Serious opportunities at the 2016 Career Fair

Employers and job seekers will meet at the College of the Rockies 2016 Career & Job Fair on March 9

by Marie Milner — February 18, 2016

It is expected that the 2016 Career & Job Fair at College of the Rockies will be an empowering event for employers and job seekers. — Photo courtesy College of the Rockies

In the wake of cutbacks to local resource-based industries, many Kootenay region residents are seeking opportunities to replace jobs that have been lost. As a result, the 10th annual Career & Job Fair to be held at College of the Rockies in Cranbrook is a much-anticipated, genuine opportunity for employment, career advancement and financial stability. The fair, which is co-sponsored by the college and Kootenay Business magazine, will take place on March 9 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Mary Davies, the career and placement officer with student employment services at College of the Rockies, said she expects there will be about the same number of Career Fair exhibitors this year as there were in 2015.

“I’ve been in this position for three years,” Davies said, “and this year I’m seeing fewer job postings, with the exception of summer jobs. It’s a bit more competitive out there, but there are lots of long-term and seasonal positions available in the tourism sector throughout the region.”

Heather Jackson, manager of communications and marketing at the college, said that College of the Rockies is now offering opportunities for retraining for people who have been displaced by the closure of the Canal Flats mill, the Target store and the slowdown of other industries in the region. Qualified tradespeople are in high demand in the Kootenay region, and the recently announced Trades Exploration program allows participants to get a taste of several programs at once. Right now there's also a need for professional cooks, carpenters and pipefitters as well as early childhood educators and education assistants.

Jackson said there is a big demand provincially for qualified people to fill administrative and management positions. Administrative assistants, industry managers, marketing and sales managers, and food and beverage managers are all in high demand. Those careers fit with the college’s business administration degree in sustainable business practices, and students get a choice of what their career focus will be.

Provincially as well as in the Kootenay region, healthcare professionals including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and healthcare assistants are in high demand. College of the Rockies offers programming in all of those areas, and most students find work immediately upon graduating.

The burning questions

Davies said that a number of employers will attend the career fair in order to find employees immediately, mostly for summer jobs. Another large group of employers will be there to answer questions that job seekers don’t usually get to ask of the recruiters and human resources personnel. This is a great opportunity to find out what employers are looking for and to find out what the gaps are in job-seeker resumés.

Usually about half of the employers who attend the career fair are looking to answer questions about long-term employment, not just seasonal positions, and that’s good news for non-student job seekers. Even if the employer can’t offer employment on the spot, this is an opportunity to ask questions, compile information and create the best resumé possible for future job openings.

Job seekers need to do their research, come prepared with some pointed questions and take advantage of the opportunity to get answers. You don’t often get the opportunity to ask a potential employer, “How can I improve my resumé to make it a good fit for a job with your company? What do I need to do to qualify for employment with your company? What are you looking for, specifically? If I’m lucky enough to get an interview, how should I prepare for that interview so I make the best impression possible?”

Be prepared

Davies offered a short list of suggestions to job seekers:

Learn about the potential employers before you attend the career fair—it shows you’ve done your homework and that you will bring that initiative to the workplace.
This could be a very important first impression, so dress for the event as if you were going to an actual interview. A good rule of thumb is to dress at a level just above the requirements of the job you're seeking.
Bring along a stack of your resumés, neatly contained in a folder or envelope, and be prepared to hand them out.
Make sure you have your questions ready for prospective employers and have a pen handy so you can make notes.
Remember to collect business cards for future reference.

College of the Rockies can provide the foundational training to prepare you for an in-demand career in a multitude of fields. The 2016 Career & Job Fair will offer information, introductions, guidance and inspiration. This is an event with the proven potential to significantly enhance many lives.