Missoula Job Service Career fair 2014

Career Fair

2014 missoula job service

Thursday, April 24 Hilton Garden Inn • 3-6:30 pm Veterans admitted at 2:30 pm

Recruitment Booths Interviewing Tips

a 2014 special publication of missoulian.com

Every minute. Every day.

missoula job service Career Fair

2 - Sunday, April 20, 2014

job postings • information sessions • on-campus interviews

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www.umt.edu/career

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welcome CHERY SABOL Missoula Job Service

T

he Missoula Job Service is proud to serve as matchmaker between more than 70 employers and an anticipated crowd of 2,000+ job seekers on Thursday.

Western Montana’s Largest Career Fair is designed to unite skilled and talented prospective employees with the businesses and organizations that need them.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) helps support this event. As a result, veterans and their families are welcomed into the Career Fair a half hour before the general public is admitted. The event

starts at 2:30 p.m. for veterans at the Hilton Garden Inn. Doors open to the general public at 3p.m. The event continues until 6 p.m., giving employers and employee hopefuls brief but meaningful exposure to one another – a kind of speed-dating environment where each may size up the other and decide if there’s potential for a relationship.

Don’t look for romance at the Career Fair, but know that the contacts you make could represent a life-changing opportunity. Everyone is welcome. How will you know what you might miss if you don’t go?

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c o o r d i n at o r offers tips

CHERY SABOL Missoula Job Service

herrie Sorenson will be at Western Montana’s Largest Career Fair, scanning for people she would like to hire for Monida Health Care Staffing Solutions. She’s been to past career fairs by the Missoula Job Service and returns this year for a couple of reasons. The format allows her to find candidates who are actively searching for work. It’s also a way of “reaching people we haven’t been reaching by other means,” she said.

What kind of people will garner her attention? Sorenson is looking for those who come prepared and are engaged.

“If they bring resumes, that’s perfect,” she said. As staffing and recruitment coordinator for Monida, she and coworker Tami

Parker-Thomas will briefly screen applicants and set up interviews for some of candidates they meet at the career fair. Resumes are the first screening tool they will have. That means job seekers should perfect their resumes to make a strong first impression.

“They really need to be sure someone is critiquing their resume and cover letter,” Sorenson said.

Web sites are rife with hilarious resume typos, but there’s nothing funny about an earnest job seeker who loses a chance at a job because of a resume that lists experience as a grocery “stalker,” a manager who was responsible for “ruining” a successful department, a detailoriented “prefectionist,” or someone seeking a “party-time job.” A second set of eyes can catch those

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mortifying mistakes. The Missoula Job Service offers free reviews of resumes for that reason.

Next, Sorenson said applicants “really have to look at the job ad.”

If the job description describes specific skills that are required, applicants should be sure their skills actually align. Pursuing a position as a registered nurse without the necessary credentials and experience wastes both the applicant’s and the employer’s time.

Many requirements simply aren’t negotiable.

Critical to success at the career fair is how job seekers present themselves, Sorenson said. “How are they dressed? How articulate are they? How approachable?”

Her business specializes in in-state staffing for health-care personnel,

Platinum Sponsors

but nurses and CNAs tend to be mobile. Monida provides travel assignments out of state. It’s not an environment for the meek. So, Sorenson sizes up applicants to see if they are comfortable visiting with her at the job fair or if they merely drop off a resume and breeze past.

“I want someone who is not going to be afraid to engage with us and have a conversation,” she said, because the same kind of engagement will be necessary on the job.

The career fair is a different environment for both job seekers and employers, but it still demands a level of professionalism and focus for those candidates who know how to capitalize on the opportunity.

It’s a job interview as far as I’m concerned,” Sorenson said.

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Thursday, April 24 3:00-6:00 Missoula Hilton Garden Inn

For registration materials: www.employmissoula.com or call the Job Service at 728-7060

• Network with thousands of job seekers in a few hours • Showcase your organization to prospective employees • Take advantage of this costeffective recruitment tool

Community Sponsors

4 - Sunday, April 20, 2014

missoula job service Career Fair

Booths at the 2014 career fair Tricon Timber LLC a sawmill in Western Montana is looking to hire for the following positions Maintenance and Oiler man Looking for an individual that is experienced in maintenance, whether from working on their own vehicles or any other experience. The job requires the ability to cut and weld proficiently, as well as general maintenance on large machinery in and around the mill. The right applicant must be willing to work all shifts, regardless of weather, as well as overtime. Tricon Timber is willing to provide on-site training to the applicant with the right foundation of knowledge.

PLC Programmer Looking for a programmer for its Programmable Logic Controls and to maintain its current computer network structure.

Duties to include: • Upkeep and modify existing PLC’s.

• Troubleshoot PLC’s and the current computer network.

