Around 40 employers expected at Thursday job fair
By BENJAMIN SHARP news@leader-news.com

L-N File Photo Seeking Opportunity Job fair attendees, like these at a fair held last year in El Campo, can try their luck at the second annual Wharton County Job Fair, to be held Thursday at the Wharton Civic Center. Some 40 employers will be on hand for the event.

Those looking for new careers or just hoping to hang onto their current jobs can both benefit from the second annual Wharton County Job Fair.

Scheduled for Thursday at the Wharton Civic Center, the event is designed to bring employers and job seekers together, said Harry Priesmeyer, staffing specialist with The WorkSource, one of the sponsors.

"We hope to get a lot of job seekers and get some people working," Priesmeyer said.

Around 40 employers will have representatives on hand. Booths will be set up in the civic center's main hall to provide information and applications. Priesmeyer said auxiliary rooms can be used by employers to conduct on-the-spot interviews.

"They can actually get a job on-site," he said. "We're hoping some of that happens."

Though participants are encouraged to bring along their resumes, those who need help developing one will find assistance at the fair. The event will include courses on resume writing, career development, "dress for success" and interview techniques, among others.

"You can improve your job hunting skills and also skills to keep your current job," Priesmeyer said.

Courses will also be offered for employers. These will cover leadership styles, improving leadership abilities and gaining a better understanding of what it means to be a leader.

The employer sessions will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Thursday. The actual job fair kicks off at 10 a.m.

Everything is offered free of cost to both employers and job seekers. In addition to the WorkSource, fair sponsors include the Wharton Economic Development Corp., the City Development Corp. of El Campo, the Wharton Chamber of Commerce, the El Campo Chamber of Commerce, Experience Works, Wharton County Junior College and the City of Wharton.

The inaugural fair was held last year in El Campo.

"It was so successful we decided to do it again," Priesmeyer said.

Plans are to now host at least one fair a year, with the location alternating between Wharton and El Campo.

For more information on Thursday's event, call WEDCO at 532-0999.

B