ALGOMA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Finding a job can be challenging in West Michigan, where Kent County's unemployment rate sits at about 4.3%, according to West Michigan Works.
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To help residents find work, the organization held a hiring event at North Kent Connect featuring 11 businesses actively hiring.
Rockford resident Dena Martha has been searching for an administration job for almost seven months. She said the job market presents unique challenges.
"I am not young anymore like I used to be. I try to portray that I'm young, but it doesn't always work out. They see it on my resume. I have boatloads of experience, but at the same time I'm either overqualified, maybe not qualified enough," Martha said.
Martha said she believes face-to-face interactions at hiring events provide advantages over online applications.
"Coming to events like these puts your face to the people who are hiring, and I think they see that better than just a resume. Everything's done by AI. Do you want AI to look at your resume?" she said.
West Michigan Works Business Solution Manager Olivia Blomstrom said hiring events help connect job seekers directly with employers.
"It can be difficult to find jobs, and going through the traditional avenues of applying online, what we're finding is that by doing hiring events, we are bringing together our businesses and our job seekers, and they're allowed to have that face-to-face conversation," Blomstrom said.
She added that these events help job seekers gain confidence and discover transferable skills.
"Sometimes you're realizing like, oh, I have more to offer than I thought. I didn't realize my skill could transfer to do this other skill over here," Blomstrom said.
Martha remains optimistic about her job search prospects.
"I'm working my way through. So, I'm hoping that I do find something. But yeah, when you get all kinds of different companies together, businesses together, it makes it easier for us looking for work," she said.
For information about upcoming West Michigan Works hiring events, CLICK HERE.
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