When Detra Anderson moved to Gary from Texas last year, she began hunting for a job in business administration.
The hunt is still on.
“I’ve tried many ways to find a job, but nothing has come up,” Anderson said, at the recent ninth annual Community Career Fair at Wicker Park Social Center in Highland. “But I’ve made a few connections today, so I’m optimistic.”
Hundreds of visitors took advantage of the 40 vendors at the event.
“This (job hunting) is new to me. I had my last job for 30 years,” said former ornamental ironworker James Larimer of Calumet City, Ill. “I have to be open-minded and realize I may have to train for a new career. There’s not much call for a job like the one I had.”
Many others at the job fair echoed those same thoughts.
“I see there’s some schools here. I’ll stop by their tables for information,” said Terry Lynn Schaffer of Merrillville, who was laid off from her office management job six months ago. “I was at my last position for five years. Guess it may be time to move on to something else.”
Sponsored by the North Township Trustee’s Office, WorkOne and DeVry University, the event drew hundreds of visitors.
Before the fair began, a resume-writing workshop was offered by Melissa Rizzardo of DeVry University.
“We had a great turnout. Quite a bit was covered in an hour,” she said of the class.
Vincent Bruno of Dyer attended the session and said he realized that addressing the “little things” that go into a resume adds up.
“I learned about using the key words that employers look for,” he said. “And you shouldn’t under-explain or over-explain your skills and abilities.”
Bruno said he would be restructuring his resume from scratch before he sent out anymore.
Another option for job seekers was to go online to apply for a position before the career fair took place, putting them a step ahead of the game. Those listings were available online, according to the fair coordinators.
Many companies at the career fair collected resumes and made appointments for a formal interview. Still others offered interviews on the spot — and if they needed more than a few minutes of face-to-face, an interviewing room was at the ready.
For those thinking about becoming an emergency medical technician, a listing of hospitals that offer their own programs was found on one of the vendor tables.
“I like this idea,” said Jeremy King of Merrillville, as he read the information. “Getting training directly at the hospital makes sense to me.”
Theresa Starr of Chicago was interested in part-time work, as she browsed the company tables. The recent government retiree was looking for positions in business management or business administration.
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“I want to stay busy, and continue with my skills,” Starr said. “And also supplement my income”
She added that there was another benefit to job hunting at this particular career fair.
“My daughter, LaTanya Dudley, also is looking for work, so we came together,” she said. “And we’re having a little quality mother-daughter time.”
Ross is a freelance reporter.