For Logan jobseekers tired of firing résumés into an online void, Wednesday offers a more direct approach: put one straight in front of an employer.
The fourth Multicultural Career and Job Expo will take over Logan Entertainment Centre on August 26, with organisers advertising more than 70 exhibitors and more than 800 job opportunities.
Multicultural Mailer president Dr Zakaria Amin said previous expos had exposed just how much hidden workforce was looking for work across Logan’s multicultural communities.
He said Logan Water recruited two people through last year’s event.
“They were so happy that they even sent a testimony,” Dr Amin said.
Employers and organisations promoted for this year include Bunnings Underwood, IKEA Logan, Logan Water, Queensland Police recruiting, Australian Defence Force Careers, TAFE Queensland, Services Australia and Metro South Health.
Dr Amin said migrants and refugees could face cultural and practical barriers when trying to access mainstream employment and services.
“We found that particularly in Logan areas we are really blessed with so many different cultures and so many different nationalities,” he said.
“However, the vulnerable communities, they many times find it hard to reach out to the mainstreams.”
He said many people involved in Multicultural Mailer were migrants themselves.
“So we already have that lived experience what a migrant people go through,” he said.
The expo will offer multilingual support, with organisers saying some employers will conduct interviews on the spot. Jobseekers are encouraged to bring résumés.
Dr Amin said the organisation had encountered Logan migrants with professional experience ranging from architecture to health and childcare, alongside residents interested in starting businesses.
“A lot of ways that economic participation are possibilities for multicultural ladies, whether it’s a business, whether it’s a job, whether it’s further studies,” he said.
But he said some residents instead saw their difference as a disadvantage.
“They feel that, ‘I’m incompetent, I don’t fit with the society’, and they feel their confidence very low,” he said.
His message was the opposite.
“Diversity is the power,” Dr Amin said.
Last year’s expo was also held at Logan Entertainment Centre, with Dr Amin saying about 1300 people and 80 exhibitors participated.
An earlier expo also helped Syrian refugee Ghaith Alwattar secure work with IKEA.
“I’m really fortunate that we are in Logan because because of Logan we could thrive that much,” Dr Amin said.
The expo will run from 10am-1pm at 170 Wembley Road, Logan Central, followed by an official ceremony from 1pm-2.30pm.
Attendance is free.
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