The 20th Annual Community Job Fair took place at Dodger Stadium March 28, 2015, brought expectations, presented the opportunity of hope and gave aspirations a chance. The job fair, hosted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, offered free shuttle service, free admission and parking for those trying to get or re-enter into the workforce world.
Upon entering the stadium, the fair oozed potential. There were hundreds of individuals; young and old in search for their next job. Many were professionally dressed, with their resume in hand, with the high hope on landing a career job.
Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (51st District) Jimmy Gomez said the job fair is “life changing.”
“This fair gives people an opportunity to change their life and giving them a little bit of hope that they can get a job to change their life. Sometimes it is hard to go from one place to another. So, we bring the jobs all to one location,” Gomez said.
More than 100 employers were in attendance as companies looked over and met with several and thousand job applicants who came out seeking employment. Some of the companies that were present were the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Car Pros KIA at Carson, Kaiser Permanente, Forever 21, and Los Angeles Department of Public Services, just to name a few.
“Last year, we placed hundreds of individuals with different jobs. This year, we want to top that. One of the things we are trying to do this year is to be able to track who gets a job and how many job applications they fill at the job fair. That is one of the things we are attempting to do, have a better track record. Eventually, we will like to promote the stories for the next job fair,” said Gomez.
Each employer seeking workers had at least five or more job openings available for a better opportunity for someone to land a job.
Employer of LBI Media (TV and Broadcasting Company), Laura Martinez shared what LBI Media was seeking and what they had to offer.
“The vast majority of employment that we need is for our production staff along with many other positions. We have a few new shows that are coming on board and we are trying to hire 20 to 30 people. All of the positions available are full time jobs,” said Martinez.
LBI Media has been attending the community job fair for 5 years.
Recent college graduate and job seeker, Stephanie Gerhardt came prepared from head to toe in search for full-time employment in relation to her degree.
“I think this is an awesome opportunity to have a free job fair in Los Angeles that is this expansive. I just found out about it earlier in the week, so I am extremely happy to be here.”
Job seeker Vincent Vasquez shared how he wants to further his career in the medical field and his thoughts on the fair.
“This job fair is really good for the community. There aren’t too many opportunities out there for young folks. So, how they have this (fair) organized helps out a lot. It gives the generation coming up more opportunities instead of just being out there ‘hustling’. It gives them a chance,” said Vasquez.
Head of Community Relations and External Affairs, Naomi Rodriguez is one of the faces behind the career fair.
“This is one of our community programs and I like to say that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a part of the cultural fabric in Los Angeles. We like to meet the community’s needs and that is by bringing the job fair to the community,” said Rodriguez.
“Dodger Stadium is iconic. If someone says there is a job fair at Dodger Stadium, you are not going to get lost. There are twenty-three hundred job opportunities. We have a lot of talented people within our community that just need a little help and an opportunity. We are bringing them just that, an opportunity. In community affairs, that is our responsibility. Being a part of the cultural fabric in Los Angeles, it is our responsibility to bring such an opportunity to our community.”
I am a recent graduate from the University of Central Missouri. I majored in Digital Media Production with an emphasis in news. My aspiration is to become a television Journalist.