Southwest Kansas Regional Job Fair coming Feb. 7

ELLY GRIMM • Leader & Times

Those looking for employees and those looking for employment will soon be matched up thanks to the Liberal Chamber of Commerce. 

The 2023 Southwest Kansas Regional Job Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Seward County Activity Center at 810 Stadium Road. Businesses can come in that day from 8 to 10 a.m. to set up their booths, and then they will be able to meet everyone else during the event. 

“I would invite any businesses looking for employees to call the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855, and we'll be sure to reserve them a booth space and get them registered,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rozelle Webb said. “We'd also like to invite anyone looking for a job to come out, it's a great opportunity to see what types of jobs are available and apply for them. And like in years past, lunch will be available that day for attendees. I expect we'll see a lot of businesses out there, because there are a lot of places looking for help. I'm also hoping to see a lot of job seekers either seeking a job or looking to change careers, whatever their plan happens to be.”

Overall, Webb said, the job fair is a great opportunity for those on both sides of the table. 

“It's a very cost-effective way to meet prospective employees, and I hope we'll see a lot of job seekers out at the fair. It's good for both sides of the table, and it's a great way to go to a lot of businesses in one day without actually having to do a lot of travel,” Webb said. “Instead of traveling or going door to door, it's a great way for job seekers to meet a lot of people in one space at one time who are looking for help. It's very convenient.”

Webb added with the success of last year’s event, she hopes this year’s fair will also go well. 

“We had a lot of businesses participate last year, and we also saw a fair amount of job seekers out there, which we were happy to see, and I'm hoping to see more this year. It's a service we provide for our local businesses, and they're grateful to have that venue to help find employees,” Webb said. “I'm excited to help match up employers and employees, because both sides ultimately need that help, and the job fair is a great way to do that. Sponsors for this year are the Liberal Chamber of Commerce, the Leader & Times, KSCB-The Legend, and Rocking M Media, and we're very glad to be working with all of them.”

For job seekers preparing to come to the fair, Webb had some advice to offer. 

“They should dress for the occasion, bring multiple copies of their résumé with them, along with a pencil and paper so they can take notes and information as needed,” Webb said. “With the businesses themselves, we provide the tables and chairs, so all they really need to bring is any paperwork they'd want prospective employees to fill out and some type of advertisement for their business, whether it's a banner or whatever they use. As far as deadlines, we'd like businesses to let us know by Feb. 1 if they're planning on having a booth there, that will help us plan things out and plan where to put everyone.”

Webb said there are several things she looks forward to with the annual event. 

“It's one of the major events we put on to help our local businesses, and we always see good turnout. Businesses need help, and so do the job seekers, so this is a great way to bring everyone together,” Webb said. “Last year, we had about 20 communities represented, we advertise this event in a 50-mile radius of Liberal, so we always get people from out of town looking for work in the area. We do have businesses call pretty much year-round asking when we're going to have our job fair, which we're really happy about. I enjoy visiting with the businesses that come out and talking to them about who they are and what they do, it's always interesting to hear from them. It's also always exciting to hear from someone who was hired on the spot for this event, it's always great to hear that.”