Project Arfa: One Interview Guaranteed

Project Arfa: There happens to be a natural database of companies which are continuously requesting/sharing human resource needs and opportunities on one of Team Project Arfa’s voluntarily run social media pages: www.facebook.com/Arfa.STPL. The page hosts tightly knit community of over 45000 IT enthusiasts.

For the readers who do not already know, Arfa Karim Randhawa happened to be the youngest certified #Microsoft professionals of the world during the time she lived, thereby, bringing laurels to a terror-stricken society like Pakistan. This social media page was constructed as an action of recognition of late Arfa Karim Randhawa, when the only IT park in Pakistan was also going to be named after her.

Arfa, undoubtedly, inspired a large number of IT professionals who check-in/visit the park daily, probably to study at IT University, and/or come to work at private-software houses and/or run their startups from Government backed incubators/accelerators housed inside.  Initially, it was merely thought of as a social media monger’s opportunity to tap/evangelize her celebrity appeal and gain a few hundred likes. The page went on to become the number one landmark of Lahore, the city, where Arfa Software Technology Park (ASTP) is situated.

However, while managing the page, Project Arfa noticed how even a larger populace was rightly mistaken to access the associated page as official. Project Arfa kept on receiving many messages, while it appeared that every single unemployed/fresh IT graduate sought opportunity inside ASTP. A few more complains as to why these people were not allowed inside the park. Four years later, Project Arfa was amazed how the security was still an issue unless you had some acquaintance inside. Tired of replying to the same questions, Project Arfa stopped the page’s ability to receive any inbox messages last month. Surely, Project Arfa had something great in mind. Certainly, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg had not thought of it.

We at Project Arfa decided to launch a web portal designed to establish/consolidate a connection between IT industry professionals. In lieu of the fact that ASTP promotes entrepreneurship and other freelancing opportunities do also require a lot of enterprising/initiative, an increasing number of fresh IT graduates within the country eventually need some guided jobs.

Team Project Arfa has successfully launched Project Arfa today where we are determined to provide at least one guaranteed interview to those who need it. Despite the large number of available IT human capital, it is apprehensive how IT related firms fail to find people with the right skill set. Our no obligation process ensures that a strong communication is done between the potential employee and employer.

One of the major challenges, of course, is to omit redundant or non-serious job seeker profiles. For which we have followed two-tier process to make sure that right people get hired.

First, a group of dedicated human resource managers shortlist the candidates in search of job as they submit a LinkedIn Url using the application. This procedural step ensures sanctity of the candidate’s interest, their willingness to conform to the use of world’s standard professional tool such as #LinkedIn and above all their befitting credentials.

In the second part, our HR managers segregate the screened candidates. These candidates are contacted to know if they directly sought an interview with a company of their liking (from the open vacancies pool). Such candidates will have to bear a so-called processing and profile matching fee. Again a strong recommendation from Project Arfa Human Resource Managers is at the helm of successful hiring. If some candidate requires multiple recommendations, they are liable pay additional fees.

Meanwhile, free services including regular job postings on the page and sharing of IT related links are dealt as part of the Corporate Social responsibility.

In future, we require legal initiatives to focus along the lines. We invite any corporate entity interested in powering or sponsoring this initiative. In return we will offer, free brand recognition both on website/blog and Facebook page.