Much more than a job fair, an event focusing on employment, entrepreneurship and enterprises was held over the weekend in Shanghai's Changning District. The idea was to create more employment opportunities and a community-based network by integrating resources and channels.

The 3E (employment, entrepreneurship and enterprise) International Fair 2020 was jointly organized by the city's Expatriate Center and Hongqiao Community. The two-day event drew graduates, job seekers, employers, startups and even venture capital firms.

Dozens of domestic and foreign enterprises as well as business promotion associations flocked to ShanghaiMart for the fair, which featured exhibition booths of companies and institutes, workshops, seminars, networking sessions, as well as one-to-one consultations.

The Shanghai Overseas Chinese Affairs Center and the Shanghai People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries were also among the organizers, along with the Changning District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the district foreign affairs office and other government agencies.

In his opening speech, Guo Kai, director of Hongqiao Community, said that the 3E fair was an opportunity to bring together both domestic and overseas graduates and high-level professionals of all trades and create a platform for a new round of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Ker Gibbs, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, told Shanghai Daily that 2020 was a challenging year for both American and Chinese companies but domestic firms are recovering quite well amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Innovation is the key and that’s why some great American companies are here for positive exchanges with their Chinese partners,” he added.

The fair also attracted financial institutions, such as United Overseas Bank.

Peter Foo, president and chief executive officer of UOB (China), suggested that graduate job-seekers should bear something in mind as they face a world with many uncertainties. “First of all, they need to be highly conscientious or with a very acute sense of wellness. Then they should have a certain sense of resilience — for getting things done without any excuses.”

Linda Painan, chairwoman of the Expatriate Center, talked about making connections.

“There are a lot of connections we need to make and we can make them right now at this place. The needs and resources are all here, the demand and supply is all here. So in a way we are meeting the needs of a community.”

Jobs were a top priority.

Li Tianze, human resources specialist of Henkel (China), said his company was looking for graduates of 2020 and next year. Henkel had set up a booth for campus recruitment.

A student delegation from Duke Kunshan University also visited the fair. Although some of them were sophomores, they believed the trip was quite helpful as it allowed them to gain experience and get in the job-hunting spirit.

There were also sophomore or junior students from other universities, such as East China Normal University.

At the same time, startups also used the fair platform to look towards the future.

Jessica Choy, founder and chief executive officer of a Hong Kong-based jewelry and bridal brand, was optimistic about the future, despite the coronavirus-led difficult times. She launched her business in Shanghai in December.