The Youth Fair, as the biggest employer branding event, has been the most important career event in this part of Europe for years, attended each year by thousands of students and graduates from all over Serbia and the region who want to meet the best employers and take the first steps in their careers
The idea of the project is to encourage the development of young people by connecting them with employers, companies and institutions.
With this, organisers want to improve the quality of life of today’s youth, helping them to invest in their future and, ultimately, take a step towards keeping young potentials and future professionals in our country.
Accordingly, the main goal of the event is to provide jobs and internships to candidates, as well as providing them with informal education through workshops / lectures that equip them with new theoretical knowledge and practical skills in their areas of interest.
Despite the pandemic, the first ONLINE version of the Youth Fair was successfully organised in October 2020.
The sixth Belgrade Youth Fair was held last year and gathered together over 4,200 young people from all parts of Serbia and the biggest employers in the country. However, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, it was held online for the first time in 2020, connecting young people with employers through online activities like: chat with employers, simulations of job interviews, numerous lectures, workshops and a knowledge quiz.
The companies and organisations participating in last year’s event were: PepsiCo, Nelt, Hemofarm, UniCredit Bank, Metro, Atos, Bosch, Mercator–S, Milsped Group, Futura kid, MPC Properties, TPA, Bambi, Atlantic Group, Phoenix Group, Karanović& Partners, Trizma, Delhaize, Coca-Cola HBC, Sanne, P&G, Adecco, Naj Student, Nestle, PwC Srbija, ERSTE Bank, DDOR Osiguranje and SBU.
The Big HR conference attracted great interest from the start of the event, precisely because young people are interested in constant improvement under the scope of the topics presented through panel discussions:
Representatives of Bambi, Hemofarm, UniCredit, Bosch, Sanne and a moderator from the Employer Branding Agency discussed the first panel, with the topic “From studying to a great job”. They shared stories about their career paths and highlighted some important career tips. The panel participants also emphasised that formal education is not an obstacle to doing the job you want and that you should always be true to yourself.
In the panel discussion entitled “Modern Human Resources – New Methods and Techniques”, representatives of PepsiCo, PwC, Mercator-s and MPC Properties provided advice and spoke about the solutions that their companies have taken in response to current world events. They stated that flexibility and the good organisation of work and employees were key principles, while noting that it is also important to preserve mental health and a balance between one’s business and private life.
How important is talent management, what values and criteria form the basis for their selection, how can the right talents be found for certain positions… These were among the issues discussed in the panel of the same name that included representatives of Nelt, Delhaize, Erste Bank, Adecco and Coca Cola HBC.
The second day of the Youth Fair saw lectures given on specific topics by representatives of companies. Some of the topics included “News in Digital Marketing and how to use Insight analytics”, presented by PepsiCo and including discussion of development programmes, training courses and the function of digital marketing, detailing the job and its advantages and disadvantages, …
An extremely useful and practical lecture for young people was given by the Karanović & Partners Law Office on the topic “Towards the first employment: rights and obligations arising from the establishment of employment”.
Another popular topic of great importance for young job seekers was addressed in Nestle’s lecture “How to look for a job and how to prepare for an interview?”, which summarised what this company has done to date and what this new reality has brought in the process.
The Youth Fair managed to connect young people seeking internships and employment with the best employers, but also to resolve many of the doubts that young people face when preparing for their first job, and we are sure that this approach is of great importance to individuals who want to be well-informed and to take the first steps towards their future careers, as well as for companies that want to provide them with that opportunity.
Youth Fair is also in online format this year
The 7th Belgrade Youth Fair, the biggest career event in the region, will be held in Serbia on 22nd and 23th of April. And this year it will be also in an interactive online format, where young people will have the opportunity to connect with many employers in order to secure an internship or employment, but also to gain numerous knowledge for which they will receive a free certificate. The program will last from 10 am to 5 pm, and will consist of a fair and conference part.
“This year as well, due to the conditions of the pandemic we are in, Belgrade Youth Fair will be organized in an interactive online format, but with the fulfillment of all expectations of candidates and employers.
This year, numerous internships and employment programs will be presented, also the benefits that each of the companies can offer, and all those who present will be able to participate in interview simulations, CV counseling as well as numerous workshops, prize quizzes and panel discussions. Also, an even bigger number of different employers are expected this year, so there will be more chances to find an internship / job and learn new skills“, said Miloš Čevizović, project director.
Some of the activities that await you:
- Chat with employers
- Employer profile
- Internship / job ads
- Big HR conference
- Job interview simulations
- IG live interviews
- Online company knowledge quizzes
- CV database available to employers throughout the year
- CV Counseling
Some of the topics of the conference part of the project, which will be held by the greatest experts, will be:
- How to look for a job and how to prepare for an interview;
- How do I choose the best employer for me?
- How to find the ideal job;
- Marketing and HR trends, business, information technology.
Applications for this year are open and you can apply via website: www.youthfair.rs