Over 1,400 job seekers attended the Guyana Shore Base Inc. (GYSBI)’s career fair held today, marking a significant turnout for the company’s event. The job fair, organized in collaboration with parent company, Muneshwars Limited, was held with the aim to fill over 200 positions.
During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Standard, GYSBI’s Public Relations Manager, Gomatie Gangadin, spoke about the turnout noting, “As you can see today….right now, we’re at number 1,400 in terms of issuing numbers to people… And now, it’s two o’clock, and we’re at 1,400.”
The job fair included opportunities for roles such as operators, crane operators, warehouse attendants, cashiers, civil engineers, and project managers, with several companies under the Muneshwars Limited umbrella participating. Explaining what inspired GYSBI to begin hosting these career fairs Gangadin said, “We needed about 50 persons with technical experience.” She added, “And then when we started planning this job fair, incidentally, our parent company, Muneshwars Limited, said to us, ‘Hey, you know what? We actually have openings.’ So we decided to collaborate and host this job fair.”
According to Gangadin, GYSBI set up 32 interview stations to conduct on-the-spot interviews for applicants. “If we see a promising candidate, or when we see someone we want to employ, they do a first interview, and if that person looks promising, we take them to the HOD (head of department). They’re interviewed on the spot for a second time, and then if the HOD thinks that this is somebody they can work with, they’re hired on the spot.”
Interestingly, several on-the-spot hires were conducted and these persons may be starting their new jobs as early as next week.
One hire, Kelmar Carmichael who recently completed a course in heavy duty operation, shared his thoughts on the career fair noting, “ I think it’s a really good company. I think the fact that they’re hiring mostly local is, is exceptional. And I think this initiative here today is already is a really good step towards the future.”
While the wait among 1,400 persons was a bit tedious, he was keen to note that it was worth it.
Another on-the-spot hire, Jaden Solomon, a 17-year-old intern noted how it has always been his dream to work at GYSBI. “I feel very well because, when this company came about or was established, I used to follow it up and I always told my mother this is one company I would like to work for.”
Regarding the importance of local content in their hiring, Gangadin said, “We are a Guyanese company. We’ve been in operations for about six years now, and one of the things we’ve always prided ourselves on is hiring Guyanese to participate in the oil and gas industry, because it is, you know, our oil and gas industry.”
Gangadin also emphasized that successful candidates would be provided with training, especially in technical roles. “For GYSBI specifically, we do provide training, because if somebody comes in, we still have to bring them up to scratch on the standards of the oil and gas industry,” she said. “We still have to ensure that they meet the requirements of the oil and gas industry, know the safety standards, and ensure they’re inducted, you know, with our safety standards.”
She added that training extends beyond the oil and gas sector, with other companies under the Muneshwars umbrella also providing their own training for new hires.
Addressing those who attended the fair, Gangadin encouraged those who were not hired on the spot to remain persistent. “Even if you didn’t get hired today… don’t give up. Just keep trying, because there are opportunities that keep coming.”
