Jul 13, 2009 5:00 pm US/Pacific
Job Fair Offering 500 Bay Area Openings
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
President Obama promised to create 3.5 million jobs with the stimulus plan but unemployment remains at a 26-year high. While there is talk that the plan isn't working, there's a small glimmer of hope coming from Berkeley.
There are more than 150 new jobs with benefits posted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, because of new energy and infrastructure projects fueled by stimulus money.
Job Fairs can seem anything but fun with their long lines and feelings of desperation.
"I felt like 'Oh my God' look at all these people I have to compete with," said job seeker Andi Horton. But it's at the last CBS5 and California Job Journal Hire Event where she found her position at the Berkeley National Lab.
Something inside told Horton to wait at that one last booth at the May 12 job fair in Emeryville. The former HR manager met Susan McAllister with the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab who told her there are jobs to be had.
"We have 178 positions right now. Over 25% are in operations, hr, finance, budget, trades, you name it," McAllister said.
These are real jobs available now through recent federal stimulus funds. McAllister needed help staffing the new positions and at that job fair, "Andi came up to me with a great one page resume with her recruiting background. She was sincere and knew how to represent herself. She could speak of her background and knew what her skills were and wasn't all over the board with wanting just any job."
Horton had never worked for a lab but she applied previous hospital experience and sold herself with her social skills and focus.
"Environmental energy was going to be a whole new spin and I thought that would be exciting and I let her know that." In two weeks she got the call.
She beat out 400 other applicants.
"I am loving it. I was watching tv news and you guys advertised a job fair and I said 'I'll go. You never know what'll happen and look!'"
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