Big Bend Job and Career fair April 21

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College’s 23rd annual Job and Career Fair will feature more than 50 exhibitors at the college’s Advanced Technologies Education Center (ATEC) on April 21.

The college tabs the fair as “one of the largest job and career fairs in eastern Washington.” About 55 exhibitors representing local and regional employers, as well as BBCC’s professional/technical programs, are lined up for the event, and college officials say more exhibitors may sign up in the days leading up to the fair.

The Job and Career Fair is slated to run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 21 and is free and open to the public.

“There is no other place in this area where you can touch base with so many employers in one location and in one day,” Bonnie Jeffery, chair of the Job and Career Fair steering committee, said.

Employers at the fair will represent many industries, including manufacturing, food processing, retail, service industries, health care, aerospace, education and technology, among others. Big Bend programs that provide training for jobs in these sectors will exhibit adjacent to the employers.

According to a release from the college, the Job and Career Fair is “a good place to see which current employers are expanding, and if new employers are coming to the area.”

A complete list of employers who have confirmed their attendance at the fair is available on Big Bend Community College’s website at www.bigbend.edu under the “Student Life” tab. The Job and Career Fair’s website has been improved so users can click the logo of each company that is attending the fair to go straight to the company’s website. This allows prospective job applicants to do research on each company before showing up to the event.

Additionally, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be four workshops available to attendees at the job fair.

The first workshop, “Act like a Job Seeker, Think like a Recruiter,” will run from 10 to 11 a.m. in the 1800 Building at BBCC. It will be presented by BBSI recruiting specialist Virginia Valdez. The workshop will focus on debunking misconceptions about resumes, crafting professional cover letters and being prepared for job interviews.

From 11 a.m. to noon, BBCC financial aid advisor Raffaela Pixton will present the “FAFSA/WASFA” workshop in the college’s library computer lab. This presentation will be geared toward students planning to attend Big Bend during the 2016-17 school year who need help with their financial aid applications. Those planning to attend this workshop should bring 2015 tax returns, W-2 forms and parent tax returns (if dependent), and should have a current working email account.

From noon to 1 p.m., the “Start Next Quarter” workshop will help prospective Big Bend students by reviewing program options and the admissions process, as well as offering financial aid application assistance. The workshop will be led by BBCC workforce education services coordinator Monica Medrano in the 1800 Building.

Finally, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the library computer lab, job fair attendees can sit in on “The LinkedIn Effect” workshop. This workshop will also be led by Valdez and will cover a variety of topics surrounding the importance of developing a professional online presence.

Ryan Minnerly can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.