WorkSource Hosts final Virtual Job Fair of 2009
 
During the current recession, unemployment in our region has almost doubled.  So has the number of jobseekers in WorkSource’s system.  WorkSource needed to find a way to bring jobseekers and employers together with the least amount of travel and down time from other important activities.
 
The solution: The First Coast Virtual Job Fair, which bring together local companies to showcase their job openings in one convenient location – online. Florida State College at Jacksonville has partnered with WorkSource to provide a job seeker handbook, giving job seekers the tools they need to be successful in their online job search.
 
WorkSource hosted their final Virtual Job fair of 2009 the week of October 12 -16th. The event attracted over 5,900 job seekers from 85 states. Fifty-eight companies offered more than 600 postings ranging in industries from Health Care to Public Administration and Manufacturing.
 
WorkSource hosted three virtual job fairs in 2009. The events drew a growing number of jobseekers throughout the year because of their convenience.
 
Below are the total results from the three 2009 virtual job fairs:
 

April 1-8, 2009
Jobseekers:
Jobseekers Registered	4,327
Employers:
Employers Registered	58
Total number of Jobs	1,000
July 13-17, 2009
Jobseekers:
Jobseekers Registered	4,934
Employers:
Employers Registered	42
Total number of Jobs	967
October 12-16, 2009
Jobseekers:
Jobseekers Registered	5,936
Employers:
Employers Registered	58
Total number of Jobs	676

As one jobseeker explains, “what I liked most about the virtual job fairs is that I didn’t have to get in my car and go to the job fair site.  I also like that it brings a lot of companies to one place.”
 
Employers who have used the First Coast Virtual Job Fair to post their openings agree that virtual events save valuable time away from the office. All they have to do is post their current job openings, company logo and watch as qualified applicants post resumes. One employer states, “I liked the ability to participate in a job fair and still be able to do my job.  Being able to check on resumes when I had the time was a bonus.  So was the number of resumes I have to go back and review.”
 
With Jacksonville’s unemployment rate at its highest rate in decades, at 10.7 percent, WorkSource expects to continue hosting Virtual Job Fairs through 2010. The next virtual job fair is scheduled for January 18 -22^nd.   
 
For more information, companies can contact Liz Cochran Brown at (904) 798-9229, extension 2212 or ecochran@worksourcefl.com.