SkillSource to host first-ever Othello hiring fair Jan. 26

OTHELLO — SkillSource’s Othello location will be hosting the first Othello hiring event to connect job seekers with employers Jan. 26. The event, located at 165 N. First Ave., will be an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“It's the first multi-employer hiring event to be held in Othello,” SkillSource Adult Training Manager Emily Anderson said. “We have had amazing support from the Othello community. In fact, the mayor of Othello has been part of our planning committee.”

Aside from the city of Othello, Anderson said other partners in the event include the Adams County Development Council, Othello’s Bethel Assembly of God, Lighthouse Community Center and the Othello Food Bank. 

“We have been doing these events in Moses Lake for many, many years – probably 10 years in our WorkSource Center – and we just really felt that we need to do a little bit better job at serving Othello,” Anderson said. “We've had a learning center in our Othello office location for as long as I've been around, 20-plus years, but we haven't done this kind of thing where we've helped try to connect our employers and our job seekers together. So that's where this is the first of its kind.”

Anderson talked about the potential future of the event. 

“We very much hope to grow it into something that's successful and larger and we're able to move into bigger locations in the future,” she said. “For this year, our target was 12 employers and we actually have 13 registered, so we're excited with that, to start up kind of small and mighty. We have done as much outreach this week as we’ve figured out how to do in the Othello community, from a variety of sources … just doing the best we can to reach anyone who is job-seeking age, that 16-to-retirement (range) who's able to work and is interested in coming and finding out more information.”

SkillSource is also helping Othello community members prepare for the hiring event. 

“I don't know that we've had great turnout but we have had resume workshops for the last three weeks,” Anderson said. “Because (the hiring fair) hasn't happened in Othello before, we recognize the community is probably going to be a little less prepared than those that come to a Moses Lake event. We've had an open lab on Thursdays (and we) will have one final one next Thursday to prepare for the event, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the (Othello) SkillSource center. Folks can drop in, get help writing a resume and get tips on what to do at an event like this.”

The employers attending the event include leaders in food processing, government, education and health care, among other fields.

“It's a nice variety of employers this time and we hope that this is something that we can really continue and sustain,” Anderson said.

The event will be accessible for Spanish speakers as well.

“We have deliberately made sure that we have bilingual staff to staff these information sessions because we do know that there's a good proportion of Othello that's going to need it,” Anderson said. “Likewise, on the day of the event, we have a good number of bilingual staff that are planning to help.”

Anderson spoke about SkillSource’s intention for the event. 

“Our role then is to ensure that the comfort and needs of the employers are met, but also to help make warm handoffs for those that come into the event,” Anderson said. “Because again, when you do something for the first time, it can be intimidating, and we want to make sure it's as easy as possible for the community.”

It is hard to predict how many will attend the first event in Othello, Anderson said. 

“I'm really of the thought that it's going to be quality versus quantity for this first event,” she said. “If we have 30 job seekers who are really there looking for new opportunities, that truly get a great connection with our 13 employers, that's going to be considered a success versus 50 or 75 that just come in to kind of browse.”

Anderson emphasized the support of the Othello community. 

“We are so encouraged by the support of the Othello community and their leaders,” she said. “It has been absolutely uplifting. It's something that we haven't always seen in other communities, and their support, their excitement for this event has been really fun to work with, really enjoyable, and It has made our job so much easier.”

Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.

Employers attending the fair:

• McCain Foods

• J.R. Simplot

• Washington Department of Social and Health Services Long-Term Care Workforce Development

• Washington Fruit Administrative Services III

•  Othello Care

• Othello School District

• US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service

• City of Othello

• Columbia Basin Health Association

• Lamb Weston Warden

• Coventry House Assisted Living

• East Columbia Basin Irrigation District

• Othello Basin Salvage & Recycling

    Representatives of the Columbia Basin Health Association talk to job seekers during the Moses Lake SkillSource job fair in October.
  

    Exterior of the SkillSource building in Othello, where the Jan. 26 hiring event will take place, with 13 employers registered to attend the fair.