On January 5 we attended Jobsapalooza, the annual job fair presented by the University at Buffalo. We were there to promote our newly updated jobs website BuffaloNiagaraJobs.com. Approximately 2,000 job seekers came to network with about 70 employers. It was hard to catch our breath as we spoke to what seemed like a never ending line of people eager to learn more about what we were hiring for (view our openings here) and to learn more about the jobs website. As with several other job fairs I’ve attended in the past year, I noticed a higher representation of more experienced seekers versus college students and recent grads looking for employment.
It’s obvious there are many more job seekers than there are available jobs at the moment. At the Partnership, we try to mitigate this by actively promoting the region’s targeted industries, those sections of our local economy that have proven to show the greatest impact for growth. Getting the word out about opportunities in, and the skill sets required for these industries is a critical piece of what we do.
In this economy, many job seekers are open to transitioning into other careers but one challenge facing our region is the lack (at least perceived lack, from the many seekers I’ve spoken to) of training programs available for those who want to transition. ISciWNY is an excellent website to learn more about careers in the life sciences, and programs at the ECC One Stop, the BETC, and the EOC all provide resources on additional training and education.
Whether you’re looking for a job or looking to hire, we encourage you to use BuffaloNiagaraJobs.com to post your listings and resumes, and review the numerous educational and networking resources we have listed on the website. In this market especially, networking is the key component to obtaining leads and opportunities.
No comments:
Post a Comment