“A Boost of Confidence” – Calvary’s Spring 2018 Career Fair

Last week over 65 women donned their finest business attire and attended the first biannual career fair of 2018 at Calvary Women’s Services. As part a part of Step Up DC, Calvary’s job placement program, the objective was to introduce women looking for employment in the DMV area to a variety of local job opportunities and employers. The Spring Career Fair was open to both residents of Calvary and women in the general public. Attendees included 38 women from outside of Calvary. 

Ten employers/service providers participated in the event:

• Hilton
• First Shift
• DC Central Kitchen
• Safeway
• Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors of the       Mid-Atlantic
• sweetgreen
• DC Office of Human Rights
• Concord Hospitality
• Skyland Workforce Center
• First Class Workforce Solutions

The fair boasted a diverse range of organizations and opportunities, perfect for the women at Calvary who themselves carry a diverse set of skills and work experiences. For example, Carla, one of the residents, was on the hunt for managerial positions. A week later, she’s already had an interview with one of the companies present at the fair, and spoken with their general manager. “After the event I was sure to follow up with everyone by email. I’ve already been contacted by all of them!”

Having successfully navigated job searches in the past, Carla was happy to help some of the other less-experienced residents as well. “It was interesting to see a different part of them [the women at Calvary], I even gave feedback and told some of the women ‘you really sold yourself’, and that they should be expecting call-backs.”

The career fair provided attendees with the chance to network, sharpen their job search skills, and show off their updated résumés. According to Carla, “overall it was very successful, a great way to give a boost of confidence to everyone and bring in a little sunshine.”