The job fair was slated for 4 to 7 p.m., but Workforce One Director Karen Whittamore said people began arriving at 2 p.m. She estimated that at least 200 people were in the line that snaked up the stairs and wound around the upper floor of the building by the official starting time.
Robert Foster, of Morrow, looking dapper in a charcoal gray suit and red tie, said he has been “underemployed” for six years.
This job opportunity, he said, is huge.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t working to their capacity in this society today and in Ohio,” he said. “So any time there is an opportunity to fill 500 jobs of varying types, people are going to show up because people want to work.”
Shands said she was expecting about 350 people to show up for the job fair, but even with buckets of rain falling outside, it looked like the number would go much higher.
As the room and stairs clogged with people, the county’s architect Mike Shadoan, who is also responsible facilities, asked Shands how he could help with the overflow. She handed him a stack of application forms and cards for online instructions and asked him to circulate them — which he did.
Julie Baird, of Centerville, said she lost her job of 15 years last November when the government contracting firm she worked for downsized. She said job hunting has been tough, and she is hoping to land a job as an administrative assistant in marketing or human resources.
“This is great. It’s awesome,” she said. “This just seemed like something kind of fun and different. A different direction to go.”
It was her turn next to meet briefly with Shands, who greeted every person in her line with great enthusiasm. Shands and her “team” were collecting resumes and the forms the job seekers were asked to fill out.
Final numbers of how many people attended the job fair will be available Thursday, she said. The company’s website lists 262 jobs in food and beverage service, finance, marketing and more. Shands said the hiring process is just starting.
“Every day as I get more job descriptions and more information we’re posting it online,” she said. “So that number changes on a daily basis.”
Whittamore said this is just the first of many job fairs that will be held for the new racino that is set to open in December. About 4,000 people showed up for a previous job fair at Cincinnati Premium Outlets, just down the road from the racino on Ohio 63, she said.
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