Jacob Conkling, 18, is looking for a job. He hopes Michelle Mitchell can help.
Conkling, Moran, was one of about 20 who visited with Mitchell, manager of Manpower, a nationwide employment company with an office in Chanute, Tuesday afternoon at the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce.
A part-time or full-time job would be fine with him, said Conkling, a student at Allen Community College. He is in class 8 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, which leaves him available those afternoons and other days of the week, including weekends.
“Anything would be good,” Conkling said.
Mitchell promised she would forward his name to a client of the agency, and in the meantime gave him paperwork to complete which requires personal information, work history and skills.
The routine doesn’t vary much from one job seeker to another, although some have personal circumstances that Mitchell helps them work through — when she can.
She used an example from earlier in the day when a prospective employee said he was turned away when the
interviewer learned he had walked off the job of his last employment. The applicant assured Mitchell he was justified in the quick exit.
Mitchell’s demeanor indicated that might be hard to explain.
TEN TO 25 people a day, five days a week, come to the Manpower office at 506 E. Main in Chanute seeking jobs, or meet with Mitchell when she goes afield, such as she did here Tuesday.
“It’s been steady,” said Mitchell, 34, of the stream of people looking for jobs. “I haven’t seen much difference in the year I’ve been with Manpower.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, unemployment in Allen County has dropped about two points the past two years. It hit a decade high of 9.1 percent in mid-2011 and had eased to 8.6 percent a year later. This spring the figure is 6.5 percent.
Manpower is an intermediary in the job market, and Mitchell can put some people to work quickly in part-time jobs. Full-time positions usually require some specific skills and a positive work history and involve in-depth interviews with a representative of the client.
Manpower doesn’t divulge a client’s name, but Mitchell said her mission in Iola was to mate prospects with jobs in a manufacturing plant.
On any given day, she makes recommendations for job openings in Iola, Chanute, Independence and Coffeyville, and occasionally smaller cities within the Chanute office’s reach, such as Humboldt.
MITCHELL WAS looking for a full-time job when she was hired by Manpower a year ago.
“I had a daycare and when I finished my bachelor’s degree in psychology online, I noticed an ad for a clerical position with Manpower,” Mitchell said. “I applied, and here I am.”
