HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber is collaborating with the local Alabama Career Center, the Alabama Community College System, local nonprofits, and community agencies to help bridge the gap between the under-resourced job seeker and employers.
The ReLaunch Job Fair provides opportunities for individuals who are changing careers, unemployed, underemployed, have dropped out of high school, who are not achieving their full potential, or are in need of a second career chance. Their mission is to assist our local companies in finding capable workers and to empower members of our community by improving their quality of life and financial stability.
Recent University of Alabama graduate William Stirling said this is a great place to network, and he believes attending job fairs like this, in person is the better route. "So, you don't really have that advantage from online versus here, and you're able to talk to the actual recruiters and you're not behind a screen. You are able to go face to face and meet, and not just them looking at you, because they don't know who you are as a person. They just look at your name and your resume."
Huntsville Hospital Human Resource Recruiter Corey Hopkins said Huntsville Hospital has availability to offer a plethora of different jobs. "It's not just nurses and doctors. There's environmental services, there's human resources, there's all kinds of different options."
Arc of Madison County Employment Specialist Michala Parsons works with individuals with disabilities, and her role helps those individuals actually get job placement. "It's super important that not only that, do these individuals have access to the community, have access to regular jobs, just like all of us, because that is so important."
Atrium Hospitality HR Generalist Ian Hendricks said this event is for everyone including college level applicants. "So, we're looking for people right now that are looking to take that next step in their career as soon as they graduate looking for internships."
Sophia Lawrence is a job seeker who is encouraging herself and other job seekers to never give up. "No matter how many doors are closed and, you know, keep going. It is a rainbow at the end. Just keep plowing to get there."