Posted on 09/08/2010 12:37:59 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Representatives from four companies said they hired people at the most recent Upper Savannah Regional Job Fair because meeting job seekers face-to-face allowed them to look beyond the resume.
White Oak Manor of Newberry, MicroPrice Technologies of Greenwood, Abbeville County E-911, and Capital Management Services of Greenville were among businesses who reported hires at the Job Fair in April.
The next Upper Savannah Job Fair will be held from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sept. 29, at Greenwood Mall. The goal is to have 50-plus employers who are hiring or expect to be hiring in attendance to meet job seekers. Workforce development professionals encourage serious job seekers to dress as if they are going for an interview.
White Oak staffing coordinator Beth Jaeger, Abbeville E-911 employee Hannah Chasteen, MicroPrice Technologies President Larry Richardson and Capital Management Services recruiter and training manager Annie Myers saw plenty of positives and negatives from job seekers at the April event.
“The way they are dressed is the very first thing that I notice,” said Jaeger, who hired three Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in April and they are all still employed at the Newberry skilled nursing facility. White Oak has hired Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) at past job fairs in Greenwood.
“And the next thing that I look at is the hand-writing and grammar on the application,” Jaeger said. “I just think it speaks for the person as far as pride in themselves. If they put in time and effort in the application, nine times out of 10 they are going to be more dedicated and willing to work.
“Whether they have higher education or not, you can tell whether they rushed through the application and haphazardly filled it out.”
Chasteen accompanied 911 Coordinator Sharmel Miller to the Job Fair, where they hired a dispatcher who is still going through their lengthy training program.
“With the 911 dispatching, you have to have your high school diploma and a clear criminal background,” Chasteen said. “You can’t check for specific things like that (criminal background) at a job fair. But you can be looking for other things such as clear speech and a professional manner of speaking.”
Although Chasteen said she met “hundreds” of job seekers, she does remember speaking with the man they eventually hired.
“I was impressed with the way he talked. He sounded very professional,” Chasteen said. “And I remember him asking questions about the job.”
Richardson hired an office manager, whom he met at the Upper Savannah Job Fair.
“She is exactly what we were looking for,” said Richardson, who was seeking a good fit for his information technology company. “She has the work ethic and skills. I was impressed with her attitude (at the job fair). She was real outgoing. I liked her style.”
It was an example of looking beyond the resume. “You have to have the skills,” Richardson said of filling any position. “But what I am really looking for is somebody who has a good work ethic, somebody who is personable, can represent our company well, and is dependable. Those things are hard to find.”
Myers said she hired eight at the job fair, and several are still with the company.
“Dressing for success is a must,” she said. “If you come to a Job fair with your children, hair rollers, night clothes, etc., you’re not serious about searching for the right career. You must know something about the company that you are applying for. We were looking for communication and networking skills and were impressed with many who came to our booth.”
Jaeger identified another benefit for an employer to come to the job fair.
“We can do the interviews there,” she said. “That prevents them from having to come to Newberry to interview, come back to their homes, and come back (to Newberry) to do pre-employment paperwork, a pre-employment physical and drug screening.
It definitely speeds up the hiring process because we know exactly what we are hiring for when we go to the job fair.”
While White Oak, Abbeville E-911, MicroPrice and other businesses were able to hire job seekers who made a good first impression, there were other fair goers who were not nearly as impressive.
“I was shocked at the way a lot of people were dressed,” Richardson said. “I didn’t expect everybody to come in with a coat and tie. I didn’t have one on myself. But torn blue jeans and t-shirts?
“The way some of these people looked, I don’t care if you have the skills or not, I wouldn’t hire you. You can’t represent my company looking like that. At least have on a collared shirt and a decent pair of pants.”
Workforce development professionals say that the dress of job seekers has improved over the years since the first job fair in October 2003. Workshops are available at the One-Stop Workforce Centers in each county, covering how to dress for a job fair and many other topics including how to fill out an application, write a resume, or prepare for a job fair.
But there are still enough people who are reminders of how not to look and act.
Myers doesn’t take seriously a job seeker who “is downing their previous employer or stating ‘I just need a job, any job will do.’”
Chasteen said, “If they come up wearing holey jeans and a t-shirt and flip flops, we are not as likely to look at them with a job as we would someone who comes up there dressed like they really want a job.
“Do they present themselves in a professional manner,” Chasteen asked, “or do they say, ‘hey, do you have a job that I can get?’ It’s just the way someone presents themselves when they come and apply for a job which sets the first impression for them.”
As Jaeger put it, “If you come in with bedroom shoes and curlers, you are not going to find work.”
The Job Fair is being organized by the Upper Savannah Workforce System, which includes the Upper Savannah Council of Governments Workforce Development Division, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce, Piedmont Technical College, GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission, the S.C. Vocational Rehabilitation Department, and area employers.
For more information about the job fair, contact Upper Savannah Council of Governments at 941-8050, 1-800-922-7729, work@uppersavannah.com, www.us1stops.com/jobFair.html or visit your local One-Stop Workforce Center.
Thank you sir, ping for later.
What state?
From what I can tell that’s in South Carolina. Take a look around the site to double check.
For those of you looking for a job here is the current thread you may wish to bookmark:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2584817/posts
“Are You Looking For A Job? (Autumn/Early Winter Edition)”
Various ^ | September 7, 2010 | n/a
Posted on September 7, 2010 3:46:11 PM PDT by Cindy
This looks like an update from WSPA-TV:
MAU Holding BMW Job Fair Thursday
Greer, SC — BMW is hiring 500 new employees in the coming months, according to a release.
The employees will be hired by MAU, Inc.
BMW expects that the addition of these new jobs will bring the total number of jobs at the BMW plant in South Carolina to more than 7,000 jobs.
According to the release, the jobs include health, dental, 401 (k) and vacation benefits.
Applicants should attend job fairs at the Greenville OneStop (9AM-4PM) on Thursday, September 9, Wednesday, September 15 or Wednesday, September 22. Applicants can also apply online and see details about upcoming job fairs at www.mau.com/bmwjobs. MAU will hold job fairs in Spartanburg after the renovations at Spartanburg Community College’s Tyger River campus are complete.
People selected will go through about a three week training process and will be ready to work.
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/sep/07/4/bmw-hiring-500-new-employees-ar-773023/
I live in Abbeville and work in Greenwood. Everything you said was right on the money. Self Memorial Hospital is GREAT! Love it here
And that is a commentary on the state of the economy! They interviewed hundreds, they hired one man.
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