The Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships in collaboration with Radio One held Temple University’s 19th annual Neighborhood Job Fair, free for all job seekers in the community.
The Neighborhood Job Fair and Resource Village at Temple University is the largest annual employment fair in Philadelphia, bringing together more than 90 employers and resource agencies.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Andre Bowland was dressed for success in a crisply ironed white button-down shirt and black slacks as he prepared to meet several employers at the 19th annual Neighborhood Job Fair and Resource Village held at Temple University’s Aramark STAR Complex on Friday, June 5.
“This is my first time at a job fair, and I’m excited to network. I’m hoping to connect with my possible future employer,” Bowland said.
The Trenton, New Jersey, native was among 1,000 job seekers at the event.
“We’re pretty proud of putting on this kind of event and creating opportunities for people,” said Michael Robinson, director of community outreach and hiring at Temple University’s Lenfest Center for Community Workforce Partnerships.
Robinson has been leading the job fair since 2011, which was originally created by Temple University’s Office of Human Resources nearly two decades ago. For the last five years, Radio One has been our media partner co-presenting the event to the city.
The initiative is recognized as Philadelphia’s largest annual public employment fair. It brought together more than 90 employers and resource agencies actively hiring, including the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, the Philadelphia Water Department and Independence Blue Cross.
Reggie Price, a talent acquisition partner with Independence Blue Cross, said the company was recruiting for customer service positions within its member help team and champion navigator roles, with starting pay around $20 per hour.
“We’re looking for proven customer service reps who have experience within the healthcare area,” Price said.
Kayla Ciccarella, senior human resources generalist for the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, said the organization was hiring care managers and assessment workers with starting salaries of approximately $44,000 annually. The agency was also recruiting for a psychiatrist position with a salary of about $90,000 per year.
“This is my fourth time being at this fair, and we try to come every year because we’re always meeting new, exceptional talent here,” Ciccarella said. “We’re always looking forward to meeting new graduates and others who live within the community.”
For Lisa Britt, an administrative specialist with the Philadelphia Water Department, the fair has become an annual tradition.
“It’s always a busy day, and we always look forward to it,” Britt said.
Britt said the department hoped to fill several positions through the event.
“We are looking for skilled trades workers and laborers. Right now, we have a construction project technician position open, and the starting salary for that is $54,000,” she said. “Positions like our semi-skilled laborer and water operations repair helper start around $44,000.”
The event is also important to Temple’s own recruiters.
“Employment does a lot of things. One, it radically changes the economic landscape of individuals and family households,” Robinson said. “So there are many Temple departments hiring here, because we know that Temple is North Philadelphia’s largest employer. We intentionally hire from the community, and events like these allow us to recruit right from the neighborhood.”
Among them is Temple University’ Department of Public Safety, which is seeking to hire both new and experienced police officers.
“There’s no doubt that Public Safety is a force for positive change in North Philadelphia. So we’re looking for police officers who will continue our mission of making our communities safer and stronger,” said Deputy Police Chief Guy Sava.
Robinson encouraged attendees to take full advantage of the resources available during the fair.
“We have mobile computers here, so if they want to apply on-site, they can do that right now instead of waiting to go home,” Robinson said.
Robinson also emphasized the importance of following up after the event.
“To really work a job fair, a job seeker should get the names and contact information of all the people they connected with. After the job fair, we want them to follow up,” Robinson said. “Give it a couple of days, but follow up with the recruiter they met with to let them know, ‘Hey, I met with so-and-so for this position. We met at the job fair,’ and take it from there.”
