CHARLESTON, W.Va. — One of the largest job fairs the state of West Virginia has ever seen is going to be held at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center on Friday.
From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., nearly 250 job vendors and over 1,000 open jobs will be available at the Kanawha Valley Job & Resource Fair hosted by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and the City of Charleston.
“We have thousands of jobs in West Virginia that we haven’t filled yet,” Manchin told MetroNews. “When people say ‘I have to leave the state,’ I say ‘I think you do not have to leave the state. You just need to come to a job fair and we will show where to find a good job.'”
Manchin added this is the 38th job and resource fair of its kind but never with this number of participants and opportunities. Those participants include higher education, state agencies, local businesses and agencies, national chains, and more.
Toyota West Virginia, who just made an announcement of over 100 news jobs, and global technology company Infor, who recently announced a Charleston location, will headline the attendees.
Complete list of participating employers and resources
“Just look and see what is out there in West Virginia,” Manchin said. “Also we will help them do resumes, we will help them I.D. and be able to find job skills and improve current job skills.”
Other resources include developing interview skills, have a professional portrait taken, practice a 30-second introduction before meeting employers at the fair, and learn how to start an online presence.
Manchin’s office said there will be a Military Zone to enter military service academies, join the military or get an education through military service and learn about Veterans benefits.
The U.S. Senator encourages anyone to attend the fair even if they fear rejection.
“We need workers,” Manchin said. “We need people that want to work. We can get them all the experience and all the skills they need if they just come and let us work with them.”
The fair is free and open to the public as registration is not necessary, but encouraged by the hosts.
Additional information can be found at the City of Charleston W.Va. Facebook page, or call Senator Manchin’s office.