Big Bend hosts job fair
Central Washington University student Roxana Orozco speaks with Randy Miller, who runs Big Bend Community College's commercial driving program, at BBCC's annual Job & Career Fair.
MOSES LAKE - Big Bend Community College played matchmaker Thursday, helping potential employees find employers and vice-versa.
Sixty-three employers were represented at the 18th annual fair.
Colleges such Washington State University's Tri-Cities campus were also present.
Mary Shannon, instructional designer at Big Bend Community College, has been chair of the Job & Career Fair for all 18 years.
"The whole purpose of the fair is to get that link - what are employers looking for, versus who's walking in and says, 'I want a job,'" said Shannon.
Job Corps student Ian Snider was surprised by how many different types of jobs were represented at the event, he said. He works in maintenance now and is interested in other maintenance jobs, as well as aviation.
Mindy Robbins, a senior in high school, plans to attend BBCC next fall. She currently works at McDonald's restaurant, but said she was eager to explore other opportunities for employment.
"It's good," she said of the career fair. "There's a lot of good information."
She was particularly pleased with vendors like J.R. Simplot, one of the world's largest frozen potato processors, according to a flier at their career fair booth.
"They actually talked to you and told you more about it," Robbins said. "The paper can only say so much, really."
"It seems like it's better than last year," Terry Moore of Columbia Colstor, said of the fair. "There's more employers this year and more people."
Columbia Colstor is a cold storage facility for products such as frozen French fries and juice, said Moore.
Pam Powers, office manager at Trinity Chiropractic, said she was impressed by how well the event was put together and how many people showed up, as well as the wide age range represented.
"I think our quality of employers is excellent this year," said Shannon.
She said there were many employers represented that were hiring and taking applications.
Shannon also said she was impressed with the job seekers; most of them were well-dressed, brought resumes with them and seemed engaged with the vendors.
Another benefit of the fair is that it gives people a better sense of what local employers offer, Shannon said.
As an example, she referred to SGL automotive, the "BMW plant."
"This is a good opportunity to find out more about what they do," said Shannon, as well as to find out more information on how to apply for jobs with such a company.