100 employers with 6,000 jobs to be at upcoming job fair

ASHEVILLE – Those wondering how to find work in a job market where only 3.8 to 4 percent remain unemployed might want to follow Hannah Pollard's lead.

The 25-year-old Weaverville resident attended the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce annual job fair in 2012.

One month later, Pollard was a teller at Asheville-based HomeTrust Bank.

"I hadn't necessarily considered banking," Pollard said. "But HomeTrust's employment specialist was just so nice. She gave me a sense of what type of employees worked there. I already got a very homey feeling from them."

The HomeTrust treatment was not an exception. Pollard said everyone was "very welcoming, with a huge smile."

This year's job fair will be the chamber's ninth, said Matt Popowski, a chamber spokesman.

It is scheduled for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday at the Davis Event Center at the WNC Agriculture Center in Fletcher.

The 100 employers who will be recruiting is a record, said Heidi Reiber, the chamber's director of research.

Those employers are looking to fill about 6,000 positions, Popowski said. "A number of the companies are hiring for 50 to 100 positions."

Companies will include Blue Ridge Metals Corp. in Fletcher, Asheville's Plasma Biological Services and New Jersey-based United Security Inc.

"Some businesses, whether they're currently hiring or not, want to be represented here because they might be down the road," Popowski said. "It's a good branding opportunity for companies."

Past fairs have attracted 2,000-3,000 people, Popowski said.

Many already have jobs, he said. "They might be looking for opportunities that are higher-paying. Others might see it as a networking event, just to get to know some of the community leaders around town."

Annie Korenjak, Asheville human resources manager for New Belgium Brewing Co., plans to come at it from a different angle.

"I'm going to be there to learn more about the Asheville and Buncombe communities," Korenjak said. "I want to know who they are and what they're looking for — not so much their job experience. It's a chance for them to ask us questions."

Executives at the Fort Collins, Colorado-based company plan to hire about 50 people during the spring and summer, Korenjak said. Those positions span receptionists, bottlers and brewers, she said.

The job fair will be a kind of "coming-out party" for New Belgium, Korenjak said.

A mobile app providing a map of the fair will be available to download and use at the event, Popowski said. More information is available at www.HomecomingJobFair.com.

A seminar targeted for those older than 40 who are looking for work or wanting a career change is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Many employers will accept resumes.

But be sure not to stop there, Pollard said.

"Even if you have a resume, show the person you are beyond what's on that piece of paper."