Career fair aims to bring job seekers, employers together

Robin Strop, functional leader at the Missouri Career Center in Cape Girardeau, believes the need for career fairs in the community is definite.

"If you are unemployed, that affects so many areas of your life," she said.

This is the third year Strop has manned the Cape Area Career Fair with the Missouri Career Center, allowing hundreds of people to explore employment options in towns such as Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City and Sikeston, Mo.

Planning began in August for the career fair that will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Osage Centre in Cape Girardeau. The fair will provide a range of employment opportunities in light of recent layoffs of about 500 people from Integrity Solution Services and PolyOne Corp. in Cape Girardeau and Sabreliner Corp. in Perryville, Mo.

When Strop was laid off from her job for a year in 2009, it was an eye-opener, she said, and it gave her a new perspective.

"It just made me want to do more, and that's what made me realize I'm in the right field," she said.

Strop's compassion for the unemployed grew because she had lived without a job. She now is able to better relate to the 1,800 to 2,000 unemployed individuals who come into the office each month, she said.

The role of the Missouri Career Center is to help job seekers get prepared and become competitive in the job market, Strop said, so it seemed fitting that the office would work with Strop to put on a career fair.

The unemployment rate for Cape Girardeau County was 6.4 percent in August, down from 6.8 percent in July, according to the most recent data available from the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Scott County's unemployment rate was 6.9 percent in August, down half a percent from 7.4 percent in July. The unemployment rate for Missouri was 7.2 percent in August.

Strop said employers of many types have positions to fill. "I think that's why to have a career fair with a bunch of different employers with different needs," she said.

Forty-one employers were signed up to participate as of Wednesday; last year's fair had 44, Strop said. The employers range from health care and banking to hospitality and trucking.

The main advantage of the career fair is it provides an all-in-one location, which is efficient and saves time, Strop said.

"I enjoy putting the event together and coordinating because I know that it helps people," the unemployed and the employers, she said. "And that's the goal, to make everything easy. ... It will be a long day, but it will be worth it."

Sponsors of the event are the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce, Cape Girardeau Area Magnet, the city of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department and the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri.

Tim Arbeiter, vice president of community development for the chamber of commerce, said the career fair is an opportunity to bring businesses together and for people who need employment to get out there.

There always are people seeking employment, a better job or a different job, he said.

"Choices are great," Arbeiter said. "It's both good for the business and good for the job prospects."

adowning@semissourian.com

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1625 N. Kingshighway St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.