January 11, 2008

Busy day assures Career Expo success

Job seekers found surprising opportunities.

Employers said they were pleased with the turnout.  Gaylynne Rudison had good timing in deciding to return to the job market. She had more than a dozen potential employers sitting in wait for people like her looking for employment.

Job seekers and employers came together Thursday for a Career Expo at the Crossroads Mall.

Hopeful employees cruised 17 booths set up by area companies and organizations. The Development Corporation of Fort Dodge and Webster County worked with Iowa Workforce Development and area chambers of commerce to recruit participants in the fair. Those on both sides of the booth labeled the event a success early on.

“We didn’t think we’d be this busy,” said Dawn Larson, staff specialist for Manpower. The employment recruiting and training agency collected dozens of resumes for their clients in the first two hours of the event.

For Rudison, the expo was a chance to get applications to various employers in a short amount of time and to learn about Fort Dodge employers. Rudison moved to Fort Dodge about a year ago. After spending a year taking care of her children, she’s ready to see what Fort Dodge has to offer.

“I knew they’d have vacancies here, but I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she said.

The expo also offered surprises for long-time Fort Dodge residents. Well-known employers surprised job seekers with opportunities many didn’t know exist. Nancy Strait worked to let people know that there are available jobs most people don’t think of at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. The facility needs people in accounting, dietary, and various other fields.

“It’s not like what you see on TV,” Strait said. “I think people are surprised to hear about the positions we have.”

Connecting potential employees with jobs they didn’t know exist was the main goal of the event, said Lisa Knigge, organizational administrator for the Development Corporation of Fort Dodge and Webster County.

“There really are a lot of opportunities in our area that people don’t know about,” she said.

Some well-known companies had openings that weren’t so apparent.

Staff from La’James College of Hairstyling and Massage Therapy were looking for people to staff their new building.

‘‘They think they have to be a hairstylist to work for us,’’ said Kelly Monson, La’James career planner.

Sandy Loney, human relations director for Decker Truck Line Inc., let job hunters know about various positions open at the company headquarters in Fort Dodge.

‘‘People had no idea the wide array of positions we have at our headquarters,’’ she said.

Loney said the turnout was a pleasant surprise.

Pam Rodewald, human relations director for the Fort Dodge Community School District, agreed but reserved judgment on the success of the event.

‘‘We’ll see what the follow-up is,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s one thing to get people to show up, but we’re looking for follow-through.’’

One of Fort Dodge’s bigger names hoped to get people onboard for jobs that haven’t started yet.

Tate & Lyle was represented at the expo to attract workers early to ensure that when the new corn wet-mill processing plant west of Fort Dodge comes on line, the staff there will be ready to go. Jobs in the plant require specialized training, said Jim Lang, wet mill area manager.

‘‘We want to make sure that we hire them early on so that they can learn those techniques,’’ Lang said.

Knigge said she and other organizers hope to make the event annual, or hold such expos twice a year. Larry Jessen, general manager of the Crossroads Mall, said that would be welcome.

“As with any activity, the more you have it, the more it grows,” he said, adding that companies and organizations he talked to called the expo a success.

Participants paid $400 for their booths. The money went into promoting the show.