NEWARK, Del. – The third annual Holiday Job Fair, hosted by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative John Carney, drew more than 400 job seekers to the Christiana Mall Tuesday afternoon. The fair, which featured more than 35 employers, was designed specifically to connect potential new hires with retail and other mall outlets looking to meet increased staffing demands ahead of the busy holiday season. 

The dozens of stores were seeking to fill of positions not just for the holiday retail season, but for full-time positions as well. Retailers such as JCPenney, Macy’s, and Target sought to hire more than 100 employees each, and new movie theatre Cinemark Christiana was hoping to fill at least 80 part-time and full-time job vacancies.

Other participants included LL Bean, Delaware State Police, Champs, Hallmark, GameStop, American Eagle, Sprint, Sephora, Cabela’s, Kitchen Magic, Loft, Pottery Barn, JCREW, Bebe, Barnes & Noble, Banana Republic, Chick-Fil-A, Invicta and Armani Exchange. Retailers received hundreds of applications, conducted on-the-spot interviews, and in some cases, even extended job offers.

“The uptick in business during the holidays is a great opportunity to pick up extra work, and today’s fair put job candidates in front of businesses looking to hire. There is even opportunity for these jobs to turn into permanent, full-time positions,” said Sen. Carper. “The Congressional Delegation will continue to hold these job fairs for all types of industries and careers so that businesses are fully staffed and more Delawareans are back to work.”

“The turnout today is proof that there are unemployed or underemployed Delawareans who are ready and willing to work if given the opportunity, and there are places who need employees,” said Senator Coons. “We were also pleased with the number of stores looking to fill positions continue to participate in these job fairs, demonstrating that there is a continued value meeting those looking for work.”

“Today was a chance to connect Delawareans with job opportunities through the holiday season,” said Congressman Carney. “Retailers up and down the state look for hard workers to help them out during the busiest time of year. More needs to be done to get Delawareans into permanent jobs, which is why we’ll continue hosting our regular job fairs. In the meantime, seasonal jobs are a great way to earn some extra income while continuing to search for long-term opportunities.”

Since 2011, the congressional delegation has hosted 25 job fairs in Delaware, of which, this is the third seasonal job fair and seven specifically for veterans. For more information on how to participate in the upcoming job fair as an employer or job seeker please call Senator Coons’ office at 302-573-6345, or email workshop@coons.senate.gov.

 

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