Strathmore annual job fair returns

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

After a two-year hiatus due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the Rockyview and Wheatland Employment Services (RWES) and Town of Strathmore are excited to once again be hosting a local job fair.

RWES workforce advisor, Jennifer Dost, said the team is excited to be back and hosting the in-person event.

“We’re really excited about it. We did not have a job fair last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. I believe the last job fair we did was Mar. 4, 2020,” said Dost.

“We have been in the community for four years and over the years, doing this annual job fair has become a bit of a community event.”

According to Dost, the team debated hosting the event online, but feedback from attending employers suggested it would be more beneficial to host in person.

“Strathmore is such an agricultural-heavy area and there are a lot of jobs that are more labor. The employers have said how much they appreciate being able to talk to people face to face,” said Dost.

“An advantage too is, somebody whose resume maybe is a little bit weak, they’re able to come and if they prepare a little bit, they can make a really great first impression.”

Formerly hosted at the Strathmore Municipal Library, the event will now be hosted in the Strathmore Travelodge.

Dost added the fair was also an excellent opportunity for youth to get noticed by employers and find a job.

“A lot of our youth, they don’t have a lot of experience and again, coming out of two years of COVID-19, it’s been hard, but this is a fresh start,” said Dost.

“If they’re able to articulate who they are and why they think they would be a good fit for the company, this gives them a real opportunity to stand out from others.”

As of Mar. 1, the event had 19 employers registered to attend, though Dost estimated as many as 25 will be in attendance come fair day. 

For employers, the job fair will not be formatted in a way that they will be conducting interviews. Instead, it is oriented to allow them to meet applicants and establish a first impression.

For applicants, Dost’s advice is to attend the job fair as though they are approaching an interview and it would not be a bad idea to dress up a bit.

For those who may be nervous about attending the job fair in person, Dost added an applicant can reach out to RWES and request to be put in touch with a certain employer that attended the event.

In subsequent years, the goal is to host the annual event in February as opposed to March, to give employers, particularly in the agriculture sector, more time to meet potential employees before the growing season takes off in full.

“We really wanted to do this in person, so it’s a bit later than we would like. Next year, our plan is to have it in February for people hiring for summer,” said Dost.

“I think coming out of COVID-19, it feels really hopeful. It’s spring, here we are in March a full two years later … and it feels really positive.”

The event will take place on Mar. 9 from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Strathmore Travelodge.