On Wednesday, May 4, 2005, I went searching for new employees for Cal National Bank. Mount San Antonio Community College (Mt. SAC) sponsored a free job fair for students from 11am – 2pm. The day started out really gloomy and overcast. I thought this might be great because the job fair was being held outdoors -- the less sun the better (as long as it didn’t rain!).
The directions that were provided for the event were great. Parking was free and close to Miracle Mile where the job fair was being held. Fortunately, I didn’t have an excessive amount of materials to carry, since I did have a minor hill to travel. Signs were provided so there was no possible way to get lost. Once I arrived, I signed in and selected a table. The career placement staff provided gift bags to the employers who participated. I must say I liked the gifts that were provided -- a calendar scheduling book, t-shirt, and information about the school.
Other companies that participated were Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Babies –R- Us, Knott’s Berry Farm, Office Depot and various law enforcement agencies, just to name a few. There were at least 20 employers, which was a pretty good amount of employers. However, I still felt we had the best story to tell and the best environment to work in!
The event was very organized and lunch was provided. Since I was alone, one of the representatives brought my lunch to me and other vendors that couldn’t leave the booth. I thought that was great by going the extra mile to ensure we were fed.
Throughout the day, I had various students approach the table and inquire about our company. Some students were prepared with their resume and some weren’t prepared. I met some interesting students that I thought were very intelligent and confident in their skills.
Currently, Cal National Bank doesn’t have many branches in the area, but we hope to expand that direction. However, I do have a Customer Service Representative position in Azusa, and I believe I spoke to some qualified applicants with the necessary skills to do the job. Their resumes have already been forwarded to the Branch Manager for interviews. We hope we can hire a student from the job fair.
I would like to thank everyone from the career placement services who made this experience a pleasure. I would definitely participate in future job fairs sponsored by Mt. SAC.
Channon Kelly is a Recruiter with Cal National Bank.
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