This content was published: April 13, 2012. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
More than 1,400 expected for PCC’s Cascade Job Fair
Story by Abe Proctor. Photos by James Hill.
The 15th Annual Cascade Job Fair, one of the largest resources for job seekers in Portland, makes its return on Tuesday, April 24.
The job fair, which attracts 50 employers and more than 1,400 job seekers annually, will feature an assortment of area employers from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the gymnasium, Physical Education Building, Cascade Campus (705 N. Killingsworth St.).
During the 2011 job fair, the line to get in wrapped around the block.
The event, sponsored by Brooks Staffing and OregonLive.com, places job-seekers face-to-face with employers from a wide range of industries in both the public and private sectors where they can learn about available openings, pay scales and benefits, and the amount of education needed to obtain a given position. Attendees are encouraged to dress like they’re going to an interview.
There will be workshops all day, including “Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies,” with author Joshua Waldman at 10:30 a.m. in the Auditorium, Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building. Waldman is an author and trainer specializing in helping people re-gain control of their careers in today’s economic and technology climate.
“We’re so excited to have a free seminar this year by the author of ‘Social Media Job Search for Dummies,’” said Cascade Career Services Director Becky Washington. “Looking for work has certainly changed in the last few years, and it will be great to have this kind of expertise right at our fingertips.
“We attract lots of job-seekers, so it’s also a good idea to show up early,” she added. “It’s no secret that it’s a competitive job market at the moment. People should try to give themselves every advantage they can.”
Among the employers represented at this year’s fair will be Comcast, Clark County Human Resources, and New Seasons Market, to name a few.
“This is the best job fair in the city of Portland, for a number of reasons,” said Mark Curnell of Oregon/Idaho AAA’s human resources department. “The support staff is outstanding; there is a high applicant flow.”