2023-12-29 17:00:03
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — WorkForce West Virginia continues to try and connect job seekers with potential employers with their ongoing Statewide Virtual Job Fairs.
Employers and those seeking employment are invited to participate in the next virtual job fair scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 3, from 1-3:30 p.m.
Maureen Persons, Director of WorkForce West Virginia, said this newest announced online job fair may be one of their biggest yet as far as participants.
“We already have over 400 job seekers registered for this and almost 70 employers and we haven’t even started the job fair,” Persons said.
The virtual job fairs are put on by WorkForce West Virginia the first Wednesday of each month. Registration is required for both interested employers and job seekers.
“If one of your goals for the new year is to find a new job or advance your career, we invite you to start with our January Statewide Virtual Job Fair,” said Scott Adkins, Acting Commissioner of WorkForce West Virginia.
James Bailey, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Commerce, said ever since they started putting on virtual fairs in 2022, more than 8,000 West Virginians have registered with more than 4,600 resumes submitted.
“We’re thrilled to continue to offer this unique chance for job seekers and West Virginia employers to connect and explore open job opportunities across the state,” said Bailey.
On December 6, the most recent virtual job fair, 840 registered job seekers were connected with 101 registered employers, who had more than 700 jobs available.
“We saw job seekers submit nearly 580 resumes,” Bailey said.
In 2023, there were a total of 74,747 “booth visits” between 1,577 registered employers and more than 6,800 job seekers. Last year, West Virginia job seekers submitted 4,083 resumes and employers posted 8,330 jobs.
Persons said they’re seeing a lot of repeat employers with their monthly virtual job fairs too. WorkForce WV tries to promote each job fair well in advance of the first Wednesday each month in hopes of connecting more potential employees to registered employers.
“We have had consistent employers because they like what they get and gives them an opportunity to match potential job seekers to their jobs,” Persons said.
Persons said there’s an average of 600 jobs posted on a monthly basis.
When attending the event, Persons is reminding job seekers to dress professionally and come prepared. Job seekers are also asked have a clutter-free background, as employers may request to engage in a video interview.
“Make sure you’re ready to interview,” said Persons. “That means dress accordingly and be well-groomed.”
The Virtual Statewide Job Fair portal features a Job Seeker Training video, a list of participating employers, and channels for attendees to register and log in. If registering for the first time, new employers will be asked to create a “Virtual Booth” to connect with job seekers. After completion, the booth will be available during subsequent job fairs.
Registration is at no cost to job seekers or employers. The upcoming job fair on Jan. 3 will be the 16th one put on by WorkForce West Virginia.
For more information about WorkForce West Virginia and the virtual job fairs, visit www.workforce wv.org.
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