More than 325 job-seekers came to the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development and the Delta Workforce Investment Area job fair on Thursday.
And 167 of them walked away with conditional job offers.
“It went marvelously,” said Anne Preus, a rapid response coordinator with Delta Workforce of Greenville.
The fair was held at the Economic Development Complex, 214 Mississippi 7.
With the impending closure of Delta Correctional Facility, a special invitation was extended to the 241 employees of the facility to take advantage of the job fair, Preus said.
According to figures provided by Preus, 389 resumés were accepted by 24 participating employers, and 94 interviews were conducted during the fair.
Preus said 167 provisional job offers, which are conditional on passing background checks and drug testing, were also made. She said it is likely that 97 job hires from the fair will take place within the next year.
“We had a lot of people. I’ve probably got 15 to 20 interviews set up,” said Brad O’Bryan, an associate manager with American General Life and Accident Insurance Co., which has an office in Greenwood.
“There were lots of vendors and a great turnout. I think the day went well for everybody. It never stopped. Usually, we see a lag time, but I was standing up the whole time,” he said.
Adam Todd, director of the Governor’s Job Fair Network, assisted in organizing the job fair.
“What we do is we seek out the employers who are hiring. All that you hear when you turn on the TV is the ‘Chicken Little’ syndrome: ‘The sky is falling, nobody is hiring.’ Well, some people are actually faring pretty well,” he said.
Todd said putting on a successful job fair requires placing everything under one roof for a day and creating an “environment that facilitates the hiring process.”
Todd said eager applicants get to job fairs early in the morning but others might be intimidated. He said it is his job to encourage the skittish to stay and take advantage of what the event offers, whether it’s resumé assistance or pursuing additional training.
“I’m very pleased that we were able to make job offers to help Delta Correctional Facility,” said Angela Curry, executive director of the foundation.
She thanked the Delta Workforce and the Governor’s Job Fair Network for helping to make the job fair a success.
Another job fair is scheduled for Aug. 30 at the Leflore County Civic Center.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
