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More than 250 youths turnout for Goodwill-hosted Career Fair
POSTED February 21, 2019 IN: Job Training & Education
Seattle Goodwill helped more than 250 community youth connect with employers and bolster their resumes Tuesday, February 19, during the Youth Employment Education and Career Fair at Goodwill’s King County Job Training and Education Center (JTEC).
“We focus on jobs changing lives and getting opportunities for folks. This is something that we do every year that focuses on youth not just in our programs, but the youth in the city.” – King County Goodwill JTE Employment Specialist Dontay Proctor-Mills
More than 40 local employers set up booths, allowing youth ages 16-24 to gain invaluable networking skills. Select employers held on-site interviews and youth could also receive resume and job application assistance. Nordstrom offered a “Customer Service Skills” workshop, while Starbucks held an “Interview Tips” workshop.
The career fair fell right in line with Goodwill’s mission.
“We focus on jobs changing lives and getting opportunities for folks,” King County Goodwill JTE Employment Specialist Dontay Proctor-Mills said. “This is something that we do every year that focuses on youth not just in our programs, but the youth in the city.”
For youth, it can be challenging to learn how to professionally represent oneself through a resume, especially when an individual has minimal or no prior work experience.
“For young people, it’s hard to present yourself to an employer on paper,” Dontay said. “Things like this (fair) are very important because the youth get to hear from the employer on what a good approach is.”
Alexia Johnson, a member of Seattle Goodwill’s Youth Maritime Program, was one of the many youth in attendance. Alexia primarily was helping with the operational side of the fair, but she also made time to network.
“It’s about who you know,” Alexia said. “You have to tell employers, ‘This is me,’ and see how you can benefit and how they can benefit from you. They might not employ you then, but because you had that conversation with them, they might be able to put in a good word for you, or you could email back-and-forth, and they might help you find another job.”
