Monday, March 14, 2011

At Ocean City fair, 12,000 jobs for the taking

Job-seekers make their way through the crowd during the Greater Ocean City Job Fair. This year's event will be held Saturday.Job-seekers make their way through the crowd during the Greater Ocean City Job Fair. This year's event will be held Saturday. / Laura Emmons file photo
 
OCEAN CITY -- The Ocean City Job Fair is a perennial resource for area businesses seeking to fill many of the 12,000 or so seasonal jobs available on the resort.
This year, it will also feature a number of employers with openings for full-time, year-round positions, according to Lisa Dennis, event planner for the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce.

Dennis and others at the Chamber have spent months preparing for Saturday's job fair, which has more than 70 employers confirmed to attend. Dennis said she expects a few more to trickle in at the last minute.

People of any age and qualification looking for work are encouraged to stop by the convention center and peruse the employer booths.

Many businesses -- including restaurants, hotels, amusement parks and Boardwalk shops -- will be in attendance for seasonal hiring. The Ocean City Beach Patrol is also looking to fill lifeguard positions.
Bank of America, PNC Bank and Walmart are among the companies searching for year-round employment.

"It's a really diverse group of employers, and a lot of them put a huge dent in their hiring numbers because of the fair," Dennis said, adding that a lot of times people go into a job expecting only a summer's worth of work but eventually it turns into a long-term calling.

Capt. Butch Arbin said it's not uncommon for the Ocean City Beach Patrol to ask its lifeguards to come back next summer if they measure up to the requirements and demands during their first summer in town.

"We always ask ourselves if we want someone to come back the next summer, and if we'd trust them to lifeguard our own children," Arbin said. "We find people with the right attitude, and that's how we maintain our high standards."

Job-seekers can go to the employment section of the Chamber's website at www.ocean city.org/employment and print a generic employment application that many of the fair's employers will accept, Dennis said.

Laser Tone will be on hand to provide free copies of resumes, applications and other materials, and Quality Staffing Services will provide a number of workshops. They'll work with job-seekers on interviewing skills and resume writing.

"If you come prepared, and you're dressed nicely and you put your best foot forward, there are definitely a lot of opportunities that will be available," Dennis said.
 
Employers can still register by calling Dennis at 410-213-0552 or visiting www.ocean city.org. Chamber members can acquire booth space for a $150 fee, and nonmembers for $250.

No comments:

Post a Comment