The job hopefuls started lining up as soon as the event started. By midmorning more than 400 people had arrived for the Garrison’s first-ever public hiring event.
By all accounts, the job fair Jan. 31 was a big success. There was a steady line of people waiting to sign in at the Yulista building at Redstone Gateway.
“We are truly excited that this is our first job fair for the Garrison,” Garrison Commander Col. Brian Cozine said. “And we truly appreciate we have this many people from across all the communities to come in and look for the opportunities to get a job here at Redstone.”
Eranika Ford, 36, of Huntsville, said she was interested in looking for a career in suicide prevention and human resources assistant.
“I think it’s very exciting,” she said of the job fair. “It makes me feel confident that they want people to come in and work for them, especially people in the community.”
Montgomery native Tyreek Bowden, 25, of Huntsville, said he attended “to get a better job opportunity for myself, in particular gate guard and entry level so I can get in a GS position.”
“So far, I think it’s good,” Bowden said while waiting in line to sign in. “I’m impressed with the turnout. They got a good amount of people here.”
Joey Skinner, public works director, was among those seeking candidates for job openings.
“I think it’s a great event, great turnout,” Skinner said. “Unfortunately they may not all fit what we’re looking for. But I’m going to tell you, with the relationships we’re creating and being able to inform individuals of what we do, that way they can go to usajobs and look for positions that may not be open today but for the future. Today we’re looking at short-term investment, but we’re looking for this to possibly be a long-term investment as well.”
Scott Throckmorton, director of emergency services/director of plans, training, mobilization and security, was also impressed by the turnout. He pointed at those seeking guard, police and operations positions.
“Look at the line of people, the line for guards,” Throckmorton said. “It’s pretty amazing that there’s still this level of interest considering the amount of opportunities that are available in Huntsville.
“It’s good to see that there’s still this many people that see the federal government as a path for career of choice and we’re excited about their interest.”
Redstone Police Capt. Derek Campbell was among the interviewers and coordinators for the police department.
“We’re already having a good turnout,” Campbell said within the first hour of the event which went from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. “We think it’s a great way to reach people in the community and reach people who may not know about the jobs. And we think it’s a good way to get qualified candidates.”
Linda Moseley, human resources director, called the event “a phenomenal success.”
“We’re announcing these positions to all U.S. citizens, so we’re increasing our candidate pool to draw from our local community and outlying areas and taking in the wealth of knowledge and talent that the greater Huntsville community has.”
She mused that she had already talked to three doctors that morning.
“The federal government is now a competitive employer,” Moseley said. “We offer benefits, entitlements and service to our nation. