Local high school students, their parents, and the general public are invited to attend a job fair, to be held on Tuesday, March 3 in the Fillmore Central Elementary School gym in Preston.
Jen Strand, Recruitment Marketing Consultant/Event Coordinator at Jobs HQ, stated, “It’s a first time event. For the public, it’s running from 7:30-9:30 a.m., so it’s an early event.” Strand explained that, after 9:30 a.m., “We’re going to be having over 100 students from the area… Preston, Harmony, Mabel, Canton, Chatfield.”
Strand added, “I expect about 20 employers, and I expect in all industries, retail, tourism, health care, manufacturing, construction…” She explained that, “Businesses will have booths, and people can come in and find out about how to actually apply for a position. Or if they’ve already applied, find out what’s next. The most common comment I hear from job seekers at job fairs is that (in the past) they’ve applied but they don’t hear anything. So a job fair is really their opportunity to come and talk with folks and find out what the process is.”
There is no cost or registration required for interested job seekers who attend. Strand added, “I’ve had people come to an event and be interviewed on the spot and hired.” She also pointed out that attending helps job seekers discover jobs they didn’t know existed, which Strand calls “the hidden job market.”
One key factor in the genesis of the job fair is the proposed new veterans’ home opening in Preston. Cathy Enerson, Economic Development Director for Preston, shared information on how this job fair came to be. “It was a combination of things,” she said, “It was the fact that the chamber was interested in promoting opportunities for part-time, seasonal and volunteer opportunities. As well as the fact that, should the MDVA (Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs) project happen in the next couple of years, and we need to fill 139 positions, we want to know how to run a successful job and career fair… we want to prepare Preston.”
Enerson said all jobs represented at the job fair will also be posted online for two weeks, but she encouraged job seekers to attend in person. She stated, “When you attend, you actually get to walk up to a potential employer. You can get rid of that sort of nervous feeling. It gives them a chance to practice how they might talk… how they might present their professional side in person.” She recommends any job seekers to dress professionally, and to bring along a resume. According to Enerson, another reason to attend in person is to find out about other opportunities such as internships or volunteer positions which may lead to employment later.
This job fair is coming to fruition thanks to the involvement of many organizations and individuals. Enerson explained, “I started about a year ago, holding a workforce task force. I knew about Jen Strand. Also Workforce Development has a great presence in Preston. Also, area technical colleges, and DEED (Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development).” She also stated that Brian Cashman helped obtain a Perkins grant which is being used to fund the transportation of area high school students to and from the job fair.
Enerson added, “Preston Public Utilities has a spare change roundup program that the EDA administers. And for the first time, the EDA applied for funding.” She said this funding has been used to offset the cost of Preston businesses who will set up at the job fair. For the first 12 Preston businesses, the registration was cut from $99 to just $20. Enerson also thanked Fillmore Central Schools for providing the space and technical needs to the job fair.
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