JOB FAIR DRAWS HUNDREDS OF HOPEFULS
March 18, 2010 - CT Post
BRIDGEPORT
-- In the first hour, more than 900 people came through the doors Thursday
at the annual Community Job Fair to get what one job hunter described
as some "actual face time" with an employer.
"I finally got to see a few people," said Thomas Fuller, 26, of Stratford.
Fuller said he's been filling out applications online for nearly six months and
hasn't been hearing anything back. He hopes that by meeting with some of the
same employers he's applied to, he might get something. Fuller said he gave his
number to a few employers and they promised him a call back. He also said he's
looking at the possibility of joining the National Guard .
This was the 14th job fair that Career Resources, the nonprofit that runs several
job placement and career training programs for the state, has thrown, and it
was by far the largest. By the end of the day, more than 1,800 had visited Housatonic
Community College's Beacon Hall to check out potential jobs with the 70 employers
in attendance. There were people of all ages and job experience at the fair,
reflecting widespread problems in the economy that have left thousands in the
state without jobs and income.
According to the state Labor Department residents were unemployed in January
-- an unemployment rate of 9 percent. The national rate is 10 percent.
With unemployed people turning to nonprofits for help in higher numbers, Career
Resources had 13 groups on hand to help people get energy, food and other aid.
Scott Wilderman, president and chief executive of Career Resources, provided
a quick tour of the fair. Besides the tables where employers met with potential
workers, there were several rooms where people could get feedback on resumes
and evaluations on what skills employers are looking for.
Arlene Antoine, 25, of Bridgeport, said she landed three job interviews. She's
been out of work for a year, but started looking only within the last couple
of weeks. A former general manager of a retail shop, she's interested in working
with customers in an office or retail setting. At the fair, Antoine talked to
both Subway and TJX.
Others were not so hopeful coming out of the event. One man, upon exiting the
fair, exclaimed "This (stuff) is pathetic," saying it was really no
different than filling out Web applications and then having someone say they
might call you back.
The employers at the fair offered a little different take on the scene. They
included major corporations such Schick Wilkinson-Sword, which had three engineering
openings and a mechanic's job, as well as job placement firms, consultants and
retailers like TJX, which is building a new store in Bridgeport.
Walter Donne, human resources manager of Lex Products Corp., said his company
is looking to fill 23 new positions.
Lex, in Stamford, makes power distribution equipment and will be moving to Shelton
this year because it needs more room, Donne said. The company has military contracts
and "is bursting at the seems," in its Stamford location. The company
is looking for electrical engineers and assembly workers.
Donne said one problem he sees out there right now is that people are giving
up on the job search. His company reviews applications that come into its Web
site and that's where he tells people to go apply.
"If I give out a hundred cards," he said, "Not many will go to
the Web site."
David Marceau, vice president of sales and one of the founders of IT staffing
firm Ridgefield One, said job seekers need to be disciplined about what kind
of job they want.
"I ask people what they want to do," he said, "They say `anything.'" Marceau
said he doesn't know many employers who are hiring for "anything."
In fact, he said, employers are looking for specific skill sets before they will
hire. Still, there is some movement in the job market. Marceau said his firm,
which is only a month old, has placed six people into temporary assignments.
Career Resources is surveying both the employers and job seekers and is looking
to see how many of the job openings are new positions or are open because an
employee has left.
Anson C. Smith, Public Relations Coordinator
Housatonic Community College
900 Lafayette Blvd.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Tel: 203-332-5229, Fax: 203-332-5247
E-mail: asmith@hcc.commnet.edu