Fifty Local Employers Fill 2018 Brainerd Community Job Fair

“It’s going good, I got a few cards and gave out a few resumes,” said job seeker Aiden Muller.

It was a day full of success at this year’s Brainerd Community Job Fair for not only job seekers, but also for many local employers.

“We’ve had some people who are interested and it has been great talking to them, and hopefully we can move forward and hire a few of them,” said Emily Swarthout, Human Resources Director for Madden’s on Gull Lake.

For local resorts like Madden’s, the fair comes at a perfect time as they will open for the season in the coming weeks.

“That includes things like recreation, marina, housekeeping, kitchen, dining room, golf course – you name it, and we have it open,” Swarthout said.

With over 50 local employers at the fair, job seekers were able to glimpse at a variety of careers.

“Healthcare, long-term care, banking, business, retail, resorts, manufacturing; you name it, we have employers here,” said Sue Hilgart, Rural MN CEP Program Manager.

“There were so many good jobs out here; I was very surprised, pleasantly surprised,” said job seeker Kelly DeFoe.

“I’ve been searching for a job since late January, and what you see advertised isn’t always what people have,” said job seeker Richard Stiner.

In a time of online applications, the job fair is a more personal experience.

“That face-to-face talking to a person from that company gives you that feeling that this is someplace I would like to work, and it gives the employer of ‘yup, this is someone I would like to have working for me,’” Hilgart said.

“It’s really neat to have everybody here together to be able to share your experiences and see what’s available,” Stiner said.

The fair lets community members to explore jobs that are in high demand in the region.

“For me to able to drop my son off at daycare, show up at CLC and be able to see all of these people who have jobs available, good jobs too,” DeFoe said.

This comes during a time of need for many employers and for eager community members who are ready to get the job done.

If you weren’t able to make it to the job fair today but would like more information, most of the employers have jobs posted here. You can also contact the Brainerd Workforce Center.