The 3rd Annual Community Resource and Job Fair was a success, according to event organizers.
In addition to meeting with 34 exhibitors, job fair participants were able to listen to an employer panel, participate in a customer service workshop and visit two potential employers.
The fair was held at the Backus Community Center last week. About 125 members of the community, and even some people from out of town, attended the event.
An employer panel consisted of Mary Bacon from Boise Inc., Debra Jackson from TruStar Federal Credit Union, and Pele Ugboajah and Mary Servis from the Rainy Lake Medical Center.
The panel spoke about their organizations, as well as tips for success in getting any type of job.
“One thing that came through was the variety of jobs that each employer has,” said Carol Stegmeir, employment and training counselor for the Northeast Minnesota Office of Job Training.
About 45 people listened to the presentations from the three local employers. The audience was able to ask questions of the panel. Stegmeir said that it was nice for the job seekers to see the face behind the hiring process at these local companies, and to find out the different ways that the companies hire new employees.
“All (panel members) touched on work ethic, showing up and doing a good job,” Stegmeir summarized. The panel also discussed the importance of selling oneself and having a positive attitude.
These are recommendations that could be carried over to almost every industry one is looking to enter, she said.
“The people seemed to be enthused,” Stegmeir noticed of job fair participants.
Ginger Romosz, employment and training counselor for the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency, said that the folks who came were ready to get hired.
“A lot were very well dressed and they were prepared,” she said.
“There were some very serious job seekers out there,” agreed Betsy Jensen, president of the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, which co-organized the event with the WorkForce Center.
Jensen said that the job seekers seemed more serious about finding employment than in years past. An economy that continues to struggle out of recession, along with higher-than-average unemployment, may have more people seriously looking for work, she said.
Romosz was among members of the WorkForce Center who demonstrated MinnesotaWorks.net, an employment database Web site at the WorkForce Center booth. Members of the WorkForce Center also critiqued participants’ resumes and gave them more information on the four agencies represented in the center.
Two business tours, to Northland Fishing Tackle and Northland Distributing, each included 13 participants. Interested job seekers were able to tour the facilities and learn more about employment options at these locations.
Arrowhead Transit provided transportation, and Romosz said that it was also helpful for the job seekers to find that the bus travels as far as Northland Fishing Tackle.
