Most Jobs Ever at Norton Job Fair July 10th (7/3/07)
Most Jobs Ever at Norton Job Fair
July 10, 2007
Washington, DC-Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) brought more than 100 employers to her constituents in one place at one time: the Washington Convention Center on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, for her 10th Annual Job Fair, open to D.C. residents only. "At our D.C. residents-only job fair, more than 3,500 job seekers got a first crack at jobs in the city and region before being overwhelmed by the much larger numbers of job applicants from the region, who already get the overwhelming number of positions here," Norton said. She said that residents say they have benefited from the one-stop shopping for opportunities at her job fairs, instead of trekking all over the region to multiple offices. In addition, the job fair featured an interactive workshop on preparing a resume, boosting interviewing skills, and dressing for success. The job fair draws thousands of job seekers, but residents do not wait in long lines because employers are spread out in an expansive area in Hall C of the Convention Center, located at 801 Mount Vernon, Place, NW. Because of the event's popularity and because Norton wants to get D.C. residents in the running for jobs now dominated by people living outside the city, participants must bring ID or other proof of D.C. residency to get in.
Norton said that she was pleased that the D.C. unemployment rate dropped slightly in May to 5.6 per cent from April's rate. However, it is still double the region's unemployment and a point higher than nationally. In the last 12 months, the District gained almost 11,000 jobs. However, these jobs still mostly go to Maryland and Virginia residents. "The fair brings jobs to D.C. residents early to level the playing field," Norton said.
The Norton Job Fair featured employers recruiting for a widerange of jobs at every level throughout the region. They included a variety of private employers such as National Public Radio, Unity Health Care, and 1st Choice Staffing; federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security, the Small Business Administration, and the State Department; local government agencies such as the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, Parks and Recreation, and the District of Columbia Courts; and medical entities such as CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, CVS Pharmacy, and Prince George's County Emergency Medical Services. Many law enforcement agencies from the region and beyond recruited.
Norton holds this event annually as part of her push for jobs, a major feature of her service in Congress. As chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over the General Services Administration, the landlord of record for federal agencies, Norton is always looking for job creation and economic development opportunities for the District. The Congresswoman has drawn federal agencies like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to District neighborhoods otherwise overlooked by the federal government.