First of Monthly Quonset Job Fairs Begin Wednesday

The first of the new monthly job fairs to be held at Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown begins Wednesday with a bevy of employers ready to hire people who want to work.

The job fair will run from 10 a.m. to noon at Quonset Business Park at 95 Cripe St., North Kingstown.

Don’t want to be passed over? Be prepared for an on-site interview, dress appropriately and have copies of your resume before showing up.

There are about 10,000 jobs in Quonset among the 175 companies located there and Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training Director Charles J. Fogarty said Quonset is one of the ”leading engines of job growth and economic development in Rhode Island.”

Future job fairs are slated to be held on the first Wednesday of the month. Employers scheduled to attend Wednesday’s job fair include: LJM Packaging Company, Electric Boat, Hexagon Metrology, Inc, Toray Plastics, Ocean State Job Lot, Banneker Industries, Home Instead Senior Care, Tradesmen International and Corporate Colleague Connections, LLC.

Detailed information about some of the jobs available in Quonset can be found at the www.quonsetjobs.com site.

The DLT offers these tips on what to expect at a job fair:

Registration - The job fair organizers might post a receptionist at the building entrance who asks all job seekers to sign
in and provide a copy of their résumés. After the job fair is over, all résumés are scanned into a database, using an
applicant tracking system program. Company managers may refer to this pool of prospective job seekers, immediately
after the fair is over or as-needed, contacting people who closely match their hiring needs. In some cases, you are asked
to register and upload your résumé online, prior to the day of the actual job fair.

Crowd Control - Long lines stretching from the front door, around the outside of the building and into the parking lot
are not uncommon at job fairs. What you don’t immediately see is that organizers inside the building might only let small
batches of job seekers onto the actual showroom floor, such as 10 to 20 people at time or as others leave. This gives both
the participating companies and attendees the opportunity to mingle in uncrowded conditions. Don’t be discouraged
from waiting in long lines outdoors, if it could mean a peaceful and accommodating environment indoors. Wear
comfortable yet professional clothes and shoes to prepare for any eventuality.

Selecting Officials vs. Recruiters - Go to job fairs mentally prepared to speak directly to companies’ hiring managers,
who are the selecting officials. However, realize that some of the people who represent employers at the fair may be
professional recruiters, who don’t make final hiring decisions. This may be one of the reasons it’s rare to get an actual job
offer at a fair. Treat every person you encounter with the highest respect and enthusiasm, as if your success at finding a
new job depends on them.

Screening Interview Questions - Although official interviews usually don’t happen until the last phase of the hiring
process, you can expect screening questions during this preliminary recruitment phase. A hiring manager exhibiting at
the job fair might ask about your qualifications, strengths and weaknesses, and if you know any facts about the company
and its competitors. Career experts commonly advise job seekers to obtain a list of employers that will be in attendance
at the job fair and then perform preliminary research. In addition, create a brief professional description or elevator pitch
about yourself, prior to the job fair.

Application Instructions - Bring a briefcase or messenger bag that is capable of holding a stack of informational
brochures. Recruiters use this literature as a job advertising tool, but the text might include exact instructions on how
employers want people to apply for jobs -- such as online or in-person at headquarters. In some cases, you will be asked
to fill out a paper application on the spot, so bring a clipboard in the event there is no table space. Almost every company
will ask for a printe