On Wednesday, June 29th seven companies participated in the first My Sister’s Place Women’s Center (MSPWC) Job Fair. The companies that participated were Apple One, Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Union Memorial Hospital, DHR Management, Office Team, and Securitas. For this event, over 55 ladies from My Sister’s Place, Families That Work, My Sister’s Place Lodge, Our Daily Bread Employment Center, Senior Community Service Employment Program, Work 4 Success, Project Fresh Start, and Homeward Bound attended, which was held in the dining room of MSPWC. All of the women came prepared and made sure to bring their resumes with them to the Job Fair.
The clients of MSPWC and Families That Work were diligent in preparing for the past few months so that they could make sure they were as ready as possible. As part of their preparations they participated in a job readiness series that included workshops such as resume writing, interviewing techniques, professional dress attire, and how to sell their skills and strengths. This gave the ladies confidence so that when it was time to apply their hard work, they were poised and eager to show their skills to the prospective companies. Gwen Close, Life Skills Coordinator, explained that “sometimes our clients can be reluctant to change, but by participating in our job readiness series the ladies realized that change can be a good thing and that it is a necessary part of life.” Gwen also taught the ladies about the importance of “choosing a job you love” so that you can enjoy the work that you are doing. Through these courses and the clients’ hard work they have been given the tools to rebuild their lives and attain self-sufficiency.
As a result of the first MSPWC Job Fair, seven women are scheduled for interviews with companies that participated and one woman, Laura Peabody, is now proudly employed with Apple One. Tom Davis of Apple One remarked that “the candidates were well prepared, all had resumes and knew exactly what to expect.” Susie Snyder of Office Team said “every candidate was prepared with a resume – I was impressed!” The organizer of MSPWC’s first Job Fair, Placement Manager Joyce Williams, said that “after reviewing the feedback from the employers the 2011 Job Fair was a great success. Our ladies represented themselves well!”
Thank you to all the companies, staff, and clients who worked so hard to make this a success. Through your help and support My Sister’s Place Women’s Center is able to prepare and help these ladies to achieve self-sufficiency and better futures for themselves and their families.