Employers, job-seekers prepare for job fair

The next Pinal County Community Job Fair is scheduled for Feb. 18 at the Central Arizona College corporate center in Casa Grande.

“We try to make sure we partner with folks in the community so they can be a part of this event,” said Linda Martinez, business service liaison for Arizona Workforce Connection.

The county job fairs started last February with 35 vendors.

“From what I’ve heard from the businesses and the people that attended, it was a great success,” Martinez said. “We are really excited about this. And this year it grew, with more employers wanting to be a part of it.”

That first fair began a series of quarterly fairs. Now, a year, later, the job fair has 43 employers participating. Some are simply providing information at their booths, but many are hiring. They include schools, Pinal Energy, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and several others.

Martinez said the first two hours of the fair – from 10 a.m. to noon – is dedicated to veterans. “They get that first chance to come in and make a good impression and get the job,” she said.

Then the general public can participate from noon to 2 p.m.

Arizona Workforce Connection sent emails to employers with registration forms and went to places of business to see if they had job openings and recruit them as vendors for the fair.

“It’s a win-win for everybody, and it’s a networking opportunity for businesses because some people may not know they exist,” Martinez said.

She expects next year the organizers may have to look for a bigger venue.

“When our job seekers come to these job fair, the goal is for them to get jobs, and some of our vendors hire on the spot,” she said. “So we tell them when you go there, make sure you’re dressed for success and have that 30-second commercial ready.”