About 45 people came out to The Mustard Seed’s first ever Employment Readiness Fair Tuesday afternoon.
The fair ran for about two hours with services like career counselling, mock interviews, resumé and cover letter support, haircuts, and more.
Byron Bradley, Central Alberta managing director with The Mustard Seed, said his organization would absolutely hold another fair, but first it would want to look at what worked well and what it could be improved.
“It was great to see we could offer something new to the community of Red Deer,” Bradley said.
On site employment professionals were from Diversified Staffing Services, MC College, Dress for Success Central Alberta, and Career Assistance Network.
All services are free.
He said most people wanted help with their resumé.
Six employment coaches from The Mustard Seed in Calgary were on site to help them with resumés, including digital resumés and setting up email for job seekers.
He said job readiness support includes helping build people’s confidence when they feel hopeless. Providing people with a professionally designed resumé and a haircut can make all the difference.
“Often getting a job interview isn’t the largest hurdle,” Bradley said.
Most of the people who came out to the fair were regular clients of The Mustard Seed, but there were a few new faces, he said.
Kerry, one of the people who came out for help, said at 60 years old, job hunting was difficult.
“I came to Red Deer thinking there were jobs here, but it’s been tough over the last several years. I have been out of work since the winter and today (The Mustard Seed employment coach) is helping me with a cover letter and resumé. She will help my resumé stand out from others.”
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter