Little church holds annual job fair

LA FERIA — Being dressed to impress and armed with a resume could be all a job seeker needs to wow their next employer.

That chance could happen for anyone at the 4th Annual La Feria Job Fair that will take place Oct. 19 from 1 to 5 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of La Feria.

For one afternoon, the small church transforms into a huge employment agency. The La Feria Job Fair is held once a year on the third Thursday of October.

The fair is being sponsored by First United Methodist Church of La Feria and Workforce Solutions Cameron.

Job seekers could land a position in sales, retail, education, restaurant or government.

“Each year we have at least 20 employers participate, and hundreds of people continue to turn out,” said Andi Atkinson, job fair coordinator. “Many people find work through the job fair, so we’ll continue to hold it as long as there’s a need.”

Atkinson said whether job seekers are looking for full-time, part-time or seasonal work, anyone looking for work can make contact with at least 20 area employers at the event.

She said many of the employers will conduct on-site interviews.

Workforce Solutions Cameron will be on site with Internet-ready computers at the job fair so applicants can immediately fill out and submit their applications online.

“The church has successfully thrown this event for the past three years, with approximately 350 people in attendance,” Atkinson said.

To Atkinson’s knowledge, it is the only job fair coordinated by a church. She thought of the idea back in August 2014 at an outreach meeting at her church.

Job seekers who do not have transportation to La Feria can ride Valley Metro for free. Riders should call Valley Metro at 1-800-574-8322 for the route and schedule to La Feria.

“Many people in our community — and in the Valley — live at or below the poverty line, but they can rise above it if they can find good, steady jobs. That’s when we decided to throw a job fair,” Atkinson said. “We didn’t waste any time, either. We threw the job fair just seven weeks later because most people need extra money for the holidays.”