Carteret career fair draws a crowd

MOREHEAD CITY - The hunt for work hasn't been easy for Stephen Webb of Bogue since losing the only job he's known.

He said the pool of available jobs isn't as large due to the economic climate, and he's missing a vital component for many of the positions that are out there.

"It's hard to find anything without computer experience," he said.

Webb worked 24 years at Atlantic Veneer in Beaufort, operating a forklift and taking on duties in the plywood division. He attended Thursday's Eastern North Carolina Career Fair in Morehead City in hopes of matching his experience with an available job.

"I've been looking for a job for five months and was glad when this came along," said Webb, who was filling out applications for two businesses with vacancies of interest.

Approximately 50 businesses and organizations had exhibits at the career fair and represented a variety of job opportunities, including in the medical profession, manufacturing, the hotel and hospitality industry, food service, finance and insurance.

Chick-Fil-A, which opened a location Thursday in Morehead City, joined the event that morning, excited to be a part of the community.

"We're very happy to be here. It has been an amazing welcoming from the community," said Laura Conneely, who owns the Morehead restaurant with her husband, Patrick.

Customers camped out Wednesday night to be the first 100 and win a free Chick-Fil-A meal a week for a year, and there was equal enthusiasm Thursday as people inquired about job opportunities.

The opening of the restaurant brought about 60 jobs to the area and interest in them has been high.

"Since we started taking them, we've had about 1,000 applications," Conneely said.

Organizers of this year's career fair found many people already lined up to enter as the doors opened.

"With the economy the way it is, we expect a record amount of people to come out," said Dan Williams, manager of the local N.C. Employment Security Commission office, one of the sponsors of the career fair.

The event typically draws about 400 people and last year it saw its highest number of business participants, with 62 exhibitors.

With fewer jobs to offer this year, the number of businesses participating was down somewhat, but those who came had positions to offer and were looking for people to put in them.

Helping make that match is what the event is all about, Williams said.

For Matthew Willis of Davis the career fair was a first.

Willis, 35, has been self-employed most of his life, working as a commercial fisherman, taking on jobs on charter boats and tackling other marine-related tasks.

He recently traveled to Savannah, Ga., to work on a dredge boat but is back home in Carteret County looking for work after losing that job to economy-related layoffs.

"I'm here to see what's out there," he said.

The medical field is one area where work is available.

Onslow Memorial Hospital was also a part of the event.

"We want to be here and be sure people are familiar with our opportunities," said Del Hunt, assistant director for Human Resources. ". . . We're always recruiting and looking for the right kind of employees to provide the best quality care for our patients."

Hunt was on hand to talk to people about all positions available at the hospital, but registered nurses are the big need at Onslow and across the country, she said.

But as the first hour of the career fair passed, that was the application Hunt had yet to see.

"We're all feeling the shortage," she said.

At the table for the Sheraton Atlantic Beach, Judy DeLong greeted everyone with a smile and was quick to talk with anyone interested in the variety of positions the hotel has available as it gears up for the spring and summer season.

It wasn't so long ago that she was on the job hunt herself.

DeLong was a self-employed event planner working in Raleigh, but Carteret County was where she wanted to be.

After several months of looking for work, she found her way via a job as banquet manager at the Sheraton.

On Thursday, she did her part to help others do the same.

"I want to put them at ease because it is very stressful," she said.

Staff writer Jannette Pippin can be reached at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 910-382-2557.