Opportunity, optimism apparent at Muskegon Heights job fair - The Muskegon Chronicle
MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, MI – Crowds cycled through a job fair looking for work Tuesday, April 29, at the Thurgood Marshall Job, Health & Resource Fair.
Muskegon Heights' Carolyn Gee left the fair with leads on several jobs.
"I feel very hopeful for it," she said.
Applicants filled out applications and met human resources representatives from 23 different companies.
The event's organizer, Paul Billings, said it seemed to be about the right mix – without a shortage of people interested or a line of them waiting to get in.
"You want this set-up, where you can walk up and talk to somebody one-on-one," he said.
Billings moved the event's date a month later in the spring this year, after the event last year was held on a snowy afternoon and had poor attendance.
"A lot of these companies are stressed out, they cannot get enough bodies to match the demand," Billings said. "There are jobs available, but people have to be willing to think out of the box."
Joseph Riley, Jr., 53, of Muskegon Heights said he was surprised by the number of permanent jobs that company representatives were looking to fill.
"A lot of agencies, they'll hire you to catch up the work they need done," he said.
One of the companies offering permanent full-time jobs – with benefits and pensions, no less – was Hillshire Brands. The Chicago-based food processor has a plant north of Zeeland.
Hillshire Human Resources Coordinator Terry Kruizenga said halfway through the job fair she'd talked to several promising candidates.
"It's more like a basic screening interview," she said. "Then they move forward to the next step, which would be a one-on-one interview with the supervisor."
The large number of people attending the fair caught her off-guard, she said. Kruizenga and her assistant had to photocopy more printed materials for the job seekers to take home.
Besides the employers, there were informational booths. Western Michigan University presented information about its academic programs. Muskegon Family Care gave free health checkups. A representative from Muskegon County's Public Defender office offered details about an upcoming legal clinic the office is holding for people who want to get old offenses expunged from their record.
Billing said a few of the employers at the fair were open to hiring candidates with past criminal offenses.
Muskegon Heights' Fred Williams said he was involved with an alternative corrections program, KPEP, that was allowing him to look for work.
"Right now, the bills need to be paid," Williams said.
He said he wasn't picky -- almost any job would do.
"I'm pretty open-minded, for sure."
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