GCSS Community Events

If you were one of those GCSS clients or staff that attended yesterday's MENA Job Fair at Skyland Trail, it may be interesting to know...what did you think?

Like at a majority of job fairs, the employers and/or colleges there were not handing out job applications, per se. Though most of the booths had information readily available, the majority of GCSS clients walked out of the fair equally as confused as when they entered.

Of all the job offers there, one of the most suspicious was Primerica Financial Services, a "direct marketer of financial services which uses a large sales force of full-time & part-time representatives, headquartered in Duluth, Georgia," according to Wikipedia: Primerica Financial Services. Primerica is, essentially, a multi-level marketing company, along the lines of ACN, Inc., Amway Global, and The Cobra Group. If you are the type of person that makes an aggressive salesperson and are able to independently acquire customers, then it can be a lucrative job. For many with disabilities, however, particularly mental ones, it seems this sort of position might be extremely difficult. Just an observation.

Additionally, many had expected the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be present, but in their spot sat an empty table (for undisclosed reasons).

Now, this isn't to say that the trip was completely worthless; for some, it was just a chance to get used to talking to employers and handing out resumes. Part of getting a job, after all, is being able to pitch oneself successfully, and this was a major part of coming to the fair. So even those who didn't find anything that they were looking for hopefully had a chance to talk to some interesting people.

Also, a representative from Skyland Trail, where the event was held, had a booth with information as well. Some clients had the opportunity to speak with her, gave her resumes, and received contact info. in order to possibly apply for a job there.

FedEx Kinko's, as well, had their own booth; two representatives explained the benefits, for someone with a disability, of working for them. Again, however, people were unable to apply for a job directly at the fair.

Perhaps the reason that no applications were available is that most major companies now do their hiring online. If paper applications were filled out, then they would most likely get lost in the system.

So...people are still looking. Good luck to you all.

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