With unemployment in Lebanon at an all-time high, we explore how LEBridge, an initiative founded by Lebanese entrepreneur Tarek Eid, is helping people find jobs.
What can you tell us about LEBridge?
LEBridge is a Lebanese non-profit. We are a team of 20 volunteers, 10 of whom are HR professionals. Our goal is to make sure that candidates who reach out to us have the right tools and support to find employment. We are now testing our service on 400 candidates. Our HR officers match job seekers with vacant positions and help candidates with their applications. We also send CVs to companies on request. Once our website is fully functional, we will open our job platform, allowing candidates to browse vacancies and apply for positions. Employers will also be able to post jobs on the site. To date, six of our applicants are at late interview stages with various companies, and around 40 percent of our candidates have already applied to jobs and received personal advice from our counselors.
How did you come up with the idea of LEBridge?
As an expatriate, it has been difficult to witness from afar the dire situation Lebanon finds itself in. Seeing the unemployment rate skyrocketing — while noticing job vacancies abound on social media — I realized that the best way to help people was to offer career support and guidance. I then called a few friends, and we opened up an Instagram account and started our pilot service on 400 candidates.
Do you have other initiatives in the works?
In the near future, we hope to establish stronger ties with employers. For the moment, our main focus is job creation. Our target is to get as many people employed as possible and make the hiring process easier for employers. It’s all about bridging the gap between the two main components of strategic recruiting: turning quantity into quality and creating jobs for the Lebanese people. None of this would be possible without our wonderful team of volunteers.
About author
Rita Ghantous
Rita Ghantous is a hospitality aficionado and a passionate writer with over 9 years’ experience in journalism and 5 years experience in the hospitality sector. Her passion for the performance arts and writing, started early. At 10 years old she was praised for her solo performance of the Beatles song “All My Love” accompanied by a guitarist, and was approached by a French talent scout during her school play. However, her love for writing was stronger. Fresh out of school, she became a freelance journalist for Noun Magazine and was awarded the Silver Award Cup for Outstanding Poetry, by The International Library of Poetry (Washington DC). She studied Business Management and earned a Masters degree from Saint Joseph University (USJ), her thesis was published in the Proche-Orient, Études en Management book. She then pursued a career in the hospitality industry but didn’t give up writing, that is why she launched the Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun Newsletter. Her love for the industry and journalism led her to Hospitality Services - the organizers of the HORECA trade show in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, as well as Salon Du Chocolat, Beirut Cooking Festival, Whisky Live and other regional shows. She is currently the Publications Executive of Hospitality News Middle East, Taste & Flavors and Lebanon Traveler. It is with ultimate devotion for her magazines that she demonstrates her hospitality savoir-faire.
