Gainesville City Commissioner Yvonne Hinson-Rawls was the gatekeeper at the Gainesville Job Fair Tuesday (Sept. 10), on the lookout for job applicants who weren’t dressed professionally.
She grabbed them and escorted down the hall to the “clothes closet” at the Martin Luther King Center, where volunteers helped them select clothes to borrow.
Taking charge is second nature for Hinson-Rawls, who worked as the principal of a Miami elementary school before retiring and moving back to Gainesville in 2005.
“I longed to come home and do what I had done in other places,” she said.
With Hinson-Rawls at the rudder, this year’s job fair was an even greater success than the inaugural event last year.
The job fair was a partnership between the city, FloridaWorks, the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Gainesville Regional Utilities and Santa Fe College.
Calvin Cooper of Alachua was excited by his meeting with representatives of The Pantry, Inc., the owner of Kangaroo Express. “Everything is promising,” Cooper, who formerly worked for Publix for 11 years, said.
Gregory Dattilo, district manager for eastern Gainesville, said Kangaroo always has four to five openings for its 27 locations in Alachua County. “We hire a lot of students, and they’re always graduating,” he said.
The job fair helped recruiting efforts, said Robin Harpe, regional human resources director for Aflac. “Many people don’t think they’re interested in sales, but they change their mind after they learn about our opportunities,” she said.
One job candidate Harpe met was looking for a computer programmer job. “It turns out we’re hiring in IT in our headquarters in Columbus, Ga.,” Harpe said. “This might work out for him, if he’s willing to relocate.”
C.M. Gainey was encouraged by her conversation with Carolynn Buchanan, owner of TempForce. Gainey, who has experience as a cook, security guard, lab tech and child care provider, said she planned to follow up by submitting an application online.
“If you want to work, there’s a job for you,” Buchanan said.
While unemployed, many people take on additional family responsibilities, from childcare to assisting elderly family members, Buchanan said. “People who have been out of work have to get into the mindset of making work their priority.”
“I can’t help people who say they’re available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 to 3,” she said.
