KINGSTON, JAMAICA — The CEO of a regional recruitment firm is lauding the work being done by The Career Doc., a Jamaica-based resume-writing and career consultation service, citing it as a necessary resource for jobseekers.
“In the Caribbean market, you see it all the time where jobseekers are dejected and discouraged, saying they keep sending out resumes but never hear back or that they can’t get a job unless they know someone who can make sure they get hired,” said Joseph Boll, Caribbean Employment CEO. The organization he heads, Caribbean Employment, is a market-leading talent acquisition service that is based in Barbados but operational throughout the entire Caribbean. It aims to connect Caribbean jobseekers with employers in the region as well as within the United States, Canada or even the United Kingdom.
Boll continued, “At the same time, you hear employers saying they can’t find anyone qualified for their jobs or they’re having trouble finding adequate talent locally, so they have to look to bring someone in from abroad.”
While job placement programmes, job fairs and even recruitment agencies like Caribbean Employment are helpful for addressing this problem and helping people find jobs, Boll noted that they do not address a major issue: ensuring that jobseekers know how to effectively market themselves and create resumes that boost their employability.
“We recently sat down with The Career Doc. and it’s just amazing what this young man is doing,” said Boll, referring to Career Doc. Founder Kristofferson Nunes. “In a short space of time, he is already making a difference for jobseekers not just in Jamaica but across the Caribbean and even beyond.”
The Career Doc.’s work has been recognized locally, recently winning the second place award in the fourth annual Best Pitch Forward Competition held by Kingston Creative, IDB Labs, JAMPRO and the Development Bank of Jamaica. The group was awarded a prize of $150,000 in that competition.
According to Boll, businesses such as this have a tremendous role to play in the Caribbean labour market and should be recognized as another crucial way to address employability challenges in the region.
“Adequate training and upskilling opportunities are important, as are making sure opportunities are available and accessible to jobseekers,” Boll said. “Just as important, however, is the skill of making sure jobseekers know how to put their skills and experience on paper to better secure the high-quality, high-paying jobs that will help them provide for their families.”
