Job seekers connect with employers at Lethbridge Career Fair

By Ry Clarke - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on November 24, 2022.

Melissa Cadick with Express Employment Professionals, talks to prospective candidates attending the Lethbridge Career Fair Tuesday at the Coast Lethbridge Hotel and Conference Centre. Herald photo by Ry Clarke

The Coast Lethbridge Hotel and Conference Centre opened its doors to the job market with a Career Fair on Tuesday.

The Lethbridge Career Fair welcomed specialists in employment, career development, training, and education across Alberta with booths available for those interested in exploring their job options. Welcoming companies like Ability Employment, Southland Trailer Corp, and Flexibility Leaning Systems, the fair helped those navigating the job market with exposure and knowledge.

“We have around 16 companies here today. That includes employment agencies, and a lot of different companies from skilled trades to a variety of different organizations,” said Aamir Aarack, events coordinator and marketing manager for Jobs Canada Fair. “We are welcoming job seekers to come in, communicate with the companies and see what they are offering. Jobseekers can directly get a resume to them, and then see where they fit in. Some of the exhibitors sometimes take interviews here during it. That’s how perfect it is.”

Getting away from the online application process, the face-to-face encounter helps get prospective employees noticed.

“They meet with the recruiters directly. It’s on the upper hand, because normally people applying online wait for months and months to get a response. Because for one title there are thousands of applications. In this case, they get to meet them face-to-face and share their resumes and get to know if they fit in well and what sort of openings are available,” said Aarack. “It is a good setup where employers can meet employees and you never know what can end up happening with a company.”

Companies like Express Employment Professionals came to the Career Fair hoping to expand its pool of potential employees.

“We are hoping to build our associate pool here today to get more applicants that we can send out on jobs,” said Melissa Cadick, employment specialist with Express. “We have been at every single career fair that has happened in the last year. We get a lot of traction with people who are interested in summer jobs and working around their school schedule and part time jobs. But we are also looking to grow our pool of full-time people.”

Helping employable workers connect with employers, the Career Fair helps those looking for work get traction in the job search.

“This is a great platform for (job seekers) to come in and meet with recruiters,” said Aarack. “Events like this will see numbers varying from 100 to 200 people depending on the need for jobs.”