Big Companies on Prowl For Bilingual Workers

About 15 high-powered companies say they’re looking to hire 2,000 English-speaking employees at a bilingual job fair that began Thursday and ends Saturday in San José.

The Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center is organizing the fair for the third year in a row and expects 3,000 job seekers to flood the three-day event, up about 1,000 from last year’s turnout.

Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Procter & Gamble are a few of the companies looking to hire fluent English speakers in customer service, administration, technological support and other areas.

Luanna Gonzáles, a marketing assistant helping organize the event, said that six more companies signed on this year than last.

The fair will also feature interview modules and promotional talks by the companies. Interested candidates should fill out a form online at http://www.cccncr.com/bolsadeempleo or bring their résumé on a USB card or flash drive to the fair.

“This event seeks to put big companies in contact with professionals or advanced university students who possess an absolute command of English,” said Karl Schmack, cultural center director.

The cultural center is located in Barrio Dent, 50 meters west and 150 meters north of the Automercado Los Yoses. The fair runs today from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.