• Setup and maintain existing Windows server domain.

• Install software on PC’s.

• Configure, maintain, and backup servers.

The right individual for the job must be willing to work overtime and come in off schedule, if necessary. A degree in programming is recommended but not required.

Foresters We are looking for two people with a Forestry background to perform all phases of forestry tasks including sale layout, timber cruising, sale administration, and timber procurement. They need to be self-motivated, aggressive and personable with the ability to deal with the public, and agency personnel in a friendly, professional manner. The salary is negotiable depending on training, experience and ability.

Saw Filer Looking for an individual that is experienced in saw sharpening, whether from working on their tools or any other experience. The job requires the ability to sharpen the variety of saws around the mill. The right applicant must be willing to work all shifts, regardless of weather, as well as overtime. Tricon Timber is willing to provide on-site training to the applicant with the right foundation of knowledge and patience to learn the intricacies of being a saw doctor.

Wage dependent on experience.

General Laborers Looking to hire a general laborer. Applicant must be self-motivated, fast learning, physically capable of continuous hard labor. Also applicant must be willing to work overtime, weekends and in rough weather conditions. The applicant must also take direction well. This position is one where the applicant will be doing a variety of different tasks, clean up, moving material, sorting material and many more.

Benefits Tricon Timber LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers a comprehensive benefits package, medical, dental, vision, life, home, and auto insurance. After one year of employment Tricon offers paid vacation and a 401K plan. Wage is based on experience.

To apply To apply for this position please go to our website www.tricontimberllc.com under the employment tab, and follow the directions to send the application back in. Or come into our office Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm and fill out an application in person.

1. A-1 Fire Services 2. Abatement Contractors of Montana LLC 3. Advanced Technology Group 4. Aflac 5. Allegiance Benefit Plan Management 6. Apprenticeship & Training Program 7. Arrow Solutions Group 8. AWARE Inc. 9. Blue Marble Biomaterials 10. Community Medical Center 11. Daily’s Premium Meats 12. Davis Transport Inc 13. Department of Labor and Industry 14. DIRECTV 15. Diversified Plastics 16. Education Logistics 17. ESGR 18. Express Employment Professionals 19. Farmers Insurance 20. HealthMarkets Insurance Agency 21. Hilton Garden Inn 22. Home Instead Senior Care 23. Horizon Air 24. Internship Services at University of Montana 25. Jackson Contractor Group Inc. 26. Job Corps 27. Jones Brothers Trucking 28. LC Staffing 29. Missoula College UM 30. Missoula Correctional Services, Inc. 31. Missoula Developmental Service Corporation 32. Missoula Family YMCA 33. Missoula Federal Credit Union 34. Monida Healthcare Staffing Solutions 35. Missoula Job Service 36. Montana Air National Guard

37. Montana Conservation Corps 38. M ontana Department of Transportation 39. Montana First Credit Union 40. Montana Rail Link 41. Nelson Personnel 42. Northwestern Mutual 43. Opportunity Resources 44. O’Reilly Auto Parts 45. Partners In Home Care 46. Quality Maintenance Enterprises 47. Prince Telecom LLC J’s Transportation & RJ’s Truck 48. R Brokerage 49. Safeway Inc. 50. Sage Technical Service 51. SearchAmerica 52. SEI LLC 53. St. Patrick Hospital 54. Taco Bell 55. Tamarack Management Inc. 56. The Lifelong Learning Center 57. The Montana Radio Company 58. The Ranch at Rock Creek 59. The Springs at Missoula 60. Town Pump 61. Town Square Media 62. Tricon Timber LLC 63. Troops to Teachers 64. U niversity of Montana Career Services 65. U niversity of Montana Vets Office/Human Resources niversity of Montana School of 66. U Business Administration 67. University of Phoenix 68. US Army 69. US Navy Recruiting 70. Verizon Wireless 71. Walgreens 72. WaterColor Computer Training 73. Watkins & Shepard 74. Wells Fargo Bank 75. Wireless Connection 76. Work Force Inc.

missoula job service Career Fair

Sunday, April 20, 2014 - 5

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6 - Sunday, April 20, 2014

missoula job service Career Fair

after the career fair – CHERY SABOL Missoula Job Service

Y

ou did it just right.

You showed up at the career fair, dressed to impress with copies of your polished resume.

You made solid contacts with employers, collected their business cards and information, and – best of all – landed an interview or two.

Don’t lose your momentum now.

You’re probably already schooled in basic interview etiquette and technique: Show up early, go easy on the cologne but not on the soap and deodorant, make your handshake firm and your eye contact steady, dress and act the part of someone who will fit in, and be clear about what you have to

interview!

offer as an employee.

