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More than 90 local employers gathered at the PA CareerLink job fair Wednesday morning in search of local talent.<\/p>\n
Employers at the event represented many workforces including health care, education, manufacturing, transportation and public service.<\/p>\n
There are currently 3,000 job openings in Blair County, according to career advisor Joe Razo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a job seekers\u2019 market,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of people coming out and finding those opportunities because they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Exploring new opportunities<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, job seekers were encouraged to bring resumes, wear professional clothes and be prepared for on-the-spot interviews.<\/p>\n
Ben Asti, 33, said he was looking for a \u201cbetter-suited job\u201d at the job fair, stating that his current occupation is \u201ctough on the back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having multiple jobs beforehand, he said he is willing to move around for a new opportunity.<\/p>\n
With her dog-sitting business on the side, Tipton resident Lynn D\u2019Angelo, 54, said she would rather remain in the local area.<\/p>\n
The number one quality D\u2019Angelo was looking for in a job was flexibility, she said, so she was mainly interested in part-time work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need a little bit of income to fill in the spots,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Curtis Brenneman, 25, said he was looking for a \u201cstepstone\u201d job since he is also looking to get his teaching certificate.<\/p>\n
His mother, Robin Brenneman, 51, joined in on the job hunt Wednesday, while his niece, Ani Brenneman, 3, enjoyed the candy selection available at employers\u2019 tables.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like trick-or-treating,\u201d Ani said.<\/p>\n
Robin Brenneman said she was interested in part-time office administration work.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecently, I feel like spending time is more important than anything, so it is affecting my job search in that I can\u2019t work everyday,\u201d she said, adding that she frequently watches her granddaughter.<\/p>\n
Altoona resident Israa Ali, 42, was looking for a medical assistant position at various medical organizations at the job fair.<\/p>\n
Ali has been on the job hunt for two weeks for positions in Altoona or Blair County.<\/p>\n
As for Keith Diehl, 44, he said he wanted a \u201cchange\u201d because he enjoys doing \u201cdifferent things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to learn something new every day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said he has \u201chands-on\u201d experience in running different types of equipment, including bulldozers and tractors.<\/p>\n
He wanted to keep his options open when considering a job offer \u201cbecause if you don\u2019t, you might miss out on something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Help wanted<\/p>\n
Not only were people looking for employers, but employers were also looking for people.<\/p>\n
Lauren McCrum, human resources and youth development director for the Blair County YMCA, said her organization was looking for all types of candidates to fill childcare and wellness center positions.<\/p>\n
McCrum said their childcare center employees require a state license, while giving scholarships to those who want to pursue early childhood degrees.<\/p>\n
When approaching their table, McCrum said they are looking for candidates who are \u201cwilling to talk,\u201d adding that personality is a huge deciding factor.<\/p>\n
At the Leonard S. Fiore table, internal recruiter Jacob Adams said job seekers should present what they can contribute to the company as \u201copposed to what they can get.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a better way to market themselves to the employers, and it\u2019s a good way to start the conversation and shows that they take the initiative opposed to hoping to get something out of the employer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The company was looking for skill, finish and trim carpenters Wednesday, Adams said. They prefer candidates with experience in the field, but they also offer an apprenticeship program to \u201cteach them the ropes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Student Transportation of America recruitment manager Christine Griffin also said her company provides paid training to those who need driving requirements.<\/p>\n
When looking for workers, Griffin said they want individuals who are open-minded and work well with others.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody has transferable skills that you might not think you\u2019d be good at, but they might work for another position,\u201d she said. \u201cSomebody may have been a server in a restaurant, and they served others. Basically, our drivers are serving the students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because STA is a big company, Griffin said there is \u201calways an opportunity\u201d for those wanting to move up in the company.<\/p>\n
UPMC also gives employees a chance to move up in the company, recruiter Clayton Nelen said at the hospital group\u2019s table.<\/p>\n
Because the company is a union hospital, he said workers are eligible to transfer to a qualifying department after their first year of employment.<\/p>\n
UPMC was looking for \u201cstrong, hard workers,\u201d encouraging candidates to get their foot in the door and stay in the company, he said.<\/p>\n
Having a resume on hand makes a job seeker stand out from the crowd, Nelen said.<\/p>\n
Searching made easy<\/p>\n
For attendees, a job fair provides people with face-to-face interactions, Diehl said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you really know someone over the internet?\u201d he asked rhetorically.<\/p>\n
PA CareerLink Blair and Bedford County site administrator Gwen Fisher said the group\u2019s goal is to \u201cmake opportunity accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese job fairs connect people with real employers, right here at home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Everything is all in one place at a fair, Ali said, allowing easier outreach for job seekers.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Angelo also said job fairs show people what types of businesses are available in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt broadens (people\u2019s) perspectives on what they can get,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For introverted job seekers, Asti said job fairs are \u201cthe perfect kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s different personalities here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd (employers) are trying to break the ice, make you more comfortable and explain to you what they do.<\/p>\n
\u201cThings like this open doors for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"More than 90 local employers gathered at the PA CareerLink job fair Wednesday morning in search of local…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":315680,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[64,420,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-315679","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jobs","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-jobs","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115400175248432806","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/315680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}