Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Career Fair on April 28th

Despite the current economy, employers in the Inland Northwest are hiring. On Wednesday, April 28th at the Bonner Mall in Ponderay, businesses accept applications and some will perform on-site interviews at the 5th annual Career Fair sponsored by Litehouse and hosted by the Idaho Department of Labor and Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.

“One of the most challenging obstacles in obtaining a job is ‘getting your foot in the door,’ and the Career Fair allows job seekers opportune face-to-face interaction with employers,” says Amy Little, president & CEO of the Chamber.

According to event organizers, current job openings from participating employers include a mix of part-time, full-time, and temporary occupations in health care, manufacturing, administration, services, education, and management.

“The jobs are changing daily as new positions open and existing ones are filled,” said Bridgette Bradshaw-Fleer of the Idaho Department of Labor. She suggests job seekers to take this opportunity to connect with employers regardless of the openings currently listed due to turnover.

Job seekers are also encouraged to prepare for the event by researching the participating employers, bringing plenty of resumes catered to the job/s sought, preparing a 20 to 30 second introduction to use with employers, and dressing appropriately to create a dynamic first-impression. An updated list of participating employers is available online at www.SandpointChamber.com.

To prepare job seekers for the event, the Idaho Department of Labor hosts no-cost job search workshops on Wednesdays at 10:30 am covering writing resumes, cover letters, and applications, interviewing skills, and job search strategies. These workshops are held at their offices and registration is required.

Additionally, on the day of the Career Fair Ruth Wimberly of Human Resource Consulting and Amber Snoddy of Business Management Services will be available to support and counsel job seekers, offering suggestions on resumes and answering questions.

The Career Fair will be held at the Bonner Mall in Ponderay, located at 3201 Hwy. 95 North, from 12 to 6 pm.

For more information, job listings, or to register for the aforementioned workshops, call the Idaho Department of Labor at (208) 263-7544 or visit labor.idaho.gov.

For businesses interested in participating in the Career Fair or participating businesses, contact the Chamber at (208) 263-2161 or visit SandpointChamber.com.