Greenheart Exchange helps Host Organizations interview and hire the seasonal staff they need for the coming summer through Job Fairs. With Greenheart’s International Job Fairs, Host Organizations travel with Greenheart to conduct in-person interviews and hire the seasonal staff they need in just four days. Greenheart works with its partners to ensure candidates are pre-screened for their English language proficiency and prepared for the job they are interviewing. Our international candidates enjoy meeting representatives of their potential Host Organizations and discussing their previous experiences. We have witnessed that Host Organizations enjoy meeting participants face-to-face to select the staff that best qualifies for their business. They also get a chance to experience the culture of countries from where they hire seasonal staff.
Let’s learn about Greenheart’s Job Fair in Turkey from Joshua Reafsnyder, Program Support Manager, Work and Travel Program at Greenheart.
Arriving in Istanbul
In Late January, Greenheart Exchange staff and four of our Host Organizations began checking into a modern hotel in central Istanbul. The weather was crisp, yet surprisingly pleasant due to the city’s Mediterranean climate. For all of us, this was a much-needed respite from the frigid cold of our previous locations. Half of us was defrosting from below zero temperatures during a job fair in Kazakhstan only a few days before. The other half escaped once-in-a-decade winter storm that had swept across the central United States earlier that month. We soon settled into our rooms and prepared for a full day of adventure in the city on the Seven Hills.
A Beautiful Immersion in the Turkish Culture!
The next morning, we found our way to the rooftop restaurant on the 18th floor of our hotel. There, we were greeted by a breakfast buffet of traditional Turkish staples. As we shook hands and put names to faces, we took our seats by a window. We got our first real glimpse of this ancient city that would be our home for the next few days. A representative of our Turkish partner StudyZone accompanied us on a tour of Istanbul’s famous sites. We haggled our way through the Grand Bazaar and sipped Turkish tea. We visited Byzantine Hagia Sofia (b. 537 AD), The Ottoman Blue Mosque (b. 1617 AD), an Egyptian Obelisk (b. 1400’s BCE). Istanbul is the only city in the world that stretches across two continents. We were struck by how thoroughly this place embodied the mission that had drawn us all there.
The Job Fair
Our Host Organizations interviewed more than 120 Turkish candidates. These candidates shared the dream of spending their next summer on a cultural exchange in the United States. They applied for a range of placements from the bustling streets of New York to remote adventures in our national parks in the west. It only made sense that we were doing this in a city that had experienced so many different cultures, civilizations, and peoples throughout its multi-thousand-year history.
On the day of the job fair, our host organizations set up interview stations in a conference hall at our hotel. Meanwhile, 128 Turkish applicants from around the country mingled. Marcus and I, Greenheart representatives, interacted with and got to know future program participants. Our hosts repeatedly expressed how pleased they were with the applicants’ language skills and passion for the program. They also saw their eagerness to take on the work responsibilities of the seasonal positions that were offered.
A Final Celebration of a Successful Hiring Event!
After a full day of interviews, our Turkish partner treated us to a dinner cruise. It was along the Bosporus Strait – the body of water that separates the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. The meal was accompanied by a performance chronicling the evolution of Turkish dance and music culture. As the boat moored, we began to say our goodbyes and prepare for our long journeys home. We left that night with a profound sense of accomplishment and excitement for the coming Work and Travel season.
Are you a U.S.-based business and would like to host international seasonal staff for a cultural exchange? Please visit HirewithGreenheart.org to learn more.