Many job searches start online these days, but nothing replaces the connection that is made when a job applicant meets face-to-face with a potential employer.
Hundreds of people took advantage of this opportunity Tuesday by attending the Chatham-Kent Community Job Fair, held at The Chatham Armoury, organized by Chatham-Kent Economic Development Services.
Noting people sometimes don’t make it through screeners when applying for a job online, economic development officer, Spencer Pray said, “Here, you can tell employers what’s not on your resume.”
He added coming to a job fair there may be opportunities that are not on job boards.
This was the first job fair Geoff Cameron, 55, attended, having spent 35 years as a supply chain, warehousing and distribution expert.
Recently making the move to Wallaceburg from Mississauga, he said, “Now I’m embracing the opportunity of a new career . . . or fall back on my old, reliable skill set.”
He said the job fair was the perfect opportunity to do “some social networking to get a feel for the companies out there, what they have in store for me.”
He added it also allows him to be selective in the companies he wants to pursue a job with.
Keegan Stirling, 20, has a job, but came to see what other potential employment is out there.
“I think it’s nice there’s so many varied options,” he said, citing job opportunities in construction to health care.
Sterling said he’s interested in a development service worker type of job “where you get to work with people that need help.”
However, he admits it’s been an adjustment meeting potential employers face-to-face rather than applying online.
“You’ve got to get over the nerves of talking to potential employers in person, but when you get over that hump of actually going up and talking to them, it is smooth sailing for there,” Stirling said.
Robert Bondy, 18, who has had a few jobs in the past, said, “This is the first (real) job I have been looking for.”
The Chatham resident said he is interested in manufacturing, construction or mechanical work and believes his chance of landing a job is pretty good.
JP Huggins, lean manufacturing coordinator at the Tilbury Autoliv plant, which manufactures inflatable safety airbags for vehicles, was glad to have the opportunity to meet potential new employers in person.
“It’s just great to see people face-to-face again, to shake their hand, to talk with them and interact with them to see what they’re looking for and to explain to them all the awesome things Autoliv has to offer,” he said.
“Online, you can’t tell the tone of people, you can’t tell their personality. . . so it’s great to have a five minute conversation and tell them all about Autoliv, what an awesome place it is,” Huggins added.
He said the company has been hiring the past year, looking for people to fill a variety of positions, including general labourers, millwrights, electricians and engineers.
Enbridge Gas was also among the nearly 50 companies taking part in the job fair.
Carolyn Schinkel, lead of talent acquisition, said Enbridge has a lot of great employees that come from Chatham-Kent or have returned to the community and are looking to create a career here.
“So, it’s important for people to know that Enbridge is still a prominent employer here,” she said. “We need talent and we’re very committed to keeping our location here in Chatham staffed and offering great opportunities for the people of Chatham-Kent.”
Schinkel said some great resumes were received for people interested in the company’s information technology department. She added there was also a lot of interest in Enbridge’s utility service jobs.
Wallaceburg’s Aarkel Tool and Inc. is a regular at job fairs in Chatham-Kent and has found many quality employees through this type of venue, said Dennis Alexander, operations manager.
He said there were a lot of good people the company met on Tuesday with several resumes submitted.
“There’s a number of them we’re going to be calling up for interviews, so it’s kind of exciting,” Alexander said.
Aarkel has been operating for 45 years and has several long-time employees, which Alexander said is “a testament to the company.”