Yarmouth job fair goes March 21

Nova Scotia Works hosting event at NSCC Burridge from 3 to 7 p.m.

The second edition of the Yarmouth Job and Career Fair is coming up in a couple of weeks, with a variety of sectors to be represented at the event, which helps match employers with prospective employees.

Hosted by Nova Scotia Works, the fair will be held at NSCC Burridge and is scheduled for Wednesday, March 21, from 3 to 7 p.m.

The plan is to have 36 recruitment booths, representing fisheries, digital and web design, construction trades, health services, retail, food services and transportation, among others.

“We really want to facilitate the hiring needs of local companies and the employment needs of local job seekers,” said Karla LeBlanc, employer engagement specialist with Nova Scotia Works. “We really feel this job fair is going to help bridge some of those gaps.”

Last year’s fair drew more than 300 job seekers and within a month of the event about two dozen hires were confirmed, according to figures for the 2017 event.

To help prepare job seekers for this year’s fair, several orientation sessions are planned. Offered free of charge, these will take place at the Nova Scotia Works centre in the Pier One Complex (101 Water St.)

“We really want to facilitate the hiring needs of local companies and the employment needs of local job seekers. We really feel this job fair is going to help bridge some of those gaps.”

— Karla LeBlanc

The session schedule:

--March 8, from 9: 30 a. m. to noon. Topic: Resumé Prep & Job Search;

--March 9, from 9: 30 a. m. to noon. Getting Ready for a Job Fair;

--March 12, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. How to Act on Social Media;

--March 19, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Meeting and Talking with Employers.

The idea is to help people make the most of the job fair ex- perience.

“We really want (job seekers) to learn good techniques for networking at the job fair,” LeBlanc said.

“We want them to meet and follow up with employers to help increase some of those employment chances.”

Anyone interested in attending orientation sessions can sign up by contacting Jennifer Comeau: 902-742-5859 or jcomeau@swemployment.com Last year’s Yarmouth job fair at NSCC Burridge attracted 32 employers and 316 job seekers.

LeBlanc, the job fair co-ordinator, says a team effort goes into the organizing the fair.

“I have to give tons of credit to all of our sub-committees,” she said. “They have been working very hard on helping pull this together.”