On Wednesday, October 1st, Tri-Valley Career Center and Tri-Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance hosted its annual Fall Job Fair at the Tri-Valley Career Center office on the third floor. The event brought together job seekers of diverse backgrounds including students, recent graduates, career changers and experienced professionals with employers.

“I think job fairs are extremely important because it’s a great way to connect a lot of job seekers with a lot of employers all at once. It gives people the opportunity to really work and also to get to explore all the different companies that are out there that are looking for talent,” said program manager Alcian Lindo.

Direct employer engagement

The Fall Job Fair, launched five years ago as a collaboration between the Tri-Valley Career Center and the Tri-Valley Chamber of Commerce Alliance, rotates among five local chambers: Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, and Danville. Upon arrival, job seekers check in at the front desk and receive a goodie bag before heading to the third floor, where over 40 vendors are set up. Job seekers explore the booths, gathering information and introducing themselves to potential employers, often pitching their qualifications directly.

“Our selection process aims to have as many different types of vendors at our event and the vendors are both hiring employers and resource providers. The more, the better, because that gives our job seekers and our population opportunities to work and talk directly with recruiters and talk to the resource provider,” said job fair coordinator and developer Roseann Renzullo.

In preparation for the event, job fair coordinators utilized a variety of marketing strategies. They tabled at community events and communicated with employers who were open for hiring. Since Tri-Valley Career Center is the nonprofit division of the Chabot-Las Positas College District, students looking for work opportunities at the college were also referred to the event. 

“Job seekers find us through their employer or a school that referred them to us, so people come to the career center for the job fair,” said Renzullo.

Opportunities for career training

In addition to the job fair, job seekers can access free training programs offered through Tri-Valley Career Center. The job training program teaches job seekers to write resumes, manage time, and communicate with employers. The career center also offers specialized training, such as getting certified as a nursing assistant or forklift operator.

“Some people after the job fair may realize that they need more work on their resume, or maybe they they felt that they didn’t do the best job talking to employers at the job fair, so they call career counselors afterwards and can work with them on those two things,” said Career Counselor Amabella Camins.

Although the Fall Job Fair ran smoothly, there were some challenges along the way. Coordinators worked to secure a diverse group of employers, ranging from companies seeking entry-level candidates to others recruiting experienced job seekers. This way job seekers had a variety of opportunities to explore at the event. Organizers also navigated last-minute cancellations from some employers, but the event still attracted a diverse range of attendees.

“There are always little challenges along the way, but we make it work,” said Camins.