Job fairs no sure thing for the unemployed

By Alisiana Peters
McCluer North High School

As unemployment rates rise due to the economy, more companies are turning to job fairs  to find qualified workers. But one job fair organizer said the fairs are not always a good resource for job seekers. 

"The problem is that a greater part of those who are putting on career fairs are doing so for the purpose of generating revenue, rather than actually connecting employer to potential employee,” said Matthew LaPlant, of Ameriprise Financial Services, which hosted the Community Career Fair in October. 

“Their goal is to get as many high profile companies, whether they are actually hiring for positions beyond mail clerk or not, to attend."

"I believe that the bulk of those in attendance are over-qualified for the positions at career fairs," LaPlant said. "The average career fair provides little help with the exception of networking possibilities to those who are unemployed." 

Dominique Joseph,  who has attended multiple job fairs, said there were "no good networking possibilities unless you already had a connection made," and they weren't effective at all.

"The job fairs I attended were kind of unorganized with no real direction at all."

With Joseph having a journalism background, she found there wasn't a good selection with potential employers. She attended a local university job fair that was geared toward students, but a lot of mid-career job seekers showed up and she felt "ripped off."

Once she actually got a chance to meet the employer, Joseph said she was limited to a few seconds to talk with them. Joseph also said the process is frustrating for the recruiters because they are bombarded with hundreds of applications. 

LaPlant said in order for career fairs to be more successful they need to focus on particular areas or disciplines for attendees to get greater results in seeking employment. 

Tom Winkelmann, director of the Jobs and Career Center at the St. Louis Public Library, said job fairs are a great source for unemployed workers to turn in efforts to find employment. The career fairs offer real openings, resume critiques, one-on-one interaction and the companies also do follow-ups.

The number of job fairs being held has more than doubled within the past two years, Winkelmann said. According to Winkelmann, major companies such as Express Scripts, Scott Trade Center and Edward Jones are among dozens of companies that are expanding and holding their own job fairs. With these major companies offering real openings, more individuals are attending these fairs which lead to more competition and fewer positions becoming available. 

Some unemployed individuals are getting ahead by using the St. Louis Public Library's resources, such as books on interviews and writing cover letters and resumes.

"The reference materials being checked out at the library is up 26 percent," said Winkelmann, adding the computer demand has been rising as well. 

For those who do choose to seek employment at a job fair, Winkelmann recommends that applicants be over 18 years of age, and have a resume including their contact information.