Pam Schneiter has a few other points to remember. After 14 years as Director of Human Resources for Montana Rail Link of Washington Corporations, she knows a thing or two about interviewing. She offers a kind of interview GPS system to help job seekers navigate their way around potential pitfalls:

Come prepared “It is my pet peeve. They should at least have gone out to our web site and learned a little bit about us,” Schneiter said. A serious applicant for a job at the railroad “should know the top

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We hire highly skilled clinicians who place a premium on serving the needs of their clients.

To find out more, visit our web site at: www.PartnersInHomeCare.org

commodities we haul,” she said.

Most companies have mission statements and a good candidate will find out what it is and what it says about a potential employer.

It’s not necessary to memorize, but it’s a good exercise to write it down so you will be familiar with the company’s foundation and goals before the interview.

Know thyself Schneiter is still surprised that “some people can’t answer the ‘basic, basic interview question’ - what their strengths and weaknesses are.” Even if an interviewer doesn’t directly ask, a good candidate is savvy

enough to know the answers and volunteer them at some point during the interview. Schneiter doesn’t subscribe to what she calls “the Miss America questions” that pose exotic hypothetical questions, such as, “If you were stranded on a desert island…”

Interviewers learn nothing valuable about applicants with that approach, she said. Instead, she wants job seekers to be able to smoothly and confidently articulate their qualifications.

She suggests researching on the Internet common interview questions and getting comfortable with answering them. Also, she suggests applicants lay their

missoula job service Career Fair resumes in front of themselves during the interview. “If they get nervous, then they don’t forget important things.”

Courtesy counts “A big thing for us is if people interrupt at the interview. We are all about safety. If people interrupt us during an interview, they will do it during training,” Schneiter said.

“I’ve had people interrupt when we were talking about benefits.”

Which brings us to…

Save the negotiations for later It’s the same message Schneiter delivers in presentations to high school and college students.

“Never, ever, EVER ask the rate of pay during an interview.” In many businesses, wages depend on individual skills and experience, so there is no answer to that premature question. Wages and benefits are properly discussed only after an applicant has a job offer.

Be honest This is so important, it can’t be overstated. Most employers do check work history and education.

Horror stories abound in human resources departments about applicants who fabricated degrees

they didn’t even need or tried to finesse a previous firing.

At Montana Rail Link, applicants have the opportunity to explain the circumstances of a prior termination when they are interviewed. “We hire people who have been terminated,” Schneiter said. “We don’t hire people who are dishonest.”

Many employers require background checks. At Montana Rail Link, that doesn’t necessarily rule out those who have had felonies or DUIs, Schneiter said.

“It depends on what it was and how long ago it was,” she said.

A mistake made years ago when someone was 19 is different than a DUI a month ago. “We look for a period of time to see changed behavior,” Schneiter said.

Employees who lie during the application process can be dismissed later – even years later – if the falsehood is revealed. Just don’t do it.

Schneiter and others allow potential workers the opportunity to explain awkward circumstances.

“We really talk to people,” she said.

That’s a part of the job she enjoys. “I really care about people.”

Meet Schneiter and other hiring professionals April 24 at Missoula Job Service’s career fair.

Allegiance

SM

a Cigna Company

Allegiance Benefit Plan Management, Inc., develops and administers employee benefit plans for companies, associations and government agencies. This includes medical management.

We are dedicated to providing excellent customer service in all areas of our company. Allegiance provides a stable career, not a job. We offer above market wages, a generous benefit package that includes employer paid med/ dental/vision coverage, STD/LTD, life, 401(k) with general match, profit sharing, continuing education, paid time off, health club reimbursement and flexible benefits.

Our positions utilize a variety of skills including medical terminology, billing & coding knowledge and RNs. See where your career can take you at Allegiance.

www.askallegiance.com or email application@askallegiance.com to request job descriptions.

Sunday, April 20, 2014 - 7

Passionate about exceptional service?

Work for a member-owned, local not-for-profit that offers: • A positive culture • Incomparable training • Community involvement • 25 Benefits beyond salary

More than you expect

523-3300 / www.missoulafcu.org

Come Join Our Team!

Town Pump Inc. has multiple locations in the greater Missoula area including Convenience Stores, Casinos, and Car Washes. Whether you are interested in full or part-time work, a temporary position or a career, Town Pump Inc. has room for bright energetic candidates on our team.

We offer the following benefits to eligible employees:

• • • •

Competitive Wages Flexible Hours Vacation Health Insurance

• Health Savings Account 401(k) – Profit Sharing • Employee Assistance • Advancement Opportunities

Please apply online at www.townpump.jobs or stop by any of our locations. EOE

Come work with us. We’ll make it work for you!

8 - Sunday, April 20, 2014

missoula job service Career Fair

employers

of choice

CHERY SABOL Missoula Job Service

In the aftermath of the 2008 recession and subsequent layoffs, soul-searching job seekers in Missoula learned all they could about what would make them more employable and better workers.

