Janet Long never lost a job until this year, when she lost two. Then a physician left the practice where she worked and the business downsized. “I have never been laid off a day in my life, and these last six months I’ve been laid off twice,” Long said. Now she’s hoping an employer will say yes to her job applications.
Susan Hogue lost her job at Radici Spandex in 2011. She took another job — and experienced another layoff. Both Gastonia residents came to the annual fall job fair hoping to find full-time work that fit their skills. They weren’t alone. The job fair brought more than 50 employers and 556 job seekers to Central Church at Union Road Wednesday.
Brandy Lane of RHA Health Services said the company received some applications from people that would be a good match. The business provides services for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For RHA, which has a Gastonia office, the job fair was a chance to get the word out about a business that’s not yet well known, Lane said.
Stacey Poole of Mancan, a staffing agency, said employers are looking to fill industrial and warehouse positions. She met some potential applicants who might fit with the companies Mancan represents, though she saw more people looking for clerical work than in years past.
Bernando Hernandez of Shelby hoped to find a job that would move him from part-time to full-time work, with opportunities to advance. He sought a job as a machine operator. Right now, he works part time as a driver for Habitat for Humanity in Shelby.
A poor job market in Fayetteville brought Gastonia native Jeffery Littlejohn back home. Littlejohn has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and wanted to find work in the criminal justice field or as a case manager for youth or people with disabilities. Littlejohn said he knows he might not find anything in those fields, so he handed out his resume to businesses outside those fields, too.
You can reach Amanda Memrick at 704-869-1839 or twitter.com/AmandaMemrick.