The city of Marietta has canceled a job fair because most of the companies involved aren't hiring. Marietta city councilman Anthony Coleman said he didn't want to give people attending the Marietta/Cobb Career Expo "false hope." He said he plans to revive the expo next year. The event is usually held annually in the fall at the Cobb Civic Center. Last year, the job expo drew more than 70 employers and 1,500 jobseekers.
(Associated Press)
The Georgia Department of Labor is sponsoring a career expo and job fair featuring more than 100 employers.
The event is from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the World Congress Center. Besides employers with jobs to fill, the event will feature approximately 100 resource and service providers.
Those will include several two-and-four-year public and private educational institutions and technical colleges.
Workshops will address how to make career decisions and how to better handle personal finances after a job loss.
Commissioner Michael L. Thurmond says the event will lay the foundation for the return of economic growth in the state. It's free, but attendees are asked to bring canned food to donate to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
(AP)
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.
"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.
"...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.