Psychiatrists, accountants, IT and more: Virtual career expo for NC jobs held today
The state of North Carolina is aiming to recruit new and recent college graduates at a virtual entry-level career fair on Wednesday.
State leaders are working to boost the job market and address a crisis in the public and private sector workforce. There’s a shortage of applications, and vital government institutions are struggling to recruit qualified personnel.
Register for the virtual career expo
“We've always seen that we have a lot of talent within our universities and colleges within the state of North Carolina. We've got such a robust system here,” said Kristin Siemek, state talent acquisition manager. “So we have really made a concentrated effort, especially over the last two years, to strengthen that pipeline of student talent interested in public service careers."
The event is a collaboration between the North Carolina Office of State Human Resources (OSHR), the Higher Education to North Carolina Government Careers (Ed2NC) program and the Volcker Alliance’s Government-to-University Initiative (G2U).
Organizers believe this will be a great opportunity for participants to network with recruiters to learn more about jobs available at state government agencies and within the University of North Carolina System, including career opportunities in students' industries or fields of study.
“I don’t think people realize all the jobs that are available within the state of North Carolina," said Siemek. "I mean from working at the zoo or the aquarium to just accounting. We have accounting positions in almost all of our agencies all across the state. This is just one more way to reach out to that population."
About 40 different state government agencies are hiring right now.
The impacts of the pandemic has made it even difficult for employers to secure people interested in these vital job opportunities.
“We have definitely seen that our applicant pool has declined, and so we are looking to hopefully look at another avenue of more applicants and more candidates for our jobs. We’re not immune from what's going on out there with the job market,” said Siemek.
For the first time ever, the state has created a virtual platform for people seeking entry-level careers with the state. Organizers said Wednesday's event is a one-stop shop with local recruiters on standby to help people line up their futures.
A variety of positions are available within the state crime lab, health and human services department, IT and more.
According to Siemek, this is an effort to bridge the gap between college students and what’s available.
“I think the biggest hurdle is just lack of knowledge. They just don't realize that there are all these various jobs with the state. I mean, they kind of probably have a very narrow vision of what state government jobs are like,” Siemek said, adding the job opportunities "run the gamut."
"I mean, we have psychiatrist positions, we have accountants, we have housekeepers. I mean, every job that you can think of the state has, so if you're looking for a career, this is the place to come,” she added.
This event is not just open to college graduates but for anyone seeking an entry-level career. The virtual job fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
