Abu Dhabi: Finding a job can be an arduous task for high school graduates and those with no experience. And it was these hopeful job seekers who thronged the capital’s annual recruitment fair, Tawdheef, on the last day to meet potential employers and industry professionals.

“I’m glad we are able to visit all these firms all at one go and check out available opportunities. Otherwise, we are forced to go from company and company and are mostly rejected as soon as they find out that we are yet to start our university education,” Alanood Alobaidi, 19, a high school graduate from Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News.

At Tawdheef, Alanood submitted her resume at five organisations in the hope of finding a suitable position as a media executive.

“Company personnel were generally more understanding of our situation, and offered us a great deal of valuable information. So I am optimistic that this will result in some kind of job for me soon,” she added.

A greater number of visitors attended the final day of the Emirati recruitment initiative event, which saw the participation of 75 organisations during its three-day run. More than 15 companies conducted job interviews on site, including Abu Dhabi Police, and a number of hiring campaings were launched by industry leaders, including investment and development firm Mubadala and water and electricity service provider Abu Dhabi Transmission and Despatch Company (Transco).

Like Alanood, Ali Al Mulla, who has just completed his foundation year of education at a local college, felt that he had made more headway at Tawdheef than he makes when looking for jobs through traditional routes.

“It is especially difficult for me to find a job because I only have a high school qualification, and most companies nowadays require at least a diploma before hiring. So this was a welcome opportunity,” said Al Mulla, who was visiting Tawdheef for the first time.

While most of the 7,500 jobs on offer at the fair were full-time positions, companies were also offering training opportunities and internships.

It was these chances that attracted people like Mariam Al Rumaithi, a first-year university student.

“My classes are held in the evenings, and I am therefore looking for a job that can take up my mornings and also strengthen my understanding of the major field of education, media studies,” Mariam said.

She was happy to note that many organisations had training programmes for those who did not speak English fluently.

Knowledge of both English and Arabic was one of the skills most desired by companies, along with leadership ability, as documented in a recent survey by online recruitment portal bayt.com.

Job seekers appeared largely buoyant about their chances of landing suitable positions, with many saying that they had come across a good number of vacancies for Emiratis at each stand they visited.

Father-of-six from Al Ain, Salem Al Neyadi, was visiting simply to better his career prospects.

“I have eight years of experience in airport inspections, including drugs and explosives. I believe I can put my skills to better use to support my family, and Tawdheef this year has a lot of government organisations that specialise in these fields,” he said.

Tawdheef was held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister for Culture, Youth and Community Affairs. Organisers Informa Exhibitions earlier said that about 12,000 visitors were expected to visit the fair during its three-day run.