LONGVIEW, Texas — Job wanted signs are going up across East Texas and we sent our Alan Kasper To a job fair in Longview to see what is being done to help out not just the employers but also their future employees.
"At the Longview mall we have a lot of tenants and we were noticing they had a lot of hiring now signs and then you read the papers and everybody’s hiring," Kelly Overby, the General Manager of the Longview mall, said. "So I contacted the workforce solutions office and said hey let’s do a job fair here."
Lindsay Vanderbilt, an official with Workforce Solutions, said they've been hosting job fairs periodically, but within the last six weeks, they've held six job fairs.
"We’ve had one in Tyler and in Longview, recently we’ve had a virtual job fair," Vanderbilt said. "We are getting a tremendous response from employers and the job seekers. Today we have 50 employers here looking for job seekers."
Carolyn Lightfoot is an attendee of these job fairs. She is currently looking for a job after moving back to Texas to be closer to her family.
"Through the Internet and national job search sites I have applied for many different jobs and so far I’ve had just two interviews," Lightfoot said. "I came here today because I thought it was very important to not just be a name that you’re sending into an employer, but to be able to have them see you and talk to you and then be able to ask you questions."
Overby helped the mall tenants set up tables outside of their store. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses in the mall are so understaffed that they don't have anyone to manage the applicants at the table. Many are asking applicants to apply online.
If you're still having trouble getting a job, Workforce Solutions can help bridge the gap.
"We can assist with job training, job searching, helping get you qualified for positions that you’re looking for," Vanderbilt said. "It’s free of charge ... We are here to support the job seekers and the employers."
For Lightfoot, something like Workforce Solutions could make all the difference.
"That’s pretty exciting and it’s nice to come in and actually talk to somebody face-to-face about it," Lightfoot said. "The workforce told me about a few of the companies that are here and there’s a couple of them that I’m really excited to go talk to, so hopefully it will go well."
If you missed out on today’s job fair, don’t worry: there are a couple more big job fairs coming up in East Texas next week. Sanderson Farms will have two of them on Saturday, one at its facility north of Tyler and another at its Palestine location.
Workforce Solutions of East Texas will host another big job fair at the Canton Civic Center a variety of companies will be there next Thursday, August 26, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the evening.