When the Mayor’s Office in the City of Hammond felt there was a disconnect between local people who need jobs and local businesses that needed employees, it created the Hammond Job Fair. This year, The 17th Annual Hammond Job Fair took place on September 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and had several sponsors: Mayor Thomas M. McDermott Jr., the City of Hammond Office of Economic Development, Alverno Laboratories, Applied Acoustics International, Dungarvin, and Calumet Breweries, Inc.
Amy Kiernan of Calumet Breweries, Inc. shared that the company was proud to be a sponsor and active participant in what she described as a successful event. Calumet Breweries, Inc. was happy to partake in the event as it has been doing since 2006.
“The opportunity to meet potential candidates to join our company has been great,” Kiernan said. “I’ve had some great conversations introducing them to the company for the first time. Some are familiar with us and want to learn more about the business we are in. Thank you to the City of Hammond for making this opportunity available.”
No pre-registration was required for this event; all that the attendees needed to do was mark their calendars, dress to impress, and bring along their resumes. The event hosted a variety of companies for attendees to check from casinos to hospitals.
“It’s a great mix of both the big corporations and companies that are a little independent. It’s growing each year,” said Anne Anderson, director of economic development at the City of Hammond’s Office of Economic Development.
Having been part of eight of Hammond’s job fairs, Anderson knows just how crucial this event can be for both companies and job seekers.
“It’s important to connect people that need the jobs with the companies who have the jobs,” Anderson said. “It’s also important having the event where all the local companies are coming together for the day and sitting across from each other or next to each other so they can connect and update each other on how they’re doing out in the Region. Knowing that we might be helping someone get a new job and changing the course of their life in the future is always a really exciting prospect.”
Human Resources Recruitment Director Anna Ahern from Schillings noted that Schillings representatives have been coming to the job fair for years and continually look forward to meeting a good traffic flow of quality candidates.
“There was a line out the door before the doors opened which is super exciting. We’ve been talking to individuals looking for all the different career opportunities, and it was great because it opened up their eyes regarding our company,” Ahern said. “It’s been great to be in-person just seeing everyone’s smiling faces, build relationships, and truly get Schillings’ name out there.”
This sentiment of the excitement surrounding this in-person event was echoed by Tif Program Coordinator Juan Moreno. Watching job seekers weave between tables, fill out applications, and get there name out there made it feel like a return to normal after not being able to host the event in 2020 due to the pandemic. This is his fourth job fair, so he knows just how valuable an asset this event is.
“I think the job fair is instrumental for both the businesses and the job seekers,” Moreno said. “As I was walking through, some people are being interviewed. Some of them do leave happy with jobs, and some of them are asked to come back for second interviews. It’s been very successful on both sides.”
“This wouldn’t be happening today without the sponsorship,” Moreno continued. “We greatly appreciate that generosity of these wonderful businesses.”
If you are interested in learning more about getting involved in next year’s job fair, Moreno would encourage you to call the City of Hammond Office of Economic Development at (219) 853-6508 ext. 1.
To learn more about the City of Hammond and its upcoming events, visit https://www.gohammond.com/.
