And now for something completely different

On Saturday, March 28, I attended a job fair hosted by my local county government. Originally this was called the "My County Mega Job Fair." Upon further investigation, the title was actually called "Envision your Success." After my previous experiences, I was not hopeful about my success.

I was pleasantly surprised. As I pushed through the door, I was immediately greeted by someone who handed me a map and invited me to sign up for workshops. Workshops? I perused the offerings and settled on "Surviving a Job Loss," an hour long session on what to expect and how to deal with losing a job. Perfect.

While I waited for the workshop, I investigated the employers and talked to a few. The employers were nice enough, but the most impressive part was that the booths were spread throughout the building on multiple floors. No one was waiting in line and no one was bumping into anyone else. And no one was stinky!

The next best part? Scattered throughout the halls were volunteers answering questions and directing people to the appropriate floor or booth. Additionally, get ready for this, they were all happy! Everyone was smiling and seemed to be enjoying spending their rainy Saturday morning helping the soon to be unemployed find a new job. This really set the tone for the whole day. The unemployed are so much more relaxed if people around them are helpful. Crazy thought, I know.

Since the theme was not strictly a job fair, the booths also represented non-profit organizations helping people start their own business, local continuing education resources, and my personal favorite – the Human Rights group. Their sole purpose was to talk to potential employees about fair hiring practices. They had posters and fliers about what questions/topics are legal and illegal to discuss during an interview. They were also handing out cards with a hotline to "turn in" employers who were violating these laws.

The workshop was great. Someone from the unemployment office was there to answer questions. Several representatives from free training centers offered advice. And the lead presenter made us feel comfortable enough that some of us cracked jokes.

I dropped my resume off with a few people; I don't expect a call back. But what I gained was more than that, I got a true sense of community. I know that sounds cheesy, and I'm not quite sure what it means, but I know I felt it.

** Lesson learned: My local government really does care about me.