Recruiters on a mission

Kathy Ferraro and Allison Nocher sat behind a table with stacks of literature and promotional paraphernalia at the Christian Light Missionary Baptist Church on Feb. 17.

The Cablevision employees joined recruiters from 15 companies looking to spread hope to more than 100 job-seekers who walked through the church’s doors that day.

“You can have actual conversations with candidates,” Ferraro, who was taking applications for inbound and outbound sales representatives, said of the smaller-scale job fair, the first of its kind in Long Beach. “You’re not rushed to get through a line of 500 people.”

Many who showed up were unemployed and looking for anything that would help make ends meet — like Rance Smith, who has been without work for a year. “I think it’s great because you have everyone here who is trying to hire,” Smith said. “If they’re not, at least they’re trying

to help.”

Marcus Tinker, who co-organized the event, said that many church congregants are out of work or know someone who is, and that many people in the neighborhood sought help through the church. “The easiest way to do it was hold a job fair,” said Tinker, who is president of the Boys to Men Ministry at Christian Light.

Through fliers, word of mouth and Facebook, the event attracted an array of job-seekers from Long Beach, Freeport and other communities. Among the companies that sent representatives were CVS, Rite Aid, Chase Bank, the Long Island Rail Road and Long Beach’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center.

Smith learned about the fair on Facebook. He admitted that his past, which he declined to elaborate on, often negatively impacts his ability to find work, but he nevertheless feels positive about his prospects. “I’ve changed, so I think my situation has to change,” he said, smiling, and added that positions with Cablevision and the U.S. Census Bureau looked appealing.

Long Beach resident Brad Dennis has not had full-time work for seven months. He has stayed afloat by doing freelance scrap metal pickup and cleanup work, and he was looking for similar work to keep him active and out of a cubicle, such as a position with the LIRR.

“I think it’s going to help everybody,” Dennis said. “A job is going to come out of here somewhere. It works, even if it’s not me.”

The fair also attracted first-time job seekers like Marvin McMoore, a junior at Long Beach High School who was looking for a part-time job, and the newly unemployed, like Arissa Wilson, who has been out of work for just a week. Wilson said she hopes to find full-time work as a pharmacy aid at Rite Aid or CVS.

While he is attending school to become an electrician, Fredrick Wilder of Freeport is also looking for work to pay the bills. “It’s just really hard right now,” Wilder said of his job search. “Now’s the opportunity to get jobs and [see] a couple of places that are offering.”

Island Park resident Natasha Steele said she wasn’t looking for any particular position, but was interested in job prospects with the LIRR and Rite Aid. “A lot of people complain that there aren’t jobs out there,” she said while filling out an application. “To have something like this, you have the opportunity to come out, see what you like, and if you’re interested, you give them your resume.”

According to the New York State Department of Labor, the unemployment rate averaged 5 percent in 2008 in Nassau and Suffolk counties. At this time last year, unemployment rose to 7.5 percent, and it remained 7 percent in December.

Many of the companies at the fair had taken part in another one that was hosted by Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice in Hempstead last October. Tinker said the ministry had worked with Rice’s office to extend the invitation to this fair.

“This is where you find the best people,” said Gwendolyn Kyles-Troutman, a recruiter from Tri-County Home Nursing Services. Her company, based in Westbury and Coram, was taking applications for home health aids, personal care aids and registered nurses.

Kyles-Troutman said jobs fairs are a success because they offer a central place for people to go and get information on jobs they may be unfamiliar with. “At this type of event they can say, ‘OK, this is something I might be interested in,’” she said.

Cablevision’s Nocher, who was recruiting for customer service and technical representatives, said that smaller fairs are also open to a different type of talent pool. “It’s nice to see different backgrounds and a lot of different kinds of candidates,” she said. “You’re not seeing the same people coming through.”

Even though the fair started early on a weekday, the Rev. Issac Melton Jr. said the mood in the church’s event room was lively, evidence of great expectations. “In this down-turn economy, anything that is related to jobs and careers is a step in the right direction,” said Melton. “It certainly makes one feel and maintain their sense of hope.”

Church members Lisa Hayes and Michael Perry held a resume and interview workshop a few weeks before the fair. “We were able to role-play a bit,” Perry said of the workshop, which many teenagers attended. “I was able to give them a lot of firsthand experience about the different types of interviews that one would encounter.”

Melton said he was certain that many of the people that attended the workshop would attend the fair. “We look forward to doing it again,” he said. “The feedback that we’ve gotten just as we’ve been putting it together has been positive, so that’s encouraging.”

Tinker confirmed that a second job fair is being planned for the fall.

Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.