Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a series of stories about the mega-hiring event hosted by the City of Augusta.
For the second week, job seekers have a target-rich environment this Thursday at the Augusta Municipal Building.
The City of Augusta is holding the second of three sessions of a mega-hiring event on August 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will be in the Linda Beazley Room in the Municipal Building at 535 Telfair Street.
This event will focus on service departments such as Augusta Utilities, Engineering, and Environmental Services, along with transportation including Augusta Transit and Augusta Regional Airport.
The first event was for public safety departments, including the sheriff’s office, fire department, and 9-1-1 dispatching center.
Human Resources Director, Anita Rookard said they decided to hold three events to give everyone specialized attention sometimes, not possible in large events.
“It’s so many people, it’s so many areas as someone looking for work, you don’t know where to start,” she said. “But if you’ve thought about working, what is it that I want to do? What is it that I can do? This gives you the time, and it cuts the group down, so you can focus on a specialty.”
Colonel Bill Probus with the Richmond County Marshal’s Office said he felt having three events was the right idea. He said it gives them the chance to focus on potential applicants.
“Obviously, we look for certified police officer positions. We also have positions which are not certified there on the security side and then, we have civilian positions,” he explained. “But I think to work with the Richmond County Marshal’s Office under Marshal Lamkin, you need to have a great attitude. And you better have a willingness to serve each other and to serve the public. You got those two things? We can teach you how to marshal.”
Among the job seekers was George Shillingsburg of Martinez.
“I’m just here to see what they all have to offer,” he said. “I want to work and government agencies are hungry for choice sometimes. So, I like my odds better than applying at other places. They’re hosting two more of these, so I’m probably going to go to those as well.”
Rookard encourages people to do just that.
“You can see all of the areas that the city actually has opportunities. Most people, when you think about working for local government, you don’t think about accounting, you don’t think about, you know, chemistry or engineering science, you don’t think about those things. So, what this job fair actually does is give you the opportunity to really see all areas of what the city actually does,” she said.
The third and final event will be held on August 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Municipal Building. That session will center on positions in office settings, such as the Finance Department, Tax Assessor’s Office, and Human Resources Department.
Rookard said anyone who was unable to attend the job fairs can review open positions posted on the city’s website.
“We’re looking for people who are looking for work who are not working, we’re looking for people who are working. We’re looking for college students. We’re looking for high school students who say, ‘Hey, maybe college isn’t my route right now. Maybe I should work a year to first see how I like that,’ she said. “We have opportunities for everybody, even seniors who’ve retired and want to go back into the workforce just a little bit, part-time and full-time.”
Rookard anticipates holding another mega-hiring fair in the spring.
