LIBERTY Job expo offers advice in more than r & eacute;sum & eacute;s, interviews

The event offered a recruiting opportunity for 16 participating employers.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
LIBERTY -- Fresh out of the police academy, Monica Nieves was just hoping to find a few job leads when she showed up at the Valley's Job Expo 2003.
Instead, the 22-year-old Campbell woman got a free career-oriented makeover and some tips on how to stay well-groomed on the job.
"I'm disappointed that I didn't find a job. I guess I'll have to keep looking," the Western Reserve Police Academy graduate admitted, "but I learned a lot about makeup and finding the look that's right for me."
Planners putting together the second annual expo on Wednesday at the Holiday Inn MetroPlex in Liberty included makeovers by Elizabeth Arden hair and makeup artists and a fashion show by Stein Mart along with the more typical sessions on r & eacute;sum & eacute; writing and interview skills.
Nieves volunteered for a makeover session by Derek Miller, an Elizabeth Arden makeup expert from Cuyahoga Falls. Demonstrating application techniques for foundation and eye makeup, Miller told participants that the biggest makeup mistake women make in the workplace is they put on too much makeup.
"When a woman walks into an interview and people notice her makeup, there's something wrong," he said, urging the job seekers to use lipstick, mascara and other accents lightly. "You don't want a harsh look."
A chance to meet
Presented by The Vindicator and sponsored by WFMJ TV-21, the one-day job fair offered employers an opportunity to meet with prospective employees.
Michael Lesch, director of operations for Columbiana-based Staff Right Professional Services, said he had collected 50 applications and a stack of r & eacute;sum & eacute;s within the first few hours of the event.
Staff Right, which also has offices in Boardman, helps companies locate permanent and temporary employees to fill manufacturing and professional positions.
Pat Charity, a telephone sales manager for The Vindicator's classified advertising department, said organizers had a tough time this year recruiting businesses to set up displays at the expo. Last year's event had 23 employers participating compared with 16 this year.
Planners were signing up participants just as the war in Iraq was getting under way, Charity said, and many businesses declined to participate because of war fears and concerns about the sluggish economy. Some companies called to register after the war issues had been resolved, but it was too late.
vinarsky@vindy.com