Several dozen job seekers braved Wednesday’s wintry weather — in the middle of April — to attend a job fair at the Recreation Community Building in Riverside Park.
Representatives from 24 area businesses and industries were present and eager to impress a captive audience.
Zane Griffith, 19, of Iola was one of them. Griffith, who has recently worked at Peerless Products and Russell Stover’s Iola plant, heard about the job fair from his grandmother and was happy to find several opportunities that matched what he was looking for.
KansasWorks’ mobile center lent Griffith a hand. The large vehicle, parked in front of the Recreation building, was a star of the show. It gave Griffith and several others a chance to create and print resumes to hand to employers at the fair. He also had a copy emailed to him for future use.
JP McCoy, the Mobile Center manager for KansasWorks, described the vehicle as “a one-stop shop” to help those seeking employment.
Seven computer stations allow McCoy to work with candidates to build a strong resume, write cover letters and browse employment opportunities. McCoy also works with candidates on job interview skills.
Stationed in Topeka, the mobile center travels throughout eastern Kansas. “We can also work in rapid response situations. Say a town loses a major industry, or a natural disaster hits. We can be there on site helping people,” said McCoy.
Allen Community College was present to promote a similar service free of charge for the community. The public is welcome to drop by the Writing Center, located in the college’s library, for help tweaking a resume or composing a cover letter. The Writing Center also offers the service digitally; one needs only to email Bruce Symes, the Writing Center’s coordinator, at symes@allencc.edu.
EMPLOYERS large and small were present at the fair. Gates Corporation, one of Allen County’s largest employers, was promoting full-time production and warehouse positions. Allen County Regional Hospital Saint Luke’s, which normally employs about 150 people, was looking to fill a variety of positions, from nurses to food service workers and even a security officer. Farm Bureau’s Sharla Miller was looking to fill a single sales associate position.
Michelle Heskett, an HR specialist at Gates, was stationed at the company’s table. Heskett, who lives in Moran, joined Gates last August after taking a year off to care for her 2-year-old daughter. But once her mother retired and became available for childcare duty, Heskett decided it was time to return to the workforce.
Heskett knows she’s lucky to have her mom’s help and is happy with her job. “Everything at Gates makes me feel like I’m wanted. The team is friendly and welcoming, and this feels like a place where I can expand my opportunities.”
AMANDA Herb of Iola was another attendee eager to learn more about available positions. Herb, who currently works in food preparation, was interested in an office-centered career.
Originally from Le Roy, Herb is currently completing an Interior Design certificate online via the New York Institute of Art & Design. “I’m very excited about today,” said Herb. “It seems like here I can actually find a job I can branch out with.”
Robin Schallie, executive director for the Iola Area Chamber, said that while she was hoping for a bigger turnout, she was “happy to allow businesses an opportunity to network with each other, to let others in the business community know what they offer. We’ve had very positive feedback from both businesses and candidates.
“And we’d like to do this again. Several attendees told me this was the first job fair they can remember in Iola. I’d love to see this become an annual thing.”
The event was sponsored by the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, the Iola Register, the City of Iola and KansasWorks.
