By noon, the line of people waiting to get inside the Mebane Arts & Community Center stretched around the building and into a neighboring baseball field. Some people reported waiting almost two hours to get in the door.
"I almost turned around and left," said Linda Ferro, 48, who lives in Elon. "But I need a job."
That's the reality as unemployment remains painfully high. In July the state unemployment rate was 9.8 percent, above the national average. The state's rate for August is due today.
In the Burlington area, which includes Mebane, the unemployment rate was even higher in July: 10.8 percent.
Once inside, job seekers flocked to booths representing more than 50 of the center's 80 shops and restaurants. Tanger also was hiring 30 to 40 people for maintenance and security positions.
Popular booths included Banana Republic, Gap, Nike and Saks Fifth Avenue, which will open one of its Off Fifth outlets to anchor the center, which is scheduled to open Nov. 5.
Many were simply collecting résumés and doing brief interviews on the spot. Others were scheduling chats with strong candidates.
Though some of the jobs were managerial with higher pay, the majority of the positions were hourly sales jobs, generally in the $8- to $12-an-hour range.
"We're very happy with the quality of the candidates," said Kathleen Hackshaw, manager of the new $60 million center. "The good news is that a lot of people here will get hired."
Facing stiff competition
Still, those who came to apply couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the competition. Tanger officials said that 3,000 to 4,000 people came to the eight-hour job fair.
The quantity of people and the quick interviews frustrated some applicants. "It's discouraging, and there's no way to stand out because they're not really interviewing," said Jill Komanetsky, 50, who lives in Mebane. "It's hit or miss. It's like winning the lotto."
The number of people who turned out for the fair is indicative of how tough it is to get any job, she said. "You're just not getting hired unless you want to work at Bojangles'," Komanetsky said.
Employers with jobs to fill had their pick among hundreds of applicants.
By 1 p.m. Bonnie Rhudy had 250 applications for the six jobs she had to fill at her University Wearhouse store, which will sell college-themed licensed apparel and gift items.
"We've had a huge variety of young and old, experienced and not experienced," she said. "We've had people from as far away as New York whose relatives have told them there's jobs here, and they're willing to relocate if they can get a job."
Success of a sort
For some, attending the job fair Thursday paid off.
Daniel Cruz from Burlington plans to accept a job offer from the Gap. With experience at Winn-Dixie, Food Lion and a current job at OfficeMax, Cruz said he felt he was a qualified candidate for many jobs.
But scoring a Gap job did not mean Cruz was going to quit OfficeMax. The economy, he said, is still too tight.
"The last 21/2 years, OfficeMax hasn't given pay raises," he said. "I would have been making $10 an hour, but I've been stuck at $8.50."
For now he'll work both jobs and save money. "I'm 25 now, and I've worked in retail since I was 16," Cruz said.
For other job seekers he offered this advice: "I've got to compete with 3,000 other people, that's true. But at some point, you have to suck it up and be confident."
In the Burlington area, which includes Mebane, the unemployment rate was even higher in July: 10.8 percent.
Once inside, job seekers flocked to booths representing more than 50 of the center's 80 shops and restaurants. Tanger also was hiring 30 to 40 people for maintenance and security positions.
Popular booths included Banana Republic, Gap, Nike and Saks Fifth Avenue, which will open one of its Off Fifth outlets to anchor the center, which is scheduled to open Nov. 5.
Many were simply collecting résumés and doing brief interviews on the spot. Others were scheduling chats with strong candidates.
Though some of the jobs were managerial with higher pay, the majority of the positions were hourly sales jobs, generally in the $8- to $12-an-hour range.
"We're very happy with the quality of the candidates," said Kathleen Hackshaw, manager of the new $60 million center. "The good news is that a lot of people here will get hired."
Facing stiff competition
Still, those who came to apply couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the competition. Tanger officials said that 3,000 to 4,000 people came to the eight-hour job fair.
The quantity of people and the quick interviews frustrated some applicants. "It's discouraging, and there's no way to stand out because they're not really interviewing," said Jill Komanetsky, 50, who lives in Mebane. "It's hit or miss. It's like winning the lotto."
The number of people who turned out for the fair is indicative of how tough it is to get any job, she said. "You're just not getting hired unless you want to work at Bojangles'," Komanetsky said.
Employers with jobs to fill had their pick among hundreds of applicants.
By 1 p.m. Bonnie Rhudy had 250 applications for the six jobs she had to fill at her University Wearhouse store, which will sell college-themed licensed apparel and gift items.
"We've had a huge variety of young and old, experienced and not experienced," she said. "We've had people from as far away as New York whose relatives have told them there's jobs here, and they're willing to relocate if they can get a job."
Success of a sort
For some, attending the job fair Thursday paid off.
Daniel Cruz from Burlington plans to accept a job offer from the Gap. With experience at Winn-Dixie, Food Lion and a current job at OfficeMax, Cruz said he felt he was a qualified candidate for many jobs.
But scoring a Gap job did not mean Cruz was going to quit OfficeMax. The economy, he said, is still too tight.
"The last 21/2 years, OfficeMax hasn't given pay raises," he said. "I would have been making $10 an hour, but I've been stuck at $8.50."
For now he'll work both jobs and save money. "I'm 25 now, and I've worked in retail since I was 16," Cruz said.
For other job seekers he offered this advice: "I've got to compete with 3,000 other people, that's true. But at some point, you have to suck it up and be confident."
SOURCE: Newsobserver
No comments:
Post a Comment