Applicants looking for work throng the hall of the Columbus Trade and Convention Center, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 1009. (Photo: Dave Bender)
More than 2,500 job-seekers attended a job fair held in Columbus Thursday. Employers from the area, as well as out-of-state and national firms were at the event, held at the city’s convention center.
Department of Labor officials say some 55 companies, from Aflac and local hospitals, to local and Atlanta MARTA police departments, to Georgia Power and employment agencies are taking job applications.
Miguel Flores (facing) of Fort Benning assists a job-seeker at the Columbus job fair, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)
Fort Benning's Warrior Transition Battalion has a representative here as well, to aid troops in making the sometimes complex conversion from uniform to civvies.
There are also representatives from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in nearby Lumpkin, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
The large-scale fair is held several times a year, and Labor Department officials say while the turnout by employers is a little more than half last year's showing – they’re optimistic that employers and applicants will be introduced to each other.
Applicants submitting resumes to company online websites. (Photo: Dave Bender)
To that end, they’ve set up a bank of computers for applicants to go directly to the companies’ websites, and set up interviews there, as well.
Many of the job-seekers are either in, or soon after college, and some have recently completed military service.
Celeste Edge of Columbus is looking has a degree in Communications and wants a position in her field:
"It’s been ok; I’ve talked to a couple of people who seem a little promising, like the hospital and one of the staffing agencies who thinks they might be able to place me – but, you know – I’m just hoping for the best."There were many resumes and handshakes, and many people filled in applications online.
Jim Huntzinger of the DOL is one of the fair’s organizers, and says they’re trying hard to lower jobless rates:
"We have 55 employers here, with, as i say, with the economic situation, is, I think, fantastic. And it’s 55 employers that have jobs."Some came away frustrated from the experience, though.
Eric Harris of Columbus recently finished the Army and is studying criminal law at Troy University; he got a lot of what he calls “headnoes”:
"...that’s everybody shaking their heads, saying, ‘No; go online; we don’t have any applications, we’re not hiring…so it’s like, I’m very discouraged at this point so I’m just thinking about dropping school and going back in the military – and I’m, not the only one feeling like this. There’s a lot of others in there stressing the same thing about their feeling the same disappointment at this job fair – they need to do better."About 3,000 people turned out for last year's job fair, and Department of Labor officials say they’ll hold a similar job fair in May.
Kia Motors' tier-one supplier, Sewon American, will accept applications for 400 to 600 production workers for a car parts factory that will open in a few months.
They'll be taking applications next week in Lagrange.
The Kia plant in West Point is about half an hour north of Columbus, and is set to open its doors in the late fall.
Click here for more GPB News coverage of the job situation.
