MINOT — For people looking for either a job or employees, the North Central ND Spring Job Fair was the place to be on Wednesday.
Job Service North Dakota along with Minot Area Chamber EDC hosted the job fair.
Susan Ogurek, the workforce center manager for Job Service ND said employers had to register for the fair. “They have positions they’re hiring for, and they need employees,” she said. “We provide an opportunity for a variety of employers to come together, and job seekers can come and talk to employers. People have an opportunity to meet face to face.”
At the job fair, many job seekers had their resumes in hand for employers there.
According to Ogurek, “Sometimes you’ll have employers that will do an interview on the spot.”
This year, the job fair had 15 different industries represented, with 42 businesses representing them. The industries varied from construction, to oil field, to transportation, to restaurants and more. More than 100 job seekers typically show up, according to Ogurek, mostly from the Minot area.
“It’s been a two-year hiatus because of COVID,” said Ogurek. “I started in 2010, and we were doing them then.”
Ogurek said she contacted several schools to let their graduating seniors know about the job fair. “Not everybody’s going to college,” she added.
“We’ve got the Minot Fire Department here, you’ve got the Police Department,” Ogurek continued. “You’ve got Gooseneck Implement. They have a wonderful opportunity for, if someone’s interested in diesel technician, they partner with that person, pay their tuition to go to school. We’ve got Northrup Grumman out of New Town. Their facility, what they do, the cable harnessing, and the opportunities you have with that company.”
John Butgereit, from North Central Human Service Center, which offers a variety of services, including therapy and addiction counseling, said, “We need addiction counselors, we need therapists, we need case managers, we need modification specialists, and a nurse."
North Central Human Service Center is also looking for someone to fill its skills-integrated position, which would require less background in the field of counseling than the other positions.
Collin Malzer, from Delzer Construction Inc, said the company is a family-owned business that builds post-frame buildings for farmers, trucking companies, and oil companies.
“We are looking for guys that aren’t afraid of heights, and break a sweat,” Malzer said. “It’s really hard to find anybody.”
Delzer Construction, according to Malzer, needs people to fill 5 positions, where there is currently only one person.
Jeff Jacob from Strata Corporation, said the company, a statewide business that specializes in a variety of jobs such as concrete, gravel, and electrical, has 86 openings.
“It’s beginner all the way to experienced,” said Jacob. “Those 86 openings, that’s for everything. Electrical, concrete, [etc].”
Ricky Rose, a job seeker, said this was his first time at the job fair. “I just moved from Texas to North Dakota. Of course, I did the online stuff. This came up as a suggestion, so I figured I’d give it a try.”
Rose said he is looking for warehouse work. “If I can find a vendor that is willing to train, I definitely would love to learn something new.”
Officer Jason Sundbakken with the Minot Police Department said it has 8 open positions, 4 being dispatch positions.
“Eight is a lot more than normal,” said Officer Sundbakken. “I do know that nationwide, recruitment and retention is hard, and we’re getting less applicants overall, and part of that might be because of national public sentiment. We’re very fortunate here in North Dakota, we have a very good relationship with our community.”
More information on the job fair can be found on the North Dakota Job Service website.
