Distribution center manager Andy Johnson said online applications for some positions at the center are now available, but it will still be some time before Lowe’s puts out applications for general line jobs.
Mel Wages, who coordinates career expos for the Georgia Department of Labor statewide, said the Rome event is one of the largest in the state.
“This is truly one of the premier events that we do each year,” Wage said.
Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said events such as the Northwest Georgia/Shorter University Career Expo have resulted in a lot of placements and opportunities for jobless Georgians.
“Anything that we can do to help make that connection between job seeker and employer, we’re doing everything we can to make those connections,” Butler said. “A lot of folks get a lot of opportunities to get face-to-face time with potential employers and get their foot in the door.”
Buster Young, a financial consultant with Edward Jones, said his company is looking for financial advisers.
“Right now we’ve got about 12,000 brokers within the U.S., and the goal is to get it to 20,000 by 2020,” Young said. “There are three in Rome right now. We lost one, and of course we’ve got areas right around us that are available and that they’re looking to put people in.”
Caleb Hufstetler of Rome said he was looking at the financial consulting industry for a possible career after a long stint with his family-owned Paul’s Oyster Bar in West Rome.
Jackie Jenkins of Rome was an administrative operations coordinator at Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital until it closed in September 2011.
“I would still like to have something in that line of work. I was a secretary/office administrator for 15 years,” Jenkins said. “I still have the experience, and I would love to have something in the same field.”
She’s been attending classes at Georgia Northwestern Technical College for the past year to hone her office technology skills.
Todd Mayben of Rockmart was passing out resumes at many of the booths.
“I’m an unemployed public educator, and I’m looking for something with education or management,” Mayben said. “I have three children in college right now, and my oldest daughter is disabled, and my wife stays home with her, so I’m the sole provider, but I’ve been unemployed for about a year.”
Mayben attended the career expo last year and said he had a few interviews during the past 12 months but had not gotten any job offers.
Roman Beep Patel has been out of work for about a year. “I’m looking for a part-time job to help me make some money to go through college,” Patel said.
The Toyo Tire plant in Cartersville had a steady stream of prospects visiting their booth. The company was specifically seeking a multi-craft maintenance technician, quality engineer, MES support engineer and a facilities maintenance supervisor.
Larry Alford of ServiceMaster was looking for a maintenance construction employee, a carpet cleaning technician, some part-time people for generalized cleaning and a field sales employee.
“Last year we hired one from the event,” Alford said. “He came in here, and I met him. Now he’s over my entire customer service operation.”
Alford was strategically located next to the Lowe’s booth and was hoping some overflow from the line at Lowe’s might help him fill his needs.
There are outfits to wear out on the town, and there are outfits to wear while trying to obtain and maintain a job. I, too, am amazed at what people wear. Even just dropping off an application at McDonalds-put on a nice pair of slacks and a decent shirt! Reminds me of how people show up to Court-go in front of a judge in sloppy clothes. Reeks of a lack of respect for the situation, the other people involved, and themselves.