Employers aplenty at Northern Va. Job Expo 2009

Jobs and job seekers were plentiful at the first Northern Virginia Job Expo 2009 on Thursday afternoon at the Ramada Inn.

Sponsored by Job Zone and Media General Northern Virginia Media Group in partnership with Yahoo! hotjobs, the five-hour session was a hit for both employers and potential employees.

An estimated 150 people were in line half an hour before the doors opened at 1 p.m., and cars were lined up and down the access road next to the hotel just a half an hour into the event.

Thirty-five employers ranging from the FBI to GEICO were on hand along with various local technical and community colleges.

Those attending were just as varied, from retired military to teenagers looking for educational opportunities to former management looking for a fresh start. One such executive was Pamela Schadt.
The Manassas resident spent 20 years at a non-profit in Fairfax and was serving as the organization’s director until she was laid off.

“They couldn’t afford me anymore,” said the 54-year-old Schadt, whose husband, Stuart, is the rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Old Town. “They had to let me go in order to keep other people.”

Schadt, who was looking for a project management position, started her search with the FBI — a popular booth at Thursday’s job fair. According to a FBI spokesperson working the event, the government entity has received an inordinately large number of resumes to fill positions.

The FBI is in the process of hiring for more than 2,000 positions by the end of September, many of them for special agents.

The Virginia Employment Commission was also receiving a good amount of attention Thursday. According to manager Gil Sanchez, the VEC has received a higher-than-normal amount of unemployment insurance requests as well general job inquiries during these tough economic times.

Fair attendee Josh Regan was looking at government IT positions but said he was keeping his options open. The 36-year-old Montclair resident was working as a software salesman in Fairfax County when he was laid off.

“My company just went through an economically influenced reduction ... and sales guys are the first to go,” said Regan, whose diverse background includes a master’s degree in education and a stint as a history teacher at Potomac High School in Dumfries.

Recently retired Marine Corps officer Rickie Childs said he was interested in what the FBI had to offer. A former law enforcement officer in Georgia, the current Woodbridge resident spent much of his 20 years in the Corps dealing with budgetary and facility issues.

“Once you have law enforcement in your blood, it’s hard to get it out,” laughed Childs, 50.

By 3 p.m., the crowd had thinned considerably. However, event organizer Paul Price said nearly 450 attended the event within the first two hours and he was expecting a turnout of anywhere from 700 to 1,000 people for the whole day.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.