In 2009, upwards of 300 people poured through the doors of the first Hancock County Job Fair in hope of finding employment.
Many of them, organizers now admit, probably walked away disappointed.
After a one-year hiatus, the county job fair is returning, and this time, it’s going to look a lot different.
The goal is to provide opportunities for the unemployed to get back on their feet with real jobs that are available now, Greenfield Area Chamber of
Commerce President Retta Livengood said.
Many vendors in 2009 were more like support systems for job-seekers, Livengood explained. The Hancock County Public Library, for example, had a booth to promote its resume writing workshops. Universities were also on hand, hoping to recruit those who wanted to further their education in the face of unemployment.
On March 8, Livengood hopes jobseekers will have a better chance of landing on-the-spot interviews with employers who have current job openings.
“That’s our push right now is to get those people who have jobs to be there that day so someone walking in has an opportunity to apply for a job right then and there,” Livengood said.
The fair is co-sponsored by the chamber, the library, WorkOne of Greenfield, the Central Indiana Regional Workforce Board, Brandywine Community Church and Mayor Brad DeReamer.
DeReamer hopes that waiting a year until the economy started to show signs of recovery was the right move.
“We hope that the companies will participate,” DeReamer said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a big turnout this time.”
The job fair will be at Brandywine Community Church from 9 a.m. to noon.
While it has been two years since the last fair, Livengood has no doubt Hancock County still has a significant need.
“We certainly heard a lot of sad stories,” she said. “People were let go, downsized, all of that, and I know that hasn’t changed.”
Organizers would like to see 35 or more employers from in and around Hancock County. Twenty-eight vendors bought booth space, which goes for $25, in 2009.
Should applicants be required to apply for a job online or complete testing through the company’s website, a computer will be available.
Organizers hope providing private rooms outside the main vendor area will prompt employers to conduct interviews at the fair. That means attendees should dress properly, as though they were walking into interviews at company headquarters, Livengood said.
And, organizers say, they expect the job fair to return as long as the community has a need for it.
“We need to take care of our citizens,” DeReamer said. “It’s simple.”
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