Using their resumes as shade from the blistering sun, hundreds of eager jobseekers braved the sweltering heat Monday for a one-day job fair that for many may be the end to years of unemployment.
Crammed in buses and cars, the line of interested persons swelled far past the Kendal G. L. Isaacs gymnasiumﾴs door to a nearby tennis court, as Bahamians came out in droves to take advantage of hundreds of vacant positions RIU Paradise Island is offering, in preparation for its mid-December opening.
The European resort group purchased the former Sheraton Grand Hotel on Paradise Island earlier this year.
For many interested applicants, the grueling waiting game started shortly after 5am.
ﾓIﾴve been on the line from 5:30am because I knew it was going to be a lot of people coming for job interviews, and I wanted to be one of first ones out here,ﾒ John Moss said.
Linda Roker had the same plan.
ﾓWe came here from early this morning ﾖ a little after 4am. We then left and came back after we were told that what we were doing wasnﾴt making any sense because the doors would only open at 9am,ﾒ she said. ﾓBut they should have had a lot of people to do the interviews, at least 15 to 20 persons so that the process could go faster.ﾒ
Kraven Neely said, ﾓI was on the line from about 5:20 this morning. I met about 11 persons here. Iﾴm really hoping for a new atmosphere. But even more than that, as a young man who wants and needs something in life, I need this job.ﾒ
Having stood in line for close to an hour, Kehla Johnson said she was encouraged to apply for a job at the hotel after working part-time at a number of establishments over the past three years.
ﾓThe amount of persons out here is a clear indication that we still have a high percentage of unemployment in the country,ﾒ Deputy Director of Labour Josephine Bennons candidly admitted to the Bahama Journal yesterday.
ﾓI think this is the most significant turnout Iﾴve seen this year. Iﾴm actually quite surprised to see so many people. I donﾴt know if one hotel property can help, but weﾴd have to see until the end of the day.ﾒ
Equally impressed by the turnout, RIU Human Resources Manager Jacqueline Beneby added that the growing number of persons at the job fair is a clear indication that Bahamians are looking for the kinds of jobs that RIU can provide.
ﾓI have to admire a lot of them,ﾒ she said.
The hotel is hoping to hire persons to fill close to 300 positions, ranging from front office clerks to housekeepers, cooks to pastry chefs, some of whom would have been hired ﾓon the spot.ﾒ
The others are expected to receive a definitive word on Wednesday.
Among those determined to get inside the gymnasium are a number of the resortﾴs former employees like Cynthia Davis, who had been employed at the Sheraton hotel for the past 22 years.
ﾓI liked working at the Sheraton. I had no problems there,ﾒ she said.
But according to one irate applicant, the resortﾴs hiring exercise was simply ﾓridiculousﾒ considering, she said, that many persons were jumping the line and that the process was moving along ﾓtoo slowly.ﾒ
But after waiting hours, many applicants were turned away after being inappropriately dressed in tennis shoes, T-shits, jeans, hats and open toed shoes.
Others were slipped through tiny cracks of the gymnasiumﾴs door in groups of 15, prescreened by labour department officials and then turned over to the Human Resources manager.
ﾓTheyﾴre required to come with their resumes and dressed professionally. We are interviewing them for a professional organization and we are looking for persons who can fit into what we have going on. We do not want to have to dress applicants up,ﾒ Mrs. Beneby said.
ﾓWeﾴre also looking for persons with a good personality. This is a customer service oriented business and weﾴre looking for persons with patience. This is the same patience they are going to have with our customers when they come in.ﾒ
At 9:30am, RIU executives reported interviewing about 10 applicants, four or five of whom were considered excellent candidates.
But according to Mrs. Beneby, despite the number of interested persons, the resortﾴs job fair was strictly a one-day exercise from 9am to 6pm.
ﾓWe cannot extend this,ﾒ she said. ﾓWe are going to see everyone that is on the line, no matter how late it takes us.ﾒ
Once completely renovated, the all-inclusive RIU Paradise Island resort would feature three conference rooms, specialty restaurants, a swimming pool, a gym, sauna and more.
RIU Paradise Island is the first RIU resort in The Bahamas.
Macushla N. Pinder, The Bahama Journal
