WCBI and SDR partnered together to host job fair

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – WCBI partnered with Steel Dust Recycling to host a job fair in Columbus.

The fair started at 10:00 and lasted until 1 o’clock this afternoon.

“I feel like these are the type of places and opportunities that you go to put your name out there and get yourself in the system everybody gets a chance equally here.”

Thirty-seven businesses and industry leaders sat down for face-to-face meetings with the people who might join their team.

More than 200 people were on-site, talking with recruiters.

Joe Fleming is the human resources director for Steel Dust Recycling. He says that being a part of this job fair helps his company find the needle in the haystack.

“It’s extremely hard to find qualified employees and you see all the vendors here. Everybody is looking for employees but the number of applicants we get now we went from getting from 40 – 50 three or four months ago now we are down less than three or four a week,” said Fleming.

Some employers say they understand job seekers are looking for different types of work.

Vice president of the Eat with Us group, Ashley Wilson, says that one new worker is better than none.

Ashley Wilson, an employee of the Eat with Us group says that one new worker is better than none.

“If we can at least get one new hire from a job fair it makes the whole day totally worth it,” said Wilson.

Drew Wallace, says having the opportunity to be a part of this event helps with starting fresh.

“I think it really shows them the jobs that they have rather than just going from business to business and asking around and plus it takes a lot of work out of the job searching process,” said Wallace.

Joseph Riley, says that he is new at job searching but he has hope to start his new chapter as an employee for a local company soon.

“I’m here because I just graduated from East Mississippi and I’m trying to find some long-term employment here at least for the next 2 years until I can move on to the next step,” said Riley.