KENT COUNTY, Mich. — More than a million Michiganders are currently collecting unemployment benefits, and many may be anxious to return back to work.
West Michigan Works! is hosting a virtual job fair Wednesday, July 29 and Thursday, July 30 to connect job-seekers with employers.
Participants can register for 15 minute phone conversation with employers in various industries, like manufacturing, health care, retail and food production.
"We have Perrigo, Haworth, the US Census Bureau will be hiring for census takers, Spectrum Communications, just to name a few," said Amy Lebednick, the Business Solutions Director for West Michigan Works!"The great thing is that there's such a wide variety of positions and skill level that is needed that we're seeing at the job fair. So full-time, part-time, temporary from anywhere from entry level to highly skilled positions are listed."
The virtual fair offers candidates the chance to quickly, and conveniently connect with employers at home. But like any job interview, it's important to be prepared.
"It's important to research the company, find out what their mission is, what kind of culture do they have, where are they located, the products are served, and that information can easily be found on their website and social media sites. You can also create a cheat sheet with notes about your qualifications and experience," explained Lebednick.
With the extra $600 dollars in unemployment benefits expiring at the end of the month, Lebednick said now is the time to start looking for positions.
"We are definitely encouraging job seekers to begin their job search early as it does take time to move through the process of applying, into a job offer, and beginning the onboarding process with a new employer."
To see a full list of participating companies and openings, head to westmiworks.org/virtual-job-fair/.