There was a large employment fair on Wednesday at Memorial Park in downtown Sudbury, hosted by Spark Employment Services. The event offered in-person access to several employers who are hiring and resources to help job seekers prepare for the application process and for interviews. In all, 39 booths were set up with employers accepting applications on-site and connecting in person with potential employees. “I want to explore more -- that’s why I am at this job fair,” said Kanij Tanmoy Khanom, a job seeker attending the fair. “I also read on the networking platform that you can make so many connections and network over here.” “I came because, frankly, recent cuts to OSAP have made being a student untenable without some form of employment,” said Lily Rose, another job seeker. Northway Bus Lines was on hand connecting with potential drivers and bus monitors. “For a school bus driver, it’s actually $25.85 an hour, and monitors, I believe, is around $18-$19,” said Roxanne Lafond, Northway Bus Lines recruiter. Help for job seekers Some of the booths were staffed by community organizations offering help to job seekers. “From resumes to cover letters to interview prep, we have employers here who are hiring,” said Dhwani Bhatia, Spark Employment organizational change manager. “When the job seekers are ready with their applications, they can go to those employers.” “Things have changed a lot from 10 years ago when we used to use one resume and apply to employers,” said Audrey Manninen, Spark employment coach. “Now it’s really important to target a resume to a specific job -- and we help our clients do that.” The Sudbury Women’s Centre was on site offering clothing to job seekers from My Sister’s Closet. “When you dress good, you feel good, and then you present yourself better, and you go in with confidence. And that’s what we like to do for our clients,” said Julie Berthelot, My Sister’s Closet coordinator. Officials with Spark Employment said there were close to 1,000 people at the fair, with some travelling from the GTA to learn more about employment opportunities in northern Ontario.
