March 2, 2022
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - You’ve heard of speed dating but have you heard of speed hiring? From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, March 28 job seekers and employers will get a chance to match up, do a brief interview and possibly make a lasting connection.
The Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County and the West Virginia Department of Economic Development is teaming up with other agencies, learning institutions, and dozens of regional employers for a speed hiring and job/apprenticeship fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, March 28, at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the event is free for participants and employers. “This is an opportunity to connect job seekers with employers in the county,” said David Rogers, Senior Manager for Workforce and Industry Training at the Dept. of Economic Development.
“Apprenticeships are a great opportunity to earn a paycheck while you learn vital skills, and we are happy to connect jobseekers with these valuable opportunities.”
The idea to create this unique opportunity came from Julie Norman, director of the Workforce Development Board of Kanawha County, and one of her business reps, Nick Nunnery, with whom she has organized past successful job fairs.
With West Virginia’s unemployment rate at a historic low, (4.1 percent for January 2022), with the Mountain State teeming with new, good-paying jobs in a wide variety of sectors, and with Covid restrictions subsiding, they wanted to create an event that would create some buzz, and in a short amount of time make in-person, real-time connections for employees and employers.
“Our idea was to go for something completely different and so I had this vision for a speed hire because there are so many good jobs open. We wanted to create some excitement with the timer and the atmosphere and connect people directly to these opportunities,” Norman said. “... When someone gets hired we’re going to ring a cowbell and make a big deal about it.”
Not unlike the shot clock for NCAA’s March Madness, the clock will be ticking for job seekers to take their shot. Participants will have five minutes to spend with potential employers before moving on to the next employer. There will be a two minute break in between interview sessions. Attendees can also visit booths at their own leisure to collect information on the growing range of job opportunities available in the region. At 2 p.m., the event will hold a Seal-The-Deal session where the job seekers and company reps who connected during the initial Speed Hire interview, can reconvene. Companies will have the opportunity to hire an individual on the spot or can call the individual back for further discussions at a later date.
For more information or to sign up your business, contact Nick Nunnery at 304-344-5760 and Nnunnery@wdbkc.org.