Pierce College hosts job fair

Many job opportunities spring up at the job fair

Pierce College held a job fair in the Cascade building on May 2, welcoming job opportunities for students and community members alike. Various companies attended, like Robert Half, South Sound 911, YMCA, and several more.

Workplaces from inside the school attended, such as the Tutoring Center department. The table had two spokespeople, Alisa Rasmussen and Sarah Kaestler. “Non-students are excited to learn that the Tutoring Center also hires non-students,” Rasmussen said.

In regards to the fair, the two noticed interest among the fairgoers. “There is a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. I have also seen faculty scouting around, too,” Rasmussen said.

Other companies were there for the first time, such as South Sound 911 and I Am Scribe. South Sound 911 handles emergency as well as non-emergency phone calls in places of the Pierce county area. They also do fingerprinting services, concealed pistol licenses, and background checks. They require a high school diploma or GED, 2 years of multitasking experience, and the ability to type to be eligible for hire.

I Am Scribe representative and Pierce college alumni Nina Thach informed passersby of her company. I Am Scribe deals in transcribing medical appointments into documents. While one may be nervous regarding terminology, I Am Scribe has support for their employees. “We train on medical terminology during our online training course,” she said.

Though this was the organization’s first year, they had at least 8 people interested in the jobs, 6 of which were students.

The YMCA had a booth set up on the third floor of the Cascade building. Eric Miller and Melanie Criswell manned the table. They explained the youth programs available at the YMCA, like fitness courses, environmental education, and wilderness experience. “There’s really something for everybody,” Miller said.

Korean Women’s Association (KWA) HomeCare provided a lot of information regarding their program. The representative, Nelvina Heck, was enthusiastic about the programs her company offered. KWA HomeCare has programs such as College Flex, which lets students work around their schedule. They also provide military spouse and single parent programs. They often hire caregivers, but there are jobs surrounding behavioral health and social services. “All of our social services are always looking for people [to hire],” Heck said.

A student, Marcus Scott, expressed interest in joining the YMCA job force. He lives by a YMCA and is looking to apply. Another student, Nancy Aird, said she prepared for the job fair by polishing up her resume and dressing professionally. She has 35 years of experience in supply chain management, so she was looking for jobs relating to goods and services.

Students and community members can expect to see some of the same companies at the next job fair held at Pierce College. Students and non-students who applied for positions can hope to obtain their requested jobs, and possibly meet with more employers next time.