Norton's Job Fair Attracts Record Number of Employers with Openings & Thousands of Job Seekers

Norton's Job Fair Attracts Record Number of Employers with Openings and Thousands of Job Seekers

June 8, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC - By 11 a.m. Tuesday morning the line to the annual Norton Job Fair hosted by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) stretched at least a half mile long down the corridor and around the corner of the Convention Center's lower level. By the end of the Norton Job Fair more than 4,100 residents had taken advantage of the opportunity to meet with a record high of 106 employers.

The Norton Job Fair is open only to employers with existing openings. Residents said they particularly appreciated the large number of employers with actual job openings.

"Because of this deep recession, we worked hard to provide residents with real opportunities to secure gainful employment, especially considering the District's high unemployment rate," said Norton.

Participants got tips on effective resume writing and key interviewing techniques at an hour-long pre-fair workshop, topped off by a Dress for Success fashion show featuring Norton's staff.

Employers in attendance covered every sector and the entire region including Aflac, Catholic University, CBS Radio, D.C. Department of Human Resources, FBI, FedEx Ground, Pepco, RCN, U.S. Department of State, and Washington Hospital Center.

The Congresswoman said she was also particularly pleased that residents stood in line for HIV testing by Unity Health Care. 81 residents, up from 30 last year, were tested. Norton includes HIV testing at all her public events. She stopped attempts to re-impose the ban on the city's use of local funds for the syringe exchange program in last year's appropriations bill.