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Employers appreciate Community Job Fair

“It allows us to have a first-hand conversation,” says one hiring manager

information provided by Thornton Township

SOUTH HOLLAND, Ill. (May 22, 2018) – Thornton Township and South Suburban College hosted their annual Community Job Fair on Tuesday, May 22. More than 600 people and 75 businesses took part in attempting to help community members find meaningful jobs. Outreach efforts included going door-to-door in various communities, grocery stores, churches, libraries, unemployment offices, major transportation stations in Chicago, and other areas. The Job Fair targeted regions beyond Thornton Township, including northwest Indiana, Chicago, and various south suburbs.

“We understand the important need for jobs in the community,” said Frank M. Zuccarelli, Thornton Township Supervisor. “This is why the community job fair is one of my favorite programs that the township and the college put together. We as a township want to do everything we can to improve the quality of life for our residents.”

On-the-spot interviews

While unemployment has steadily gone down in certain areas, Thornton Township and South Suburban College still see the value of holding this annual event. “Having a job or a career can be very empowering for someone,” said Ernst Lamothe Jr., communication manager for Thornton Township. “What made our job fair stand out from others is that our employers did on-the-spot interviews. They keep coming back year after year because they know we bring quality candidates to them.”

Secure Home and Automation, a residential security provider based out of South Holland, is in the process of doing a major expansion and was at the job fair to meet with potential employees. Secure Home and Automation will continue to hire until they are fully staffed.

“The benefit and the reason why I like coming to these types of events is that it allows us to have a first-hand conversation and create a little bit of a rapport with the applicant, and put a face with a name,” said Stacey Chauncey, president of Secure Home and Automation. “We are looking for a lot of people at all different levels. We have openings for entry-level positions, people that have experience doing installations, customer service—the whole nine yards—because we are a full-service provider.”

Prepared candidates

Employers had positive responses to candidates and how well they were prepared. “We do a really good job of marketing and preparing students and employees for the job fair, we do resumé training, interview training, and we make sure people are dressed professionally,” said Lamothe Jr.

The Community Job Fair was sponsored by Thornton Township Supervisor Frank M. Zuccarelli, the Thornton Township Board of Trustees, and South Suburban Community College. Co-sponsors of the Community Job Fair included: Village of South Holland, City of Calumet City, Village of Lansing, Village of Riverdale, and Village of Burnham.

 

Ernst Lamothe Jr.
Ernst Lamothe Jr.
Ernst Lamothe currently serves as Communications Manager for Thornton Township and brings two decades of journalism experience to that role. "I believe it is important to educate and inform people about their world," he says.