Amid state’s lowest unemployment since 2008, Virginians search for jobs in Manassas

MANASSAS — They came looking for people who can be bank tellers, sell, work construction, cook, and make sandwiches.

And the rest, they came to find a job.

Both employers and job seekers come out Tuesday to a job fair at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manassas. A total of 175 people got the chance to be face to face with companies and organizations like Comfort Keepers, the Prince William County Police Department, Sheetz, and the U.S. Army.

With resume in hand, many picked up applications from tables that lined the multi-purpose room in the church.

“I’ve wanted to do something different for the past year,” said Monica Calderon, 24, of Manassas.

She had been working in retail until she put in her two weeks notice about two weeks ago. This, she says, is the start of what she hopes will be a successful job search.

“I was promoted to assistant manager, which was a real leadership opportunity” she said. “I want to use those opportunities for something else,” she added.

Alexander Zavala, 22, of Manassas, lost his job four months ago. He had been making wall ornaments, but his bosses weren’t happy with his work performance. He wasn’t fast enough, he said.

While walking around the room hoping to find a new job that interests him, he came up empty-handed.

“I’m really interested in video editing, and stuff, but they don’t have that here” he said.

Until he finds a new job, he’s been working landscaping gigs, he said.

While there’s not a job for everyone here, it’s also true for these employers that not everyone who comes to the job fair is a qualified candidate.

Daliris Rosa is an area recruitment coordinator for Sherwin Williams. She’s hiring for new sales associates who would work at one of two area paint stores.

“We’re looking for people who are hands-on, and who can adapt quickly,” she said.

After working on the sales floor filling paint orders, tenured employees can be promoted from within. “If sales is not your thing, you can get into HR, IT,” she added.

Those with a Bachelors Degree may apply for the company’s management trainee program. Rosa said she’s had success hiring from these types of job fairs, but it’s tough competition in Northern Virginia.

Amid state’s lowest unemployment since 2008, Virginians search for jobs in Manassas

But there’s also good news for job-seekers in Virginia, as the unemployment rate at 3.2% is at its lowest point since January 2008. The states gaining the largest amount of non-farming jobs are Texas, California, and Florida, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The job fair was organized by Reliant Hiring Services, a company owned by Manassas City Councilman Ian Lovejoy. The company plans another job fair in Manassas on September 27, and another job fair, this time in Woodbridge on August 21.