More employers hosting job fairs at The Workplace

An increasing number of employers seeking to quickly scoop up skilled workers are setting up shop at The Workplace.

More than 25 applicants attended a job fair hosted by Timeless Frames at The Workplace, 1000 Coffeen St., Tuesday to be interviewed for a round of 10 to 15 production positions. Human Resources Director Kathy H. Watson, who interviewed the candidates, said the company will complete final interviews for the positions this week and expects to hire workers on Monday.

The company, which has three locations on Fisher Road, has been rapidly expanding this year and has held a job fair at The Workplace almost every month in the past year to fill positions, Mrs. Watson said.By doing so, the company is able to save valuable time by screening candidates instead of searching through a large batch of resumes. Employers are also able to use meeting rooms and office equipment for free.

“We’ve hired about eight to 10 people every time we’ve had a job fair here,” she said. “We’ve interviewed up to 80 people in one day.”

And by meeting with applicants one-on-one, Mrs. Watson said she’s able to get a grasp of each candidate’s skill set to match them with production jobs. Production workers do an array of tasks at Timeless Frames, she said, including artistic work such as designing photo frames and manual labor geared toward people used to working with their hands.

“Sometimes we want people with an artistic sense, but for other jobs, we need people used to manual labor,” she said. “This gives me a chance to get to know them and also gives them a chance to ask questions about the company.”

Cheryl A. Mayforth, director of The Workplace, said employers are hosting job fairs there more often to efficiently find skilled workers they’re looking for. When an employer hosts a job fair, The Workplace notifies qualified applicants via email. And with a pool of more than 4,500 unemployed workers to choose from, there are plenty of qualified applicants available for picking.

“We send emails to people whose skill set matches to bring them in here,” she said. “We have such a wide range of skill level, and so we have people who would fit for a number of areas. We can really push it with people to make that connection.”