MANSFIELD – Only an hour into a Mansfield job fair, hundreds of people had funneled through the doors of the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center.
Sixty-one actively-hiring employers had representatives at the event, which was open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 24. They were looking to hire people of all skill levels.
“One of the employers said they were already running out of applications,” said Lori Bedson of Ohio Means Jobs and the Richland County Job & Family Services.
At 10 a.m. there was a line outside the door at 890 W. Fourth St. People were steadily arriving with more than two hours still remaining.
Five additional organizations also had tables. The Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center, Madison Adult Education, Ohioans with Disabilities, Richland County Children Services and SCORE. Those agencies weren’t looking for job applicants, but are attending the fair to provide information about their services to the job seekers.
Don Kaufman, recruiting manager for StarTek, said he had three to six people at his table nonstop for about 90 minutes before he got a short break.
“I don’t know if it’s because we haven’t had a big job fair like this in a while, but this is my first break in an hour and a half,” Kaufman said.
He was sending interested people right across the road to StarTek, where some would be hired on the spot.
Currently, StarTek employs about 720 people. However, Kaufman said the company hopes to employ 900 by the end of the year. With the addition of two new clients, the extra employees will be needed.
“It’s the first job fair that we’ve been involved with through the chamber,” said Jodie Perry, of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. “It’s been a while since there’s been a massive hiring fair.”
From health care to manufacturing and office to retail, businesses were looking to hire entry level employees and higher level managers.
Even IHOP, which won’t open until mid-summer, had a representative at the fair, who was looking to hire more than 75 people for the new location.
“We wanted to provide a forum to match up job seekers and jobs,” Perry noted.
Based on the response, she thought the event will be held again in the future.
Bedson agreed, saying she’d like to see this as “at least an annual event.” She also mentioned the possibility of a virtual job fair for people who can’t attend a fair in person.
Though she expected a large turnout, Bedson was impressed by the attendance.
“Everyone seemed prepared,” she said.
The majority had resumes in hand and dressed professionally.
Attendees earned VIP status if they participated in an Ohio Means Jobs workshop before the job fair, which took place in Richland and Crawford Counties.
“It’s an opportunity for them to get interviewing tips and helps them get a strong resume,” Bedson said prior to the fair.
She said Wednesday that 23 job fair attendees were designated as VIPs through the program.
The event was sponsored by the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Means Jobs, and supported by seven other organizations, including: Richland Community Development Group, Madison Adult Education, Ohioans with Disabilities, Goodwill, Catalyst Life Services, the Regional Manufacturing Coalition and the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library.
