Thierry is in a hurry for two reasons. First, it’s 5 PM and the job fair closes in an hour. Second, his fixed-term contract ends at the end of the month. It is out of the question for him not to work. He was managing a large company which restructured two years ago. He was part of the group that was laid off. Since then, he has been taking training courses. He is retraining. He knows every conceivable and inconceivable software as well as the different formulas of each. Married with two children in high school and middle school, he doesn’t need to look far for motivation: “One less salary in the family and it’s catastrophic. I have teenage children with enormous needs that sometimes seem excessive but are legitimate for their well-being. And I’m not even talking about their tuition fees. In just over a year, my daughter will have her high school diploma, and our role as parents is to enable her to finance the studies she wishes to pursue.” He dressed up for the occasion. Black suit, white shirt, clean-shaven: He left nothing to chance. He has marked the companies where he wants to apply. He admits, mischievously, that he used his work computer to create his résumé under the advice of some colleagues. Joking about the form but critical of the substance, he says, “The company doesn’t have the means to keep me, but they have the most efficient printers on the French Riviera! I took the opportunity to print 30 resumes…” He then ends the interview and starts his tour of the booths very conscientiously.
More than 8,000 Thierrys gathered at Acropolis on Tuesday. They were young or not so young, sometimes couples, sometimes very organized, sometimes nonchalant. The majority made extra efforts in their attire to look presentable. All brought their resumes. They visited 100 booths and 200 companies across all sectors. The most frequented were temporary employment agencies, military careers (army, air force, navy, gendarmerie), the national police, and jobs in hospitality and catering. 2,700 jobs were available. Based on last year’s figures, 10% of visitors will find employment. In the first edition, where 5,000 job seekers attended, out of 1,800 jobs available, 500 secured a job within six months. “It’s not just about dropping off resumes; the focus should be on interviews and the meeting between a job seeker and an employer. The fair is generalist. Everyone is welcome,” explained one of the organizers. If everything is so perfect, why not make this type of forum more frequent? “It’s not that simple. Companies have many other fairs throughout the year…”
