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Walmart representative taking applications and discussing all that they have to offer at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

MacLean Power Systems at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

DSLD Land Management speaking with potential applicants about their experience in landscaping at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

Johnson Service Group discussing all that they have to offer at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

OX Foundation Solutions signs at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

MacLean Power Systems spoke with Tony Huntley, the newly appointed Career Coach for Thompson High at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

MacLean Power Systems spoke with Tony Huntley, the newly appointed Career Coach for Thompson High at the Shelby County Career Day at Thompson High School.

By EMILY REED | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Held at Thompson high school last week, the second annual Shelby County Job Fair sponsored by 58 INC, the Alabaster Career Center and The Shelby County Chamber gave those looking for work a chance to find a job.

“In our daily conversations with Shelby County employers, most of them have job openings they are struggling to fill,” said 58 INC Vice President Melody Whitten. “Therefore, we partnered with the Career Center and the Shelby Chamber to host a job fair to allow for an opportunity to bring companies and job seekers together. We specifically chose to schedule the event in the summer so that recent high school graduates that aren’t attending college in the fall might come and learn about the variety of career pathways that exist in the area.”

Whitten said the event was held at Thompson High School, and as a result, there were several recent Thompson graduates who attended the event.

Last year’s event was held in June in Columbiana at Old Mill Square.

Whitten said some of the benefits to holding a career fair include the fact it gives job seekers the chance to meet with multiple employers in one location so they may learn more about the company and the jobs available.

It also allows the potential candidates the ability to be interviewed on site for open positions, Whitten said.

“Similarly, job fairs give companies a chance to meet with job seekers and identify candidates that are a fit for their positions and perhaps schedule additional time for further discussion and/or employment pre-screening activities,” Whitten said.

At this year’s Job Fair, there were 46 companies present and 86 job seekers.

“With diverse company participation, jobs represented were extremely varied, from daycare to home health to advanced manufacturing,” Whitten said. “Several companies indicated that they identified candidates that they plan to extend a job offer to if the applicant successfully completes the pre-screening steps.”

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