A common complaint among job seekers is that employers at many job and career fairs aren’t hiring.
That won’t be the case at Success Fair, where about 250 employers – all with current openings – will be recruiting. The job fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Ave. Attendees are encouraged to register in advance by clicking on this link.
Employers will be recruiting for positions for entry level candidates all the way to senior managers, said Darrick McDaniel, one of the main organizers of the event. This will be the third year that the Success Fair will be held. About 1,000 participants have attended each year, he said.
“We wanted to be very intentional about representing the community to make sure employment and resources are accessible to them.”
Darrick McDaniel, one of the main organizers of Success Fair, on how the event was designed to meet the need of job seekers throughout Greater Cleveland.
Success Fair will include:
- Free parking and RTA passes
- Free onsite child care.
- Free legal services, including help with expungements
- Assistance with driver’s license reinstatement
Organizers came up with wraparound services that can help people land and keep a job, said McDaniel, a recruitment and development manager for the City of Cleveland. He and the other organizers looked at many things that possibly prevented people from attending the fair in the past, including legal issues and other barriers would-be job seekers believed had made them unemployable. Organizers, many with experience in job training and placement, relied on feedback from past Success Fair attendees.
“We asked them: ‘What are your takeaways? Were you successful? What do you like? What do you think needs to be improved?’” he said. “We wanted to be very intentional about representing the community to make sure employment and resources are accessible to them.”
Success Fair seeks to eliminate barriers job seekers face from free child care to free legal help
Expensive downtown parking emerged as one disincentive to attend. This year’s attendees can park for free at the Lakefront Municipal Parking lot, or the Muni lot, 1500 S. Marginal Road, and get free shuttle service to the convention center. Council Member Richard Starr and Ohio Rep. Terrence Upchurch secured money for the parking, and Valley Ford Truck in Valley View is sponsoring the shuttle service.
A lack of child care made it difficult for some parents with young children to attend. A Better Day Academy in Cleveland Heights is sponsoring onsite child care.
Many believed job seekers impacted by the criminal justice systems didn’t attend because they were convinced no one would hire them. The same goes for those with a suspended driver’s license or child support payment issues. At Friday’s Success Fair, the Cleveland Municipal Clerk of Courts’ In the Neighborhood program will help people with outstanding warrants. Representatives from the Ohio Department of Motor Vehicles will be there to help with the reinstatement of driver’s licenses. The Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office and the Cleveland State University College of Law’s Pardon, Clemency, and Reentry Clinic will offer help with record sealing and expungements and offer other free legal advice. The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland will offer free legal advice on civil issues.
Attendees will also be able to get their resumes reviewed and redone on the spot. The Salvation Army and Dress for Success will run a free clothing boutique for attendees who need something to wear to an interview or who need suitable clothing for work. The Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission will provide full veteran support services. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health will offer Level I Food Safety Certification, but attendees must create an account and register for the training by clicking this link.
When McDaniel first came up with the idea for Success Fair, he said many told him that they doubted pulling off such a large event for job seekers was possible.
“They said employers and organizations wouldn’t come together because they were used to operating in silos,” he said. “Our goal has been to change that narrative.”
These are some of the employers who will be recruiting at the Success Fair:
- Blue Technologies
- Borden
- City of Cleveland
- City of Shaker Heights
- Cleveland Metroparks
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
- Dollar Bank
- Encore Employment Enterprise, Inc. – Specializing in Senior Employment
- FedEx Freight
- Great Lakes Truck Driving School
- Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
- Hilton Cleveland Downtown
- Hotel Cleveland
- Inner State Beauty School
- Jack Entertainment
- Marous Brothers Construction
- Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
- Oatey
- Ohio Department of Transportation
- PCC Airfoils – SMP
- Shearer’s Foods
- The MetroHealth System
- The Ohio State Highway Patrol
- Universal Oil
- University Hospitals
- Veteran Health Administration (VHA)
- West Side Catholic Center
- Progress Rail
- Lorain County 911
- Huntington Convention Center / ASM Global
- Hose Master
- FIT Technologies
- Foundation Software
- Cuyahoga County Human Resources
- Cleveland Builds
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cargill
- Caring Magnificent Hearts & Testing Facility
- Catholic Charities Head Start and Early Learning Program
- Amotec
- Anderson Biro Staffing
The Success Fair’s other sponsors include the Cuyahoga County Veterans Commission, the Center for Employment Opportunities, Humana, Dollar Bank and Oriana House.