Need work? Upcoming ‘Hire 253’ job club and job fair are ready to help

A job club and entry-level job fair are pairing up to expand employment opportunities in Pierce County beyond just those with polished resumes.

Goodwill’s Milgard Work Opportunity Center, 714 S. 27th St, Tacoma, will host the free job club from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday (Sept. 19) in Room 338. The club is to prepare people for the Hire 253 job fair, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 3 at the work center.

While the emphasis of the combined club and fair is to end homelessness “one job at a time,” the event is open to anyone seeking work.

A Hire 253 job fair was held in June, with 375 interviews conducted and 172 people hired, according to organizers. While that event’s projected turnout was 200 to 300 job seekers, 542 turned out.

Wednesday’s event will offer help with resumes, mock job interviews and the design of a master application that can be used at the fair. Employers might attend for real or practice interviews with potential candidates.

All of this is in preparation for the Oct. 3 fair, which will cover three floors of the work center with employers and support agencies.

Employers confirmed as of Tuesday for the fair include Amazon, Amtrak, Columbia Bank, Concrete Technology Corp., Express Employment Professionals, Fred Meyer, Laborers Local 253, Labor Works, Madigan Army Medical Center, Milgard, Pepsi Co. and Pierce Transit.

Lunch will be provided to the first 200 attendees.

You can register for the fair online at Hire 253 at Eventbrite. For help with transportation, contact hire253transpo@gmail.com or call 253-573-6864. You can follow pre-event coverage on Facebook at @hire253

The event is sponsored by Goodwill of the Olympics and Rainier Region, Sound Outreach, WorkSource Pierce and other community partners.

This story was originally published September 18, 2018 at 2:26 PM.