Despite economic woes in many parts of the country caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Anderson County employers are in aggressive hiring mode, hoping to find new employees at Anderson County’s Drive-Thru Job Fair on Feb. 4 at the Civic Center of Anderson.
Next week’s event will be the third drive-thru job fair hosted by Anderson County Economic Development and SC Works Worklink, with each event drawing more than 200 job seekers, said Teri Gilstrap, Anderson County Existing Industries Manager.
“The number of employers has grown with each event, as well” Gilstrap said. “And all of the companies that will be on site are hiring.”
Drive-thru and virtual jobs fairs have become the new normal in today’s pandemic environment, and Anderson County was among the first to stage a drive-thru event that had company hiring managers on-site, with some even conducting interviews during the fair.
Drive-thru events allow job seekers to stay in their cars, masked up, with employers coming to them to discuss job openings and qualifications. More than 15 companies are participating in the Feb. 4 job fair – most of them manufacturers or staffing firms representing Anderson County manufacturers, said Trent Acker, Executive Director of Worklink Workforce Development Board for Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties.
“We are fortunate in Anderson County because of our manufacturing base,” Acker said. “Production is high and manufacturing companies are aggressively hiring for all types of jobs and all shifts.”
Job fair attendees will receive a printed list of jobs available that day when arriving at the fair, Gilstrap, and attendees are encouraged to visit participating company websites before the fair to view job openings. Participating companies are:
- AnMed Health
- Arthrex
- E&I Engineering Group
- First Quality
- Glen Raven
- Hire Dynamics
- Human Technologies Inc. (HTI)
- Labtech Diagnostics
- MAU
- Mergon
- Michelin
- Phillips Staffing
- Sargent Metal
- Timken
- TTI
- Walgreens
Job seekers planning to attend the Feb. 4 Drive-Thru Job Fair should bring their I.D., a completed SC Works application and a resume if they have one. And they should practice their elevator speech, Gilstrap said.
“This is a great opportunity to meet face-to-face with a prospective employer and to make a great first impression,” she said.
Representatives from Tri-County Technical College also will attend the job fair to offer information on certifications that may be required for some jobs. Vocational Rehabilitation Anderson and organizations that assist veterans and ex-offenders in finding jobs also will be on hand.
Job fair attendees are asked to enter the Civic Center of Anderson parking lot from Camson Road. Cars will be able to get in line until 11 a.m., Gilstrap said.
Want to attend?
What: Drive-Thru Job Fair
When: Thursday, February 4, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Where: Anderson Civic Center, 3027 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Anderson, SC 29625. Please enter at Camson Road.
