Nearly 1,000 turn out for Cape job fair

After 20 years of working at a financial services company in Dallas, Stuart Hoeller was laid off in 2008. When he found a new job, still in finance, it didn't last long. About six months ago, he got laid off for the second time in three years.

The 47-year-old sold his house and moved back to Cape Girardeau, where he had grown up and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in business administration.

He was one of 986 people Thursday who met with more than 30 employers at the Cape Girardeau Area Career Fair at the Osage Centre.

"There's so many people out of work, and it's a small market," Hoeller said. "You're running into four or five people applying for the same job who are all good candidates. There's a lot of people with a lot of experience. There's a lot to choose from."

In the first two hours of the Cape Girardeau Area Career Fair more than 430 people came to the Osage Centre to meet with prospective employers.

Among the companies taking part was a yet-to-be-identified national call center considering a Cape Girardeau location that would bring 500 jobs.

The career fair was planned in part to help this company determine if the area could provide the workforce it needs, said Mitch Robinson, executive director of Cape Girardeau Area Magnet.

Those interested in working for the call center were asked to complete an computer survey and then listen to a presentation by company representatives that included details about the positions available and the company's timetable for locating here. The survey, which was filled out by more than 400 people, asked questions about current wages, education, work schedules, benefits, transportation and Internet access.

"They've been pleased with the quality here so far," Robinson said. "They're talking about potentially hiring in the first quarter of next year."

This is the first community career fair held since 2008. Many companies were accepting applications and resumes on the spot from job seekers.

"Jobs are pretty well just hard to find right now," said Chris O'Neill, 23, of Marble Hill, Mo., who has been looking for work for about six months.

Debbie Miller, 21, also of Marble Hill, has a part-time job but was hoping to find full-time employment at the career fair, filling out applications for several companies.

"This is a lot easier than jumping here, there and everywhere all around Cape trying to find out who is hiring," Miller said.

The career fair was sponsored by the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri, city of Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and Cape Girardeau Area Magnet.

Workforce

The doom and gloom dominating the national news about the economy doesn't accurately reflect the Southeast Missouri job market, according to Joe Rozier of Workforce Employment Solutions, one of the companies participating in the career fair.

"Although people hear about a 9.1 percent unemployment and a 15 percent underemployment and people who are being laid off, the greater Cape-Jackson area has a very robust business model and has for the past 15 to 17 months. We are in need of people who seriously want to go to work and for good companies," Rozier said.

The latest figure available for Cape Girardeau County put the unemployment rate here at 7.4 percent in August.

His company represents hundreds of employers throughout Southeast Missouri and has nine offices in the region.

Rozier said he's been recruiting for between 200 and 400 jobs at any given time in the past year and a half. But there are definite changes in today's job market compared to previous years, he said.

"Now, companies are much more particular," Rozier said. "They have become as lean as they can and when they bring people in, they're looking for people who will make their company better because of their presence. For individuals who think they can just walk in and not be exceptional and not try, those days are gone."

mmiller@semissourian.com

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