Norton Job Fair Features Success Stories for D.C. Residents Looking for Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today said she could not be more pleased by the level of care and the attention nearly 100 D.C. area employers gave D.C. residents at her Job Fair today at the Convention Center, where residents met with employers from every sector throughout the region.

"Employers went out of their way to exchange contact information, give invaluable, on-the-spot job advice, and indicate with great particularity which positions were available and how to apply," Norton said. "Some even accepted resumes and applications, rare for today's online application process, and I heard many employers counseling residents about where the best jobs for them in the company or agency were after hearing their qualifications and background. As I went among the employer booths, I was particularly gratified to find Bianca Hughes, who attended our 2012 Job Fair, got an internship at the nonprofit LeadingAge, and within a few months was hired as a full-time staffer. Ms. Hughes was back today representing LeadingAge and seeking new hires, joined by the LeadingAge recruiter who originally recommended her to be hired from our Job Fair."

This year's Job Fair was notable for the large number of private businesses that attended, in addition to many federal, state and local agencies from as far away as New York City. The Congresswoman and her staff were on hand as many employers provided personally-tailored advice after hearing a resident's personal information, allowing these employers to make on-the-spot recommendations not only on applying for positions, but also on how to improve their applications.

While Norton's office promoted the Job Fair as a one-stop job shop under one roof, just as often employers seemed to use the Job Fair as an opportunity to gauge D.C.'s job pool and to advise residents accordingly. Employers engaged in energized one-on-one conversations with residents.

However, CVS Health stood out because in addition to the familiar CVS stores across the city, CVS Health has become an across-the-board health conglomerate. The company not only provided personalized attention to residents, but also capitalized on the large number of interested residents for actual hiring. CVS reported that last year they hired 256 residents from Norton's 2014 Job Fair for various retail slots, a number so large that they subsequently ended their recruiting outreach for that year. Norton said that she was particularly pleased by CVS's commitment to hiring D.C. residents, given their 60 stores throughout the city, including the two stores located in her Capitol Hill neighborhood.

CVS Health also operates the prescription benefit management service Caremark, which is used by some federal employees, and residents were also told of a new CVS assisted living health business that will be coming online soon. After speaking with residents, CVS Health was able to recommend a number of jobs that most residents probably did not associate with CVS. For example, residents with information technology, accounting, and mid-level management experience were connected with the CVS business office.