Morris County 2017 Annual Career Fair -- May 16 at College of St. Elizabeth

Published on May 09, 2017

A career fair and job search training will be held Tuesday, May 16, at the College of St. Elizabeth, bringing together 30 local employers and unlimited job seekers. The fair will feature a morning of free training for job seekers to enhance their ability to find work and an afternoon of employers meeting with potential new hires.

(, 0B)The fair is being sponsored by the Morris County Chamber of Commerce and the Morris County Society for Human Resource Management, with assistance from Kokopella LLC, High Touch Outplacement.

"The business community is facing a talent shortage, both nationally and here in Morris County," said Paul Boudreau, president of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. "While unemployment is low, that statistic is deceiving. Many people are underemployed or in positions for which they are overqualified. At the same time, businesses are telling me they are having difficulty finding qualified candidates for open positions."(PNG, 5KB)

Nationally, 32 percent of U.S. employers report difficulties filling job vacancies due to talent shortages, according to Manpower Group's Talent Shortage Survey. The jobs most in demand range from skilled workers and technicians to sales representatives and executives to accounting/finance staff and engineers.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports a continued shortage of qualified workers in certain STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines. Locally, North Jersey manufacturers are partnering to sponsor high school programs designed to create future employees for the increasingly computerized manufacturing industry.

Meanwhile, the nation's underemployment rate €“ unemployed workers looking for work and part-time workers seeking full-time employment €“ was 4.5 percent in March.

(PNG, 7KB)"This career fair will bring together Morris County employers looking for qualified workers and job seekers who can both take advantage of training and meet potential employers," said Lois Nagie, president of the Morris County Society for Human Resource Management.

The fair will be held at the Annunciation Center of St. Elizabeth College at 2 Convent Road, Morristown. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. for job seekers. Job search training will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will include training in job search effectiveness, networking and interviewing. The career fair will begin at 11:45 a.m., running concurrently with Drop-In Career coaching. Attendance is free.

Attendees are encouraged to bring plenty of business cards. Job seekers without business cards may design and make cards using SHRM's web site, http://www.shrm-morrisnj.org/. Click on Annual Career Fair.

Employers wanting to participate can reserve a table via the society's web site at http://www.shrm-morrisnj.org/. Tables for businesses are $275 with two representatives and $50 for each additional representative. Tables for nonprofits are $150 with two representatives and $50 for each additional representative. Marketing your business through sponsorships also are available by contacting Dennis Bartley at sponsorship@shrm-morrisnj.org

With more than 900 members, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce exists to support strong economic growth and promote a vibrant business community. Visit the chamber at www.morrischamber.org.

The Society for Human Resource Management - Morris County Chapter, Inc. (SHRM), an "affiliate" of the Global Society for Human Resource Management, is a 800 plus member community of human resource professionals in New Jersey. Visit SHRM at http://www.shrm-morrisnj.org/.