Congressmen, employers reach out to job seekers

Local job seekers can connect with employers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Wessman Arena during the Twin Ports Job Fair hosted by U.S. Congressmen Sean Duffy and Chip Cravaack.

The one-stop shop offers employers and prospective employees a chance to maximize their opportunities.

“I think there’s a lot of concern that people aren’t hiring,” said Duffy, who represents Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. “People don’t know where to look for work.”

Joblessness is a big issue in the area — unemployment rates for March were 6.9 percent in Wisconsin and 5.7 percent in Minnesota.

“A question we are asked repeatedly is ‘where are the jobs,” said Perry Nouis, who works in the Brainerd office for Cravaack, who represents Minnesota’s 8th District. “What better way to address the issue?”

About 40 employers are expected to attend the Monday event, including Kestrel Aircraft, Enbridge Energy Partners and Halvor Lines. Some like Essentia Health-St. Mary’s are looking to fill a number of openings, Nouis said.

Even if prospective employees don’t have the right skill set for some of the available jobs, Duffy said, they can see what businesses are hiring in case they want to tweak their job skills. In addition, a number of break-out sessions will be held throughout the day to help job seekers beef up their resumes, enhance their online presence through social media and use LinkedIn to make meaningful connections.

This is the third job fair Duffy’s office has helped coordinate. The first, held in Wausau last fall, pulled in more than 100 employers and 1,200 job seekers. Attendance at similar event held last month in Wausau was about 1,000.

“We got a lot of feedback from employers on the quality of the people coming through the job fair,” Duffy said, and some were able to find suitable employees to bring on the team.

“We’re able to match folks up,” the congressman said. “It’s great for employers.”

Veterans are getting special treatment at the Superior job fair. The first hour of the day is reserved exclusively for them.

“We have a high unemployment rate for veterans,” Nouis said. “It’s almost twice the national average.”

The retired Air Force officer said that veterans bring great skills to any job.

“Employers would be absolutely blown away if they knew the leadership skills these guys get,” Nouis said. These young men and women can work as a team, have held positions of responsibility and in many cases are very highly educated.

“They’re the whole package,” Nouis said.

Duffy encouraged job seekers to come dressed in their best, resume in hand, ready to go to work.

“There are jobs, there are opportunities for those looking for work,” he said. “Come on out and see the opportunities that exist in our community.”

Other job fair partners include the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Office of Veterans Services and Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs. It takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Wessman Arena, 1810 Catlin Ave. Admission is free.

The event is open 9-10 a.m. to veterans only.

Four breakout sessions will be held throughout the day. Learn how to enhance your resume, cover letter and thank you notes 10-10:50 a.m. to obtain employment; learn about personal branding, using social media as a jobseeker to enhance your online presence 11-11:50 a.m.; jobs of the future is the subject of a session from noon to 12:30 p.m.; and a session teaches participants how to use LinkedIn to make meaningful connections 1-1:50 p.m.

For information, go to http://duffy.house.gov or http://cravaack.house.gov.

Tags: news, politics