Job seekers facing barriers to employment will have the chance to meet with hiring employers on Thursday, April 20, at a Nationwide Day of Second Chances job fair hosted by Better Together in Jacksonville.
Employment barriers can come in many forms, including homelessness, previous incarceration, lack of reliable child care or transportation, or gaps on a resume due to the pandemic. Better Together is breaking down these employment barriers by hosting a series of background-friendly job fairs in partnership with churches across the country – including Florida, North Carolina, Kentucky and Washington, D.C. – as part of the nonprofit’s Nationwide Day of Second Chances.
Job fairs will feature employers who are prepared to interview Jacksonville-area job seekers and offer jobs on the spot, giving hope to those who are struggling to break through the impersonal and unforgiving algorithms of online job applications. Participating employers include Conser Moving and Storage, FedEx Freight, Hayward Construction Group, Jacksonville Plumbers and Pipefitters, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Miller Electric Company, Patten Company, Rogers Pavement, T & M Electric of Clay County and Webber.
Additional resources include free one-on-one job coaching sessions to review resumes and interviewing skills, free haircuts and clothing to help candidates feel and look their best. Resources will be provided by organizations including CareerSource Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Public Library, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Millennium Physician Group and Operation New Hope. Nearly all job seekers leave with hope in their hearts as candidates ring the opportunity bell upon receiving a job offer or interview as a celebration of their wins.
The job fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Normandy Park Baptist Church,
7050 Normandy Blvd. in Jacksonville.
ABOUT BETTER TOGETHER
Better Together is a nonprofit organization that helps parents going through a hard time keep their kids out of foster care, find work and address the root causes of their struggle so that they can reunite as a family with the tools and support system to thrive. A privately funded and professionally supported organization, Better Together is made up of volunteers who believe helping people help themselves is the best way to restore dignity and bring families together. Through the Better Families program, families are offered a preventive alternative to foster care while they get the help they need. To date, the program has kept 98 percent of children served out of foster care. The Better Jobs program was created to address the 76 percent of families that come to Better Together because of economic hardship tied to unemployment. In addition to community job fairs, the program offers job seekers coaching, guidance, support and encouragement through local church partners. For more information, visit BetterTogetherUS.org.
