More Than 400 Attend Goodwill Job Fair in September 2008

PHOENIX (October 1, 2008) — Goodwill of Central Arizona hosted 441 job seekers and 34 employers on September 30 at the American Legion Hall in downtown Phoenix. According to Adam Wollmer, the 441 attendees marked the largest turnout for a Goodwill of Central Arizona job fair this year.

During these slow and stressful economic times, it is extremely crucial that Goodwill of Central Arizona fulfills its commitment to Put People to Work. Several attendees said that they had been unemployed for months and were grateful for the opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with companies that were hiring.

"I've been unemployed for four weeks and found out about the job fair from a newspaper ad," said Amanda Shearman, who is interested in administrative assistant work. "I was starting to get frustrated because many companies want you to go online to apply for jobs. This fair gave me a chance to speak to someone directly."

Participating employers included Aaron’s Sales, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, Arizona Department of Transportation, Arizona National Guard, Macayo's Mexican Kitchen and Our365.

Individuals who were seeking employment were advised to dress professionally, bring resumes and be prepared to explain how they could be an asset to their companies. However, Cynthia Arenas, a personnel analyst with the Arizona Department of Transportation, encourages applicants to do much more when talking with recruiters.

"Show the hiring manager that you are interested in the company and the jobs that are available," said Arenas. "Furthermore, people who want employment should follow up with the hiring manager. Call him or her a few days later to show that you are truly interested."

Although the job fair was considered as a success for Goodwill, job seekers believe that it was a disappointing testament to the state of the nation's economy.

"It's truly amazing to come here and see how many people are out of work," said Shearman.

The September 30 event was one of eight job fairs that Goodwill hosts annually. Each job fair is free and open to the public. Job fairs hosted by Goodwill are intended to match qualified candidates with employers, thus furthering its commitment to put to Put People to Work.

Companies interested in recruiting at future job fairs should contact Sandy Pereira at (602) 416-6138 or via e-mail at Sandra.Pereira@goodwillaz.org.