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Job seekers meet employers at Parkersburg News and Sentinel fair

By Candice Black 4 min read

VIENNA -- Job seekers in the Mid-Ohio Valley area had the opportunity for a face-to-face interaction with hiring personnel at The Parkersburg News and Sentinel's job fair at Grant Pointe Conference Center in Vienna Wednesday afternoon.

The event was put together by The Parkersburg News and Sentinel's Advertising Manager Mary Jo Miller. According to Miller, three job fairs are held each year in March, May and September.

Miller explained that 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the times of the event, were the best times for people to be able to come out if they worked a later shift or if they worked a morning shift and could come on their lunch break.

"It always seems to work for the companies too because then it doesn't take their whole day; a lot of them go back to work," Miller said.

Job fairs offer a unique opportunity for job seekers to "(visit) 25 companies (in) one stop instead of going to every single company," Miller said. "A lot of them do on spot interviews too."

The fair is also a good resource to ask questions about wages, benefits and qualifications, Miller said.

Yenkin-Majestic Paint Corporation, of Columbus, was represented at the event. Chemical operators, paint mixers and maintenance technicians were the positions the company was hoping to fill. The company is about to celebrate 100 years of operations and is located near the Columbus airport.

According to Mackenzie Kyes, a representative of Yenkin-Majestic, the company helps with relocation costs if someone decides to move to that area. Kyes explained that a number of people from this area have been relocated.

For the job fairs, Kyes said, "I think I've hired probably one person from each job fair that I've been to so far."

Multiple positions need to be filled at the Parkersburg Country Club, employees at the job fair said. Those positions include banquet servers and set up staff, expeditors, banquet cooks, bartenders and wait staff and offer full- and part-time work. The Parkersburg Country Club is new to the job fair.

Mercedes Nemesek, banquet coordinator, said the club has a shortage of employees, "so we're trying to get that built back up. We're just trying new, different things at this point to try to get people in the door."

Event and membership director Carl Mayfield explained that the country club receives a lot of summer help but once the students go back to school they lose that help.

"We're hoping for the best here," Mayfield said. The club offers flexibility with part-time work and free golf on Monday afternoons for employees, he said.

Participant David Munson came to the job fair seeking a more permanent supplemental job to go with his associate pastor position at the People's Church of Boaz. Munson has a mixed background, including sales, maintenance, carpentry, retail and experience in nonprofits and Christian education.

Munson came to the area about a year ago from Eastern Kentucky.

"It's a little more hectic than where I came from," Munson said. "It's neat; there's good people here. I like the church I work for."

Munson explained that since coming to the area, he has worked seasonal jobs and is now looking for something more permanent.

"I've been looking ever since I got here because everything I've had has been kind of temporary," he said.

Sandy Moore, former employee of Parkersburg Office Supply, has been looking for a job since the business closed two years ago. Moore said, at the job fair, she is hoping for a part-time position to supplement Social Security.

Successes from the fair include two positions that were filled at WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. According to Miller, the hospital was ecstatic to hire a RN and phlebotomist.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.

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