Job fair seeks to boost area's employment

FLORENCE — The S.C. Department of Social Services Workforce Development Division will be hosting a job fair Thursday in Florence.

The event will feature companies such as the city of Florence, Goodwill Industries and Blue Choice Medicaid looking to add new members to their staff while other companies in the region continue to make painful cutbacks.

John Timmons, program manager for the Workforce Development Division, said that while jobs are declining, job fairs are the exact opposite.

“We’ve found that it’s a big calling card for people right now in these economic times,” Timmons said.

With unemployment rates in Florence County reaching a 25-year high in February, job fairs have been flooded with people seeking work.

Earlier in March, somewhere between 4,000 to 6,000 job seekers lined up at the Myrtle Beach Job Expo. Turnout for the Pee Dee Job Fair is expected to be just as high, Timmons said.

Forty-four vendors have signed on to run booths at the fair — with the majority of them interviewing for a variety job openings — from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the National Guard Armory at 400 S. Greer Road, Florence.

For job seekers, the first impression really is the most important in a job fair scenario, Timmons said.

“Bring plenty of résumés and pens with you,” he said. “I would encourage people to get there early, take a look at the employers who are there, read a little and then go back and talk to them.”

Job seekers should consider how their manner of dress is perceived by potential employers, Timmons said.

“At the Myrtle Beach job fair, a guy walked in with a parrot on his shoulder,” he said. “He stood out, all right. He was politely asked to leave. Don’t go to that extreme.”

Timmons mentioned another job seeker who wore a T-shirt with a suggestive saying on the front.

“Don’t make yourself stand out like that,” he said.

But, Timmons said, attitude is a key part in the image a job seeker puts forth in the current economic situation.

“Keeping a smile on your face is everything,” he said. “It’s not always easy putting a smile on your face during these economic times, but it’s really worth it.”

Confirmed vendors for the job fair are:

• Aerotek Inc.

• AFLAC

• Agape Hospice of the Pee Dee

• Airstream Filtration

• Assurant Speciality Property

• ATS

• Avon

• Blue Choice Medicaid

• Carolina Driving Institute

• City of Florence

• City of Myrtle Beach

• CMS Labor Services

• Coker College

• Colonial Life

• EnVisionary I-Care

• Federal Bureau of Prisons

• First Choice of Select Health of S.C.

• Florence-Darlington Technical College

• Golden Scissors

• Goodwill Industries

• H & R Block

• Harvest Hope Food Bank

• IFH (Institution Food House)

• Kelly Services

• Limestone College

• Marlboro County School District

• Mary Kay

• National Motor Club

• Poynor Adult/Community Education Center

• PSA (Pathology Service Associates)

• Professional Nursing Services (Marion)

• RBC Insurance

• S.C. Army National Guard

• S.C. Department of Corrections

• S.C. Employment Security Commission — Labor Market Information

• S.C. Election Commission

• S.C. Department of Social Services

• Sykes Enterprises

• The Paxen Group

• Time Warner Cable

• Unison Health Plans

• University of Phoenix

• VEMMA/VERVE

• Xtra Mile Driver Training

WHAT:Pee Dee Job Fair, sponsored by the state Department of Social Services

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: National Guard Armory, 400 South Greer Road, Florence

INFO: E-mail Margie Goodson at Margie.Goodson@dss.sc.gov