Fair puts job prospects in one place
Medicine Hat College’s spring job fair had good public attendance Wednesday and more than 50 local employers on hand looking to fill a variety of positions.
“Lots of people from the community and students have turned out,” confirmed organizer Shelly Drefs. “I think a lot of people don’t realize how much of the job market is hidden.
“About 80 per cent of jobs are not necessarily publicly advertised, so I think a lot of people aren’t sure how to make those connections. Networking events like this are a great source for making those connections.”
Nursing student Keely Koch was all smiles after speaking with several prospective employers.
“It’s nice to see there are available jobs out there, especially for college students,” said Koch. “You can look at job postings and whatnot but actually having that interpersonal contact with potential employers makes it even more realistic. I am so happy I came today.”
Cypress Health Region recruitment and retention coordinator Jessica Giesbrecht said it made perfect sense for her to come down from Swift Current to pitch directly to students like Koch.
“I think a job fair like this is attractive because of the number of people who end up coming,” said Giesbrecht. “We also get to have that back-andforth. The personal touch is very important.”
Medicine Hat Sun Life Financial manager Martin Dienn had the same feeling. Speaking over the hurly burly in the busy hallway, Dienn said the fair was a great opportunity to interact with a variety of people.
“Basically, our job is to search out and look for quality people who are looking for a change in their life. The ability to have a career where they can take charge of their own business ... We have found coming to the career fair here, you get age demographics all the way through, and all kinds of different people. So we get to see people in a much larger view than we normally would.”
For more mature MHC business and marketing student Joseph Scott, walking the concourse with arms weighed down by pamphlets and brochures, Dienn’s words were music to his ears.
“I see a lot of opportunities here today for someone like me with a little more grey hair on his head. I am enjoying myself very much here today,” he said.
About 800-1,000 people on average attend the college’s fall and spring job fairs. Drefs said it was a service MHC was happy to offer.
“I think we have a responsibility to be a good, community citizen. We have a relationship with a lot of these employers. As part of the career centre, they will often send us job postings. But this event is for the community too, to help people know what jobs are out there.”