Since January, our Medina and Summit County OhioMeansJobs (OMJ) Programs have hosted several highly effective Job Fairs—including those convened during May 5-9, In-Demand Jobs Week, facilitating both job-prep and event-readiness workshops, connecting our jobseekers with our business-partners one-on-one, and providing insight into different industry-related career paths.
Andrew Perlik, a senior Security Product Specialist with decades of experience—who was displaced due to company downsizing—attended a Medina County Job Fair, and was rather confident his expertise would lead to an offer of employment. He was right, as one of his interviews resulted in the Hiring Manager at Lookout/Fortra, a leader in mobile-endpoint security, hiring him as a Channel Sales Engineer, a position held for 30+ days now.
In a LinkedIn post, edited for brevity, Andrew stated, “I had the opportunity to attend a job fair hosted by OhioMeansJobs medina county. The fact that I had not attended a job fair since I was in college was not the most interesting part, which was attending with my 25-year-old son, Raiden, who is looking for a career.
“The most rewarding part was seeing Raiden get out of his comfort zone…go meet people, shake hands and introduce himself. You can imagine how proud I am that he was able to apply for at least 3 opportunities, make new contacts for his network and secure an interview for next week. ‘Nicely Done Raiden! I’m proud of you!’- Love Dad”
Betty Holnapy, KRA/OMJ Career Coach, supported Raiden in focusing his search efforts on finding the right opportunity, one that leverages his knowledge and skills in food-service, a sector of the Hospitality Industry that is experiencing significant growth worldwide, and provides fulltime employment with benefits, a sustainable wage, and stability in the workforce.
Raiden has achieved his career objective, accepting the position of Cook with First Watch Restaurants, Inc., a national chain with 14,000 employees in 535+ locations in 29 states. Nicely done, Raiden!
Job fairs are an important component of a comprehensive workforce strategy, giving jobseekers direct access to employers and helping businesses engage with a wide range of talent. While they may not offer the same level of personalization as career coaching or business consulting, Job Fairs are a valuable and effective tool for making connections and supporting employment goals.
KRA/OhioMeansJobs in Medina County—and Summit County—can help you achieve your hiring goals! If you represent a business in our communities with opportunities for career development, direct employment, and OJT openings, or want to participate in our next Job Fair, please contact us.