April 18, 2010
300 turn out at career expo
By Rhonda Bodfield
David Ladner finally came to the realization at a Saturday morning job fair that, at 59, he will likely end up a student again.
After 35 years in construction, he’s been out of work since November, with few prospects. After talking to a representative of ITT Technical Institute at the fair, he set up an appointment for Monday to talk about getting started on a new career.
“It stresses me out to have to go back to school and do a whole career change at this stage in my life, but you do what you have to do.”
More than 300 job seekers attended a three-hour expo at the downtown YWCA, hosted by U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and geared toward helping the unemployed get information on retraining opportunities and connect with more than 40 employers actively seeking new workers.
Lanson Nisly, 24, has been looking for a job for more than a year. His last job was delivering pizza, and he’s currently waiting for word back from McDonald’s. “It’s been tough,” he said, adding he’s staying with his grandmother and hoping to find something, but it’s difficult to get in without much experience. What does he want? “I need a job. I’ll do anything,” he said.
That was a familiar refrain.
Rick Shelley, general manager for Horizon Moving Systems, was looking for two general sales staffers, an accountant and about four people for a moving crew. “A lot of people are saying they’ll take anything,” he said. “And that tells you a little bit about what things are like out there.”
Kristin Higbee, human resources director for Corrections Corp. of America, acknowledged hiring has been limited of late, because turnover among correctional staff is down significantly. But she’s gearing up for a hiring round in the next month, she said.
One of her first contacts of the morning was with a teacher, who said she’d never considered working for in the prison system before, but was open to considering it.
Giffords, who gave a short speech, drew wry laughs from the crowd when she noted some economists are saying the recession officially ended months ago, but acknowledged it probably didn’t feel like it for those out of work and trying to pay their mortgages.
“There’s a tremendous amount of pain out there,” she said.
With four Republicans vying to face Giffords in the general election, national Republicans sent out a press release Friday noting Arizona unemployment still hovers at 9.6 percent. “Despite the billions of quick-fix ‘stimulus’ dollars Gabby Giffords and her Democrat colleagues have pumped into the public sector to provide temporary jobs, Arizona families are still suffering,” the release said.
But Giffords told the crowd stimulus dollars are working to get construction projects moving, and noted that new jobs in solar energy are coming to the state. “I know that’s little solace if you’re trying to pay your bills,” she said, adding she’ll keep working on getting the economy humming again.
Dana Deaton, a 46-year-old who has a background in landscape architecture, is one of those who is ready to try something entirely different. With the housing market limping, she’s been out of work 18 months and getting by on unemployment checks and faith. “It has totally changed my life,” she said.
After getting tips on how to add pop to her résumé, she picked up information from Ventana Medical Systems, which is trying to fill 100 positions in marketing, manufacturing, and research and development.
Shawna Adams, the general manager of Jobing, told expo-goers to think about branding themselves. Come up with a 30-second commercial, she suggested, since first impressions are drawn quickly. She suggested monitoring your online presence, because employers are checking digital tattoos.
She also told a few horror stories, such as one job candidate whose résumé promised strong communication skills – but spelled “communication” incorrectly – and one who took two days to return a phone call.
Have an advocate proof-read your résumé, she suggested, and make sure the top third is the most powerful, since that’s where the focus will be.
“Things are starting to pick up,” she reassured the crowd, adding employees are beginning to leave instead of clinging to existing employment. “They’re starting to feel that opportunities are out there.”
