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Need work? Find 5,000 open positions at State Fair of Texas’ first virtual job fair

The State Fair of Texas will kick off its first ever virtual job fair Thursday that will last until Friday afternoon.

Normally, the State Fair hosts a job fair for seasonal employees at the conclusion of the marquee event that includes three weeks of lights, rides and food. On Friday, the State Fair will start its Big Tex Fair Food Drive-Thru, where fairgoers can enjoy turkey legs and other treats in lieu of the yearly festivities.

The drive-through event and virtual job fair were innovations caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Organizations have been transitioning to socially-distanced alternatives to activities since March.

The job fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 50 employers have 5,000 available positions. On Wednesday, the fair hosted a virtual resource day in collaboration with Communities Foundation of Texas, Goodwill Industries of Dallas and Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, in which participants received resume help and practice with interviews.

“The whole idea was to help residents around the Fair Park area [and] make sure we’re hitting those low-income, high-poverty neighborhoods and bringing resources to that area,” said Kamala Kannan, vice president of workforce development for Goodwill.

Dallas County’s unemployment rate peaked in April this year at 13% and now sits at about 8%, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before the pandemic, the rate hadn’t exceeded 5% since 2015.

Workforce Solutions is providing the software for the fair, and job seekers can register online. Beginning Thursday, participants will have access to a digital pavilion that will host employers including ABM Aviation, FedEx and Parkland Health & Hospital System.

In previous years, the job networking event was open to the fair’s 7,000 seasonal employees and residents of South Dallas. This year, the virtual event is open to anyone.

Fair organizers are hoping to see an increase in the usual turnout, which ranges from 200 to 500 people.

“We know this year has been incredibly difficult for much of our community,” Froswa’ Booker-Drew, vice president of community affairs for the State Fair of Texas, said in a news release.

“Any opportunity for us to support those who are unemployed or underemployed right now is more important than ever.”

Last week, Goodwill and Workforce Solutions held more than 60 virtual professional-development sessions that provided job-seeking skills and opportunities for interview role play.

“A lot of people that we’re catering to could need second-chance employment,” Kannan said.

“Keep in mind, we’re talking with people who are hardest hit because of COVID-19. They don’t have access to public library systems as much as they did before.”

Job seekers who don’t have internet access can visit the T.R. Hoover Community Development Center on Bexar Street in South Dallas, where computers are set up under tents in an outdoor tech station. Staff at the center will help walk-up participants register for the event.

Employees of Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas prep for a virtual job fair hosted by the State Fair of Texas outside of the T.R. Hoover Center in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. Ben Torres/Special Contributor

The CARDBoard Project, a South Dallas nonprofit, is providing internet at the Hoover Center and also setting up email addresses for job seekers who don’t have accounts.

“That’s the number one critical step before you can move on to searching for employment and resources,” said Armando Cantu, founder and executive director of the CARDBoard Project. “The first thing they’re going to ask you is, ‘What’s your phone number and email address?’”

Volunteers at the CARDBoard Project have connected people to resources that lead to self-sufficiency since before the pandemic started. They provide their clients with an extension to the nonprofit’s phone number that people can use on resumes and job applications.

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