The high unemployment comes at a time when weekly in-person job fairs have been canceled because of virus concerns. Classrooms where job hunters usually meet with potential employers at the CareerForce Center in Blaine have been quiet for months. So they’ve been working on a new way to bring back one-on-one job interviews.
“Interviews are two ways. They are for employers to see job seekers, but they’re also for job seekers to see employers,” says Job Training Center Director Nicole Swanson. “Relationships matter, face to face activities matter.”
Using federal CARES Act funding, Anoka County is subscribing to an online service called, Easy Virtual Fair. It should help fill the face-to-face void until the CareerForce Center can resume in person job fairs.
“Basically employers would be able to have profiles. Job seekers would have profiles and that allow kind of a virtual face-to-face if you will,” said Swanson. “They’ll be able to get information again about the companies and the openings, and actually have a face-to-face interview as well.”
The system should be up and running in October. But for now, Swanson says workers who are looking should know there are jobs and training opportunities available.
“There are many, many employers hiring right now throughout Minnesota,” Swanson said. “Manufacturing, health care, construction, and restaurants are hiring. So there are a lot of different things.”
Swanson says you can find more than 100 employers who are hiring in Anoka County on their website: “www.anokacouinty.us/jtc.”
With unemployment still around 8 percent and federal benefits expiring soon, Swanson expects a surge in job hunters in the next few weeks.
