“Job seekers connect with employers at the East Texas Job Fair”

Job seekers connect with employers at the East Texas Job Fair

Posted: 09 Jul 2010 12:20 AM PDT

More than 500 job seekers from around East Texas flocked to William R. Johnson Coliseum at Stephen F. Austin State University on Thursday morning for Congressman Louie Gohmert's East Texas Job Fair.

Prospective employees of all ages were visited with the 40 employers present at the job fair, which included a wide range of school districts, hospitals and local businesses, including Suddenlink Communications, Etech,Inc. and the City of Nacogdoches.

"During these tough economic times, many East Texans are struggling to find quality jobs that will allow them to make ends meet. That is why I partnered with Stephen F. Austin State University, Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Workforce Solutions Deep East Texas to ensure this job fair is a successful event," Gohmert said in an e-mail Thursday afternoon.

Claire Robbins, staffing specialist for Manpower in Nacogdoches, was hoping to find people interested in clerical and industrial positions on Thursday.

"Some of the positions do require high school diplomas and some of them don't," Robbins explained. "We just want people who are willing to work, because it seems like sometimes people say they really want to work, but by their second day they've already quit."

Exceptional Home Care, a pediatric home and health care company, sent marketing director Melanie Leach to hunt for potential nurses. The company currently covers 47 counties and employs 350 nurses, although there are currently only two positions open in the immediate area.

"Nurses are in such high demand right now that everyone is fighting for the same nurses," Leach said.

Students from SFA were also present at the fair for a few reasons.

Aaron Maston was at the job fair to search for a full-time position since he is planning to take a semester off from school.

"This town is smaller in the summer since there are less people and students here, but hopefully after school starts, business will begin to pick up again," Maston said.

Asa Linson, another student, was looking for any possible retail, manual labor or clerical positions. Although Linson was recently employed for a two-week period, he has been looking for employment over the past year.

"I'm looking for anything I can get right now, but I would probably prefer full-time," he said.

The city of Nacogdoches is currently looking for police officers, equipment operators, a communications dispatcher and a human resources manager, according to Staci Newborg, human resources specialist.

"We are also always accepting applications for firefighters, and we have these other positions we need to fill currently," she said. "Things are looking good."

Pilgrim's Pride in Nacogdoches is searching for anyone interested in a production position.

"We are interested in anyone looking or willing to work full-time or part-time," Jessica Hubbard, human resources coordinator, said.

Applicants are welcome to apply at the Pilgrim's Pride workforce center as well. Nacogdoches resident Rebecca Weaver has only been on the job hunt for a couple days, but she was hoping to have some kind of luck on Thursday.

"I'm currently searching for a type of clerical position," she said.

Representatives from SFA were also present to help answer any questions from prospective employees.

"All of our open positions are listed online, and we are here today to show people how to access those listings and apply online," said Judy Eddings, employment specialist with human resources.

Marie Leonard's e-mail address

is mleonard@dailysentinel.com

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