Want to throw a big party? Just call it a job fair
BY JOHN KEENAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Amanda Collier came to the Omaha Career Fair on Tuesday in search of a job in management or customer service.
The Holiday Inn convention center was hopping with hopefuls Tuesday for the Omaha Career Fair, designed to bring together would-be workers and employers.
Recently laid off, Collier said she visited all 21 booths except those for the armed forces and law enforcement. She has attended other job fairs and posted several résumés online. "And there's nothing," she said, sitting at a table in the middle of the room, her New York Giants coat folded over her lap.
Organizers said they had expected 800 people to pass through the six-hour event, in the Holiday Inn convention center, near 72nd and Grover Streets, and sponsored by Career Fairs Global. By 11 a.m., 500 had already come through the doors.
The job fair took place just a day after companies nationwide announced tens of thousands of new layoffs.
The country lost a net 2.6 million jobs last year, the most since 1945, and might lose another 2 million this year. The recession's impact has been less severe in Omaha and in Nebraska, but layoffs are occurring regularly here as well.
Makayla Trapp of Omaha has been unemployed since December, when the roofing company she worked for shut down for the winter. She said she came to Tuesday's fair looking for any work. "I even applied at Burger King, and they never called," she said.
Among the companies represented at the event were Raytheon, Primerica and Verizon Wireless. People in winter jackets and jeans stood next to people in suits and ties, some carrying briefcases or leather portfolios.
One couple had a young boy with them. Milton Johnson, who just relocated from Colorado, said he hoped to talk to representatives from Mutual of Omaha or Blue Cross Blue Shield, neither of which was represented at the fair.
Johnson is seeking a sales or customer service job. "I thought it would be bigger," he said of the job fair. "I thought there'd be more companies." Creighton University was one of the schools with a booth. "A lot of people come to job fairs not really equipped to obtain the jobs that they're seeking," said Creighton representative John Gallion. "So what better place to recruit individuals to go to school than at a job fair?"
In the first two hours, the longest line — 20 people at times — was for technology company West Corp. Amanda Smith, standing at the end of that line, said she'd already been to all the other booths. She said West Corp.'s popularity among job-seekers was because of its recognizable name and the variety of positions it offers. Employer representatives at several stations declined to take her résumés, said Smith, who graduated in November from the Savannah (Ga.) College of Art and Design. "I only was able to drop off two résumés," she said. "A lot of them rejected them and said, 'Just go online and do it that way.' I'm sure it's easier for them."
She did, however, have "some good conversations."
Several employer representatives said they were delighted with the turnout. People were waiting outside the doors when they opened at 10 a.m., they said. Paul Rible with the U.S. Border Patrol said he spoke to a number of interested people who seemed undaunted by the required move. "I'm finding now it's easier to get people that are willing to relocate," he said. "In the past, it's been kind of a struggle for us. That's been the big thing holding people back."
Attending a career fair? Remember these key things;
- Bring a professionally prepared résumé -- bring lots of copies!
- Dress and prepare for an interview!
- Bring a note pad. You will want to send a followup letter to the person with whom you speak!
- Don't bring your children, pets or food!
- Get rid of the bling and the excessive perfume; a job interview is not a date!
- Be professional; be enthusiastic! You want to make a positive first impression! Too often, first impressions become last impressions -- rather than lasting impressions!
- Think!
-- For a free booklet on Interviewing, email Executive Writing Services at ews@juno.com. Visit our website at writearesume.biz
