MOSES LAKE —  At least one person came away very happy from the Fall Hiring Event and Resource Fair at WorkSource Central Basin Friday.

“It was reported to me about 15 minutes ago that someone got hired today,” said Crysie Kluth, business services and employment specialist for the Washington State Employment Security Department. Hirings on the spot aren’t the norm, she added, but it does happen.

The hiring event is a twice-a-year combined effort of WorkSource, OIC of Washington, SkillSource, Big Bend Community College and other entities. More than 20 employers set up tables inside the WorkSource building to accept resumes and talk with job seekers, and space was set aside for job seekers to touch up and print their resumes, with help from workforce professionals. Outside the building entities like the Department of Social and Health Services offered help with other community resources, breaking down some of the barriers people often face when they’re job hunting.

“Squashing those barriers … like homelessness, transportation and day care,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of parents need the money, but they don’t have day care. So there are support services out there to help with all those things.”

 About an hour into the four-hour event, both employers and job seekers were seeing marked success.

“(One employer) has a stack of resumes already, and they’re really excited,” Kluth said. “Other employers have people signing the lists, and they’ve already made contacts.”

Okanagan Specialty Fruits was one of those companies with lots of resumes. The company had a variety of open positions at its Moses Lake plant, from sanitation workers to forklift drivers to quality control technicians.

“We’re growing as a company,” said Human Resources Generalist Nataliya Yushchuk. “There are definitely some prospects that have been coming through.”

Susan Dodds, owner and general manager of Seniors Helping Seniors, was looking specifically for caregivers. Her openings were especially well suited to older job seekers, a demographic that sometimes finds it hard to find employment.

“(Maybe you’re) retired and you’ve been out of the workforce for maybe 10, 15, 20 years and you need something to do or, or you’re on a fixed income and need some extra,” she said. “It’s part-time, flexible hours. You have to have a background check, obviously, and some references, but (more than that) you have to have a caring heart, be a compassionate individual. You don’t need a degree, but you do have to be the right type of person.”

Most of the employers were set up to accept applications online, and some of the folks in the resume room were doing just that, but meeting in person gave the process an added dimension, Rodriguez said.

“Most of our interactions in business are body language,” she said. “When you’re meeting somebody for the first time, you have to leave a good impression with them. Sometimes the first impression is going to get you hired.”

    More than 20 employers had tables set up at the Hiring Event at WorkSource Friday. Originally, 28 employers had registered for the event, said ESD Employment Specialist Crysie Kluth, but some had to drop out because they were short-handed.
  

    Susan Dodds, right, owner and manager of Seniors Helping Seniors, talks with Adri Rodriguez at the Fall Hiring Event.
  

    Outside the Hiring Event, job seekers could avail themselves of various community resources to break down barriers they might face to employment.