LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 14, 2015) — More than 50 businesses will look to hire employees on Thursday, June 4, at the second annual Regional Career Fair, the largest job fair in the Bluegrass region. It will be held at the Newtown Pike Bluegrass Community & Technical College campus.
The fair will take place in the Megowan Building at 500 Newtown Pike from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, with a preference for veterans and their families from 10-11 a.m. The event is free and open to anyone.
Last year, employers were looking to fill over 1000 job openings and more than 800 jobseekers attended the fair. Fifty employers are already signed up to participate this year, bringing with them 1,098 available jobs. That number will continue to grow.
Kentucky Career Center-Bluegrass (www.ckycareers.com) help any jobseeker prepare for the fair. Whether it’s writing a resume, doing interview preparation or finding nice business attire to wear, workers at the centers, located in Lexington, Frankfort, Danville, Winchester, Richmond and Georgetown, can provide assistance.
“I think preparation is really key,” said Denise Jones, veterans employment representative of the KCC-Bluegrass. “By attending the workshops at the career center, practicing interviewing, you give yourself the best chance.”
Because attendees will be networking and possibly interviewing with possible future employers at the fair, it is suggested that jobseekers come dressed in business attire with a resume in hand.
Though the fair will take place in Fayette County, it will have employers from throughout the region and is open to anyone seeking employment. The Bluegrass Region includes Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Nicholas, Powell, Scott and Fayette counties.
Varying career sectors will be represented at the fair. The Bluegrass focuses on four high-demand sectors: advanced manufacturing, healthcare, information technology, and transportation, distribution and logistics. Other sectors represented will be government, customer service, finance, and retail.
If you plan to attend the fair, it is recommended that you register beforehand online at Focus Career (www.focuscareer.ky.gov) to expedite your entry into the event and not delay your opportunity to network with employers. By registering with Focus Career you will also be matched electronically with current openings even after the event. If you are unable to register on Focus Career beforehand, you will be able to do so at the fair.
“If [jobseekers] report to any of the partner agencies in a Kentucky Career Center first, the staff there can prepare them for what to expect,” explained Erica Sluder, BGADD Business Services manager. “They offer an array of services, whether it’s registering on Focus Career, getting a resume, advice on the proper dress, talking to businesses, or how to handle yourself.”
Employers can also go to register online at Focus Talent (www.focustalent.ky.gov). The site will connect you to prospective employees who match the qualifications you specify in your job openings.
First priority is given to veterans and their families. The first hour of the fair, 10 – 11 a.m., will be reserved for those veterans and family members looking for employment. The Focus Career website also gives preference to veterans. If there is a job match for a veteran or veteran’s family member, he or she will have 24 hours to apply before it becomes available to other applicants.
“I let all my veterans know: Talk to each and every employer at the booth,” said Bruce Quire, also a KCC veterans employment representative. “You never know who they may know. It’s a good opportunity for some great networking.”
The fair is not just opened to the unemployed. Underemployed people or those wishing to network with potential future employers are welcome as well.
“We target underemployed individuals, too,” Sluder said. “They are more than welcome to come, anything to crate a better opportunity for yourself.”
Employers who will be on hand at the fair include:
ED Bullard
LFUCG Community Corrections
Ruskin Company
Kentucky Approving Agency for Veterans Education
Quad/Graphics Inc.
General Dynamics Information Technology
SMX @ Link-Belt
AECOM
Central Bank & Trust
Manpower of Central Kentucky
Xerox
Penske Logistics
Kentucky Bank
International Crankshaft
Link Belt Construction Equipment Company
SMX @ Link Belt
Catalent
MS Companies
KentuckyOne Health
Aramark
Montaplast of North America, Inc
Time Warner Cable
Social Security Administration
SRG
UPS Airlines
MPW Services Industrial Services
Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass – AECOM
Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass – Parsons
Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass – Battelle
Bechtel Parsons Blue Grass – Bechtel
People Plus
Lexington Division of Police
Ky. Department of Corrections
Personnel Cabinet
Dress for Success Lexington
CVS / Health
Vuteq USA Inc.
LifePoint Hospitals
Hayashi Telempu North America
Frankfort Plant Board
Hyatt Regency Lexington
Hamilton-Ryker
Monkey Tree Technologies
Kentucky State Police
Advantage Sales and Marketing
Greenheck Fan Corp.
Kelly Services
3M
Pikeville Medical Center, Inc.
Sam’s Club
After the 2014 fair, one employer said she had scheduled three weeks’ worth of interviews with candidates she met that day. Employers in attendance are actively seeking candidates for hire.
“There are so many individuals out there who say, ‘I can’t find a job,’ and it’s not that there aren’t jobs out there,” said Sluder. “Having this regional event provides that gateway to the employers, an opportunity to get with so many at one time.”
Staci May, marketing and communications specialist for the Bluegrass Area Development District, added, “Ultimately, if a jobseeker wants a job, the opportunity to get it is there.”
Kentucky Career Centers are located in Lexington (1055 Industry Road), Frankfort (1121 Louisville Road, Suite 6), Danville (121 East Broadway), Winchester (15 West Lexington Avenue), Richmond (2028 Merrick Drive) and Georgetown (1000 West Main Street, Suite 5).
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