Students, employers appreciate getting chance to mingle at job fair

HANCEVILLE, Ala. — For the employers, the job fair hosted Wednesday at Wallace State Community College was a chance to get their name on the minds of potential employees. For the students, it was a chance to get their names and faces in front of a potential employer.
About a dozen area employers were on hand at Wednesday’s job fair in hopes of adding a few new names to their company payroll. Stacey Frederick, operations manager of TJ Max in Cullman, said she had about 10 students express interest in the retail store located in the Marketplatz shopping center in Cullman. She said they currently have two regular positions open at the store and are looking to hire 18 more seasonal workers as the holidays approach.
“We have a few college students who already work for us and we are real flexible in working around their schedule,” Frederick said.
During the job fair, Frederick said she was able to spread the word about the store’s hiring event this weekend. Students who picked up applications on Wednesday can deliver those to the hiring event on Friday from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., along with any others looking for some work in the retail market.
Kristi Graves, a recruiter for KAMTEK in Birmingham, was on hand to visit with students who are in search of jobs in the manufacturing sector. Graves said KAMTEK has a great relationship with Wallace State. The company, which manufactures parts for Mercedes, Volkswagen, Kia and Nissan, offers an apprenticeship for Wallace students. She added that she often calls on Wallace State instructors when they have a job opening. They are currently hiring for skilled trades right now, she said, maintenance technicians and tool and die makers.
Computer Science student Alexander Vega said he was glad to get the opportunity to attend the job fair. “I really like being able to get my name out there and get my foot in the door,” he said of the opportunity the job fair provided.
The Wallace State Community College Alumni Association hosted the job fair and provided space for businesses to conduct interviews at the end of the day. For more information about future job fairs or Alumni Association events, please contact LaDonna Allen at 256.352.8071 or ladonna.allen@wallacestate.edu. For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu or call 256.352.8000.
Wallace State Community College is ranked No. 2 in the South in Workforce Development and consistently holds outstanding licensure and job placement rates.