Career expo aims to get job seekers hired immediately

Faster is better when it comes to finding a job.

That’s why the goal of The Blade’s Career and Education Expo is not merely to help people apply for jobs — it’s to get them hired ASAP.

“We try to get businesses and job seekers together so they can be hired right on the spot,” said Connie Cross, The Blade’s classified and retail manager, who is organizing the event.

The expo will be held Wednesday at the Pinnacle, 1772 Indian Wood Circle, Maumee, from 1 to 4 p.m.

To make the actual hiring happen quickly, some exhibitors can interview applicants at the expo itself.

“If there’s somebody amazing, our operations people can do a full interview right there,” said Steve Amayo, who works in Populist Cleaning’s human relations department. “We look for people who are looking for advancement — people who have a great attitude and a good smile, who speak in proper sentences, and carry themselves professionally.”

Populist Cleaning provides cleaning services to administrative facilities, light industrial buildings, banks, and other businesses in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Mr. Amayo also has a list of things he and other HR professionals don’t want to see in a job candidate, such as eating chips during an employment discussion, belching, speaking in slang, and dressing inappropriately.

Med1Care, which provides home health care services in Lucas County, will also be at the expo looking for nurses, nursing assistants, and other part-time and full-time medical employees.

“We’ve participated in this event before and have been successful in hiring quite a few people,” said office manager Nicole Nirschl. “It’s a good way for us to get out name out there as well.”

Other exhibitors include ProMedica, UPS, Everdry Waterproofing, Clever Bee Academy, Toledo Integrated Systems, Buckeye Broadband, Imagination Station, University of Toledo Undergraduate Admissions, Dedicated School Staffing, Morgan Advanced Materials, Wood Lane Residential, the Area Office on Aging, Davis University, Chick-Fil-A Maumee, and the city of Toledo.

Ms. Cross says that a secondary goal of the event is to see exhibitors talking with each other and figuring out how to network with each other.

One of the expo’s sponsors is the TRIO Educational Opportunity Center at Owens Community College.

“Our goal is connect people to career paths,” said TRIO Director Brandon Gaddy. “Our goal is to get them into postsecondary education and prepare them for jobs down the road. We want to partner with the people who attend the expo to get them into those careers — and figure out how to they can continue their education once they are working.”

The Career and Education Expo is being presented in partnership with the Maumee Chamber of Commerce.

“Staffing is a pain point for many businesses,” said April Futey, the chamber’s membership director. “Being part of the expo is a benefit for our members, since it increases their chances of finding the right employees. We’re a very active chamber, and partnering with The Blade has been great for our members.”