The Department of the Basque Language, Youth and Sports of the City of Bilbao, in collaboration with the Youth Department of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, has launched the ‘Finding Job’ programme; a series of four sessions in which young people from Bilbao are offered guidelines to apply successfully for a job. ‘Finding Job’ is held every Monday in November, from 19:00 to 20:30 in Bilborock. Access is free.
This cycle began on 3 November with a session titled ‘Employment and popcorn’ and was attended by 15 people. “The classic CV with an introduction letter is not as effective as other formulas; therefore, we urge young people to look for other ways to apply for a job”, explains Arantza Atutxa, from Peopleing, the consultancy firm in charge of the project. Those present viewed a video in which several people used creative solutions to introduce themselves to companies; such as a QR code, a voice message or an introduction book placed in the bathroom of a publicity firm. “We made a comparison between cinema and looking for a job, hence the name of the activity”, explained Atutxa. The session concluded with a design-thinking workshop, in which each participant had to design a creative application proposal.
On the 10th, the spotlight was on job opportunities that arise abroad. A consultant from Eures, the European Jobs Network, provided information on the main jobs being offered in other countries, how to have qualifications recognised, features regarding various professions in those environments and where to find these job offers. The attendees included “people with various profiles, such as graduates from business studies, engineers, journalists, an electrician…” Even people who have had experience working abroad but who are still looking for a job”, they explain from Peopleing.
‘Finding Job’ will offer two more sessions on the 17th and 24th. During the first, a workshop titled ‘The short film of your professional life’ will offer advice on how to prepare a good video-CV because “it is not about transferring your qualifications and training from paper to film, but knowing how to transmit skills and motivation and, most importantly, how to surprise the people who will see it in order to get a first interview”.
The last workshop, titled ‘Tangled’, will work on social networks as a tool to look for employment and raise questions regarding which professional social networks are used most, how to present the profile of a young person looking for a job and how to make appropriate connections.