A unique opportunity came to Mansfield this past Thursday thanks to the partnership of Richland County OneStop Employment and Training Center and local community agencies. The first annual Employment Expo was held at the Mid-Ohio Educational Services Conference Center located at 890 West Fourth Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Mansfield.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for the community to come together, it’s also an opportunity for job seekers to enhance their qualifications and contacts with potential employers and to give them the tools to get that done,” said Lisa Brown, Employment Counselor for Job and family Services.
The expo also provided assistance with filling out job applications, resume writing and face to face contact with employers looking to hire and the potential for an on-the-spot interview.
Assistant Director of Job & Family Services Lori Bedson stated,”We are really impressed with the quality of employers and opportunities available; several sectors of business are represented today.” Bedson added job seekers had access to over 30 different local companies in attendance representing a mix of manufacturing, banking, sales, customer service and healthcare.
Rich Rowe, a financial advisor with Edward Jones, said,”I think it’s a great event and hope to see people take advantage of the opportunities available to them.” The company is looking to open three new offices in Mansfield with a goal to hire 20,000 new employees nationwide by the year 2020.
Paula Nehrkorn was at the expo on behalf of Catalyst Life Services, a company dedicated to offering employment opportunities to people with disabilities. “We will definitely comeback next year. It is all very good and I am surprised at how many employers are here,” she stated.
Tom Luther, site director for STARTEK, stated that the company is looking to fill 100 inbound customer service positions by Thanksgiving. “We are looking for customer focused people, people who love to help people,” said Luther.
STARTEK Associate Recruiter Brennan Robinson added, ”I think it’s great. It’s nice to be able to offer jobs to the community.”
Barb Johnston, a job seeker from Mansfield, attended the job fair in hopes to find a position in Human Services. Having completed several programs available through OneStop Johnston remarked the job fair had enabled her a lot of opportunity to contact potential employers. Johnston added, ”I really appreciate the opportunity; it’s a great process They helped me with my resume and filling out applications and even provided me with contacts to employers.”
Spherion Marketing Manager Jessica McGrady said, ”This is a great opportunity. It was really well organized, a very refreshing way to connect employers with qualified candidates.”
