Local workforce agencies hosting speed hiring event next week in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Several dozen employers are looking to hire on the spot next week in Charleston at a special event fair.

The Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County and the West Virginia Department of Economic Development have teamed up to host a speed hiring and job/apprenticeship fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

Julie Norman, Executive Director of Region 3 Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County said on Wednesday’s 580-LIVE on 580-WCHS that 50 employers will be on hand and they are only allowed to attend if they have a job opening the day of the event.

“The objective is to hire. We have signs made up so if an employer is hiring on the spot, they will hold up a sign that says hired. Bells will ring and we will celebrate,” Norman said.

The event is a unique format. Participants will have five minutes to spend with potential employers before moving on to the next employer. There will be a two-minute break in between interview sessions.

Attendees can also visit booths at their own leisure to collect information on the growing range of job opportunities available in the region. At 2 p.m., the event will hold a Seal-The-Deal session where the job seekers and company reps who connected during the initial Speed Hire interview, can reconvene, Norman added.

“It could be that as a job seeker is moving about from table to table, they are hired right on the spot. But if an employer has several candidates they’d like to talk further with, then they can give that golden ticket for them to come back at 2:00,” she said.

Companies will have the opportunity to hire an individual on the spot or can call the individual back for further discussions at a later date, a release said.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event is free for participants and employers.