Senior job fair expecting more seniors

QUINCY (WGEM) – The Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center is hosting a Senior Job Fair Friday.

Organizers said the job fair is not only geared towards seniors, but also veterans and those with disabilities to help connect them to employers and resources. All are welcome to come to fair.

Mary Crawford of the West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging said this year they have more representatives from Illinois agencies, such as Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Innovation and Technology.

She said the fair will provide a great chance for seniors to learn about career opportunities.

She said they also have community resource agencies like Two Rivers and the Illinois Department of Employment Security to help connect people to job programs, job placement, and other resources. She said they saw more seniors at last year’s job fair and expect to see more this year.

“Some of them are finding that living on a fixed income such as pension or social security benefits isn’t stretching as far as it once was. Current pricing, the economy are having an impact on their ability to make ends meet,” Crawford said.

She said they also see seniors who are bored of retirement and still want to feel valued or are still trying to help support their family.

She said finding a job or switching careers can be intimidating, but a job fair like this can help them with resume work and show them that it is not intimidating.

She said they see seniors who are tech-savvy and can set up interviews over Zoom, but they also have seniors who prefer to meet in person when applying for a job.

One of the local employers who will be at the job fair includes Blessing Health System. Workforce Development & Marketing Coordinator Brittany Weise said they go to fairs like these to find candidates to fill both clinical and non-clinical roles, jobs in Human resources or finances.

“The one thing that we see from experienced workers is not only do they have the skill set for the particular job that they are applying for, but they also have mastered things like soft skills. So they traditionally have great communication skills, problem solving skills, they can deal with patients. They can also deal with managers. So that’s really a wonderful thing we are looking for too,” Weise said.

Weise added it is a good way to fill open positions, as meeting in person helps develop relationships. She said connecting with seniors and others allows them to see what goals they have and see how Blessing can fit into those goals.

The Job Fair is from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Quincy Senior and Family Resource Center. Crawford encourages people to dress professionally and bring copies of their resume.

If you miss the job fair you can contact the West Central Area Agency on Aging at 217-223-7904 to ask for help finding jobs or resources.

The employers at the Job Fair include:

Blessing Health System

DD Homes

Help at Home

Home Instead Senior Care

Illinois Department of Central Management Services

Illinois Department of Children & Family Services

Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity

Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology

Illinois Department of Public Health

Illinois Department of Transportation

Illinois State Police

John Wood Community College

Kohl Wholesale

Quincy Public Schools

Wal-Mart

West Central Illinois Center for Independent Living.

Community resource agencies there will include:

Illinois Department of Employment Security

IDHA Division of Rehabilitation Services

National Asian Pacific Center on Aging

Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials

Quincy Workforce Center

West Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging

John Wood Community College

Copyright 2024 WGEM. All rights reserved.