Employment fair can help job seekers climb ‘career lattice’
JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER
BURNET — Employers from across the Hill Country are invited to participate in the next Job Fair hosted by Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area on April 6.
The event is at Marble Falls High School, 2101 Mustang Drive. There is no cost to employers or job seekers to attend.
From 1-3:45 p.m., area high school students will walk through the fair.
“I’m going to have the employers there talk to them about careers and give them a chance to get face to face with employers,” said Craig Henry, a Workforce Solutions representative and organizer of the event. “I think it’ll be a good learning experience for young people and develop those skills they’ll need down the road. We’re giving those young people maybe their first taste of meeting with an employer.”
Then it will be open to the job-seeking public from 4:15-6:15 p.m. And while the fair is intended to help students gain valuable job interviewing skills and learn how to obtain employment, Henry said the mission of the event remains unchanged.
“To get as many good, long-term meaningful employers out there,” he said. “My goal is to get a good cross-section.”
And that means following many of the same tips WorkForce Solutions Rural Capital Area gives through its classes on how to write resumes and how to interview for a position. Henry is in his vehicle visiting with business owners across several counties to invite them to participate in the job fair.
He acknowledged the ways people get jobs have changed in the past decade. He noted that 75 percent of jobs are the result of networking, which means physically leaving homes to stop in and meet employers. Five percent are found online.
“I want to invite hospitals and IT people and manufacturers so everybody has a chance to meet their needs,” the representative said.
He noted each person has various skills that are crucial in a competitive job market. It’s also important to be versatile, he said.
“Transferable skill sets,” he said. “The things you learn and acquire can transfer to administration, technology and into different avenues. Find out what that training and skill level can lead into next.”
Employees once referred to their work experience as climbing the ladder; now it’s about a career lattice.
“It’s where you go up, advance, take a lateral move, maybe advance in that position, but you might have to go down,” he said as he used a finger to diagram what looked like a line chart. “You’re moving through the workforce and you’re adapting and overcoming and making yourself more useful in that workforce.”
While there isn’t an entry fee, Henry asks that employers contact him in advance so organizers can set up enough tables for companies.
Reach him at craig.henry@ruralcapital.net or at (512) 244-2207 ext. 1049.
jfierro@thepicayune.com