who flocked Hallo Hallo Job's booth to apply for the open spots.

Fellow organizations brought by Job Market to the event were also welcomed with warmth, while the filled-up resume drop boxes placed in the venue further attested to the convention's positive outcome.

Judging from the turnout and the overall pleasant reception from the crowd, the STI Sta. Rosa job fair fits into the general definition of success.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Hallohallo Inc. and the National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) has been signed to forge the company's pledge to aid NRCO in fulfilling its goal of providing livelihood assistance to OFWs returning to the Philippines.

The MOU was sealed in a signing ceremony held on May 11, 2017 in Intramuros, Manila and attended by its signatories: NRCO Director Jeffrey D. Cortazar, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, NRCO Program Coordination and Monitoring Division OIC-Chief Elizabeth C. Zambarrano, Hallohallo Inc. Executive Assistant Pamela Ros P. Cochero, and Hallohallo Inc. Chief Executive Officer Yasunari Okada.

Atty. Brigido J. Dulay and OWWA Deputy Administrator Josefino I. Torres were also present to witness the event.

As an NRCO partner, Hallohallo Inc. will develop the Reintegration Information System to streamline the process of introducing the repatriates to the assistance programs and enrolling them to the activities they wish to participate in.

NRCO, a bureau under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), has designed several economic and educational projects tailored after the specific backgrounds of OFWS. Among those activities are "Balik Pinay! Balik Hanapbuhay!", which enables Filipino women to venture into self-employment, and Livelihood Development Assistance Program, which caters to undocumented OFWs seeking income-generating grants.

Those interested in availing any of the programs may visit the NRCO website: nrco.dole.gov.ph/index.php.

For its third participation in a collegiate employment activity, Hallo Hallo Job partnered with the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati for the school's annual Placement Fair held on Wednesday,April 26, which marked the onset of this year's Labor Day weekend.

The on-campus activity has been organized as a way for the senior students to network with professionals in various fields and widen their chances of landing a fruitful career after they graduate. Hallo Hallo Job was among the attending companies that introduced themselves to AIM's roster of future business practitioners.

What set the AIM Placement Fair apart from most recruitment expos is its air of formality, which enabled the participants to get a feel of a real networking convention that they may encounter once they enter the professional world.

The AIM students graciously welcomed the company representatives and showed interest in the openings available on Hallo Hallo Job by signing up for a Hallo Hallo account and liking the site's Facebook page.

Hallo Hallo Job's participation in the University of the Philippines' 27^th annual University Job Fair (UJF) is a union of many firsts, as the business indexing site brought some of its trusted partners to provide career opportunities to graduating Iskolars ng Bayan during the semester-long program's main event held on March 28 to 31 at Ang Bahay ng Alumni in UP-Diliman.

Among the companies that we have invited are Tronix, Robinsons Supermarket, and Compass Manpower, which all presented job vacancies from their respective organizations along with openings within our own. Joining forces with them allowed us to offer a diverse list of positions while amplifying our support for the university's goal of assisting the students transition from college life to the professional world.

Just like our attendance in UJF 2017, this collaboration is a first for Hallo Hallo Job, and a favorable one that we hope to replicate in future projects.

Shaped to Serve

As the theme for the 2017 edition of UJF has been "Shaped to Serve," the activities centered on prepping the seniors to join the workforce while keeping their sense of public service alive. These include mock job interviews and networking opportunities with government bodies, non-government organizations, private companies, and respected experts in their chosen fields. Supporting these events were a hundred industry-leading firms and top employers in the country, including Hallo Hallo Job, which stood as a minor sponsor of the recruitment convention.

Tech is the way to go

Out of the various companies present in UJF 2017, tech-oriented ones were viewed as the most lucrative by Iskos and Iskas. Charlene, a 19-year-old UP student seeking internships, related that tech companies are "at the forefront of the digital age."

The Hallo Hallo Job representatives who manned our booth shared the same sentiments, noting that businesses under the IT sect are the most promising, thanks to the increasing need for process automation in all industries.

"With less paperwork, there are less mistakes," Hallo Hallo Job Marketing Researcher Kim Maglasang reasoned out the rise of digitized tasks. Our company's Sales and Marketing Manager, Shiela Vidanes, seconded by pointing out social media management as another highly in-demand expertise both here and abroad.

Adding proof to these statements are the tech-related vacancies that constantly remain among the active postings on Hallo Hallo Job: http://job.hallohallo.com/index.php?dispatch=products.search&cid=502&search_performed=Y&subcats=Y

Hallo Hallo Job together with other private companies from various industries joined forces anew to help the Philippine Star, the one of the country's leading newspapers, fulfill its mission to lower the unemployment rate, and strengthen the Filipino workforce during the third leg of the Career Guide Job Fair 2017 held on March 21-22 at Robinsons Place Manila.

The company was represented by HHI Marketing Head Shiela Vidanes, HR Manager Ma. Lucia Cielito Camayang, HR Officer Jing Dalisay, and few officers from Hallo Hallo Job, Marketing Team, and Human Resources, who conducted on-site initial screening to the applicants. They offered several open positions under its Legal, Accounting, and Sales departments, and service staff posts for Cool Japan Shop and Tsukumo Ramen.

This month's Career Guide Job Fair kicked-off with the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony which was facilitated by STAR CLASSIFinder manager Arlyn Servanez, PESO-Manila City Officer Miguel Alonzo, President and CEO U-Rate.it Adrian Cherrington, former DOLE Undersecretary, Hallo Hallo Job Director Nicon Fameronag, and other officials from Robinsons Place Manila.

Career Guide's role in reducing unemployment rate

During his opening remarks, HHJ Director Nicon Fameronag emphasized the significance of Career Guide, in its effort to help minimize the increasing unemployment rate in the country. He mentioned that the unemployment rate in the country by the end of January 2017, as per the Labor Force Survey, has reached three million, and almost 860, 000 of the official count are women, who are also well-qualified of performing tasks in the workplace.

According to Director Fameronag, the employers in Career Guide have the capacity to know the preferences, work behavior, and career plans of the participants through U-Rate.it, an online survey platform. With this, the organizers can now look for employers that correspond to needs and qualifications of the applicants.

On the other hand, Eloisa Magtibay, an active jobseeker who attended the job fair, shared that companies should also offer positions that match the applicants' educational background. 'Yung iba kasi high school graduate lang, siguro mga waitress, service crew gano'n, 'yung mga kaya nila, para rin sa mga bago [fresh graduates]." In addition, according to JR Latoga, also an applicant, he hopes that companies in the job fair would open more sales and office staff positions for those who were not able able to finish their college degrees.

Hallo Hallo Job commits itself to continue supporting the PhilStar's mission to provide endless possibilities and strengthen the Filipino labor force in the next editions of the job fair.