They learned how to write a resume that illuminates their skills and accomplishments like a klieg light.

They researched and practiced how to interview with confidence and answer questions deftly. They added new skills, anticipating what their next employer would need them to know. They did what they could to make themselves stellar employees with staying power, hopefully not to be unemployed again until it was by their choice.

Now, as many of those workers have settled into new jobs and the available labor pool has drained a bit, some employers are mulling over the same matters of excellence and asking what will make them stand out to eager and well-qualified workers.

Answers may be found in what employees wrote on nomination forms for the 2014 Employer of Choice awards in Missoula. Sponsored by the Missoula Job Service Employers’ Council, the award honors businesses that provide great workplaces, large and small.

What makes workers rave about their workplace?

Interestingly, salary doesn’t appear on one of the 18 nominations for 11 employers.

And the winners are:

Homeword At Homeword, employer excellence includes benefits that promote wellness, a sense of being valued and performing meaningful work, participating in the community, and striking a healthy work-life balance even down to allowing employees to take their infants to work.

Homeword is a non-profit that employs fewer than 75 employees. It empowers residents to find safe, healthy, affordable housing, using sustainable methods and promoting strong communities. In the same way, Homeword employees said it also empowers them to participate in its business decision-making process, as well as developing strategic goals, stressing its value of employees’ ideas and perspectives. It encourages a healthy work-life balance with a generous annual leave and holiday leave package. Paid team-building, staff development, and the ability to work from home in some positions are part of that. Workers are

recognized for excellence with cash bonuses or paid time off. They can acknowledge one another, too, with gift cards that peers can give to co-workers for their contributions.

The organization is dedicated to the community, partnering with other organizations and agencies, and sponsoring community events. It is devoted to environmentally-conscientious business practices and reinforces that by giving bus passes to employees and housing-development residents, providing bikes for employees to run errands and offering recycling.

Benefits include fully-paid health, life, and shortand long-term disability insurance for employees working 32 to 40 hours per week. Employees who work less are covered on a pro-rated basis.

Payne West Insurance The award for a larger employer goes to PayneWest Insurance, a top-10 nationally ranked insurance agency with about 100 of its 600 employees in its Missoula office.

The company stresses traits that help define its employment climate – entrepreneurial culture, culture of teamwork and cooperation, and culture of open communications and transparency. It is a company that fosters and expects leadership in its agency, its industry and community. That means that personal growth and development is encouraged and financially rewarded. It created PayneWest University as an educational entity that provides in-house classes ranging from 30 minutes to several days in length.

The agency encourages workers to contribute to the community with their personal and professional time. It focuses one entire week on serving the community and coordinates activities that include such things as helping build new homes with Habitat for Humanity and assisting the elderly or ailing children at Ronald McDonald House.

Like Homeword, PayneWest offers outstanding benefits beyond insurance and sick leave. Benefits include flexible schedules, a wellness program with cash incentives, generous personal leave, and bonuses.

Other nominees and the values described by employees are: • ALPS, nominated by four employees - Benefits,

including reimbursement of gym membership and nursing rooms set up for mothers, flexible work hours and encouragement of work/life balance.

• Allegiance – Benefits include rewards for longevity, internal promotion and a team atmosphere. A long list of local organizations and institutions benefit from the company’s philanthropy.

• Aqua Creek Products – Encourages ideas for new products and current product improvement with incentives. Focuses on training and education, involves itself in community projects, and provides broad financial benefits as well as flexible scheduling.

• Child Care Resources – Generous benefits, invests in employee training and advancement, fosters community involvement with donations of goods and labor.

• Collection Bureau Services, Inc. – Benefits that include profit sharing, open environment that solicits employee input and acknowledges their contributions, chooses a charity or not-for-profit organization to support with monetary donations and needed items.

• It Starts With Me Health Promotions – Each employee is considered an equal decision maker and is encouraged to further his or her education and development as individuals.

• Missoula Bone and Joint, nominated by four employees – Benefits include an “incredible” 401(k) match, employees are mentored and can train for positions that become available, workers feel deeply valued, community outreach benefits local organizations, including professionals who offer their time and expertise to athletic teams and for school physicals, as well as public education.

• Neptune – Benefits extend beyond the insurance package to personal support for employees who need it. The company’s core values – Embracing Family, Firm Handshake, and Resilient Spirit embody the company’s conduct. Employees have moved from maintenance to management. Employees take pride in the company’s civic involvement.

• St. Regis Travel Center – Benefits include insurance and holidays, plus a summer bonus.

Workplace culture includes bosses who jump in to solve problems and encourage employees to generate tips on customer service or health and safety. A giving spirit benefits organizations and individuals in need.