April 18, 2018 at 5:59 p.m.
Job fair connects employers and job seekers
Job fair connects employers and job seekers
By Kayla Thomason-
The event - a collaboration between Nicolet Area Technical College, Job Center of Wisconsin and North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board - was held April 11 at the Rouman Cinema.
George Rouman, a member of the planning committee and owner of the Rouman Cinema, thinks the event is invaluable.
"I think it's important to promote this type of an experience in our community to get employers connected with job seekers, clearly, because I do think that there are a lot of opportunities up here in this area that not everyone is aware of," he said.
The event began with a panel discussion between high school students and a diverse group of employers.
"The whole idea was 'we've all been in high school at some point, how did we get from high school seniors to where we are right now in our lives?'" Rouman explained. "I thought it was a very lively discussion. We've never done something like this before here and I hope that we can continue to evolve that and most importantly give high schools a reason to come to this event."
Teresa Ellis, human resources employment professional at Nicolet Area Technical College, answered questions throughout the day about jobs and programs offered at the college.
She said the college is looking for adjunct instructors and students.
Ellis believes that job fairs are vital.
"I think it's very important," she said. "It's offering great resources for jobs for the employers but also for those seeking employment," she said.
Many employers were excited by the number of people visiting their booths.
Julie Riemer, talent acquisition specialist with Aspirus, said she was fielding questions about job shadowing and a number of people had expressed interest in clerical and patient access positions.
"(The job fair) is very helpful because there's so much that isn't known by people who are looking for jobs and this brings it all to one place for them so they can just talk and experience that," she said. "And also the process to learn about what goes into being hired, what do they need to do, the resume, interview, the whole works."
Riemer noted the event is also an excellent networking opportunity.
"I just appreciate the community inviting us and having this many people here so we can network," she said. "The employers get to network and talk to each other and kind of find out what's going on."
Aspirus is looking to fill both full-time and part-time positions, she added.
Charles Lynch, human resource manager at Mole Lake Casino Lodge and Conference Center, received quite a few inquiries about available job openings. It was the casino's first visit to the Northern Advantage Job Fair and Lynch said he was finding it to be quite beneficial.
"I think it's really important, especially because we haven't really ever participated in something like this before and so it's good to get it out there," he said, adding that his company has a number of positions to fill.
"The cool thing about us is, because we are connected to a lodge and conference center, and a restaurant and a bingo hall and a casino, I have a variety of positions from anywhere from cleaning rooms to dealing blackjack," he said.
Roger Novak attended the fair because he is search of a full-time maintenance job. He noted that while talking to possible employers can be stressful the atmosphere at the Rouman Cinema helped him feel more comfortable.
"I think it's pretty informative," he said. "I like it, it's nice to have all the employers in one spot."
"It's pretty laidback," he added. "I like the fact that there is no pressure, you don't feel intimidated."
Morgan Johnson, a sophomore at Rhinelander High School, was attending her first job fair.
"I'm actually really impressed," she said. "I thought the discussion in the movie theatre first with real life people who we can relate to because they are describing their experiences when they were in high school, I thought that was really beneficial to us because we can ask them questions and for advice."
Johnson said she thinks events like the job fair are important for students who are trying to make career choices.
"I think it's good that they are encouraging students to come at a younger age because I don't think it's ever too early to explore more options, especially for high schoolers, because it's a time in our life when we're kind of confused and don't know what we want to do with our lives yet," she said.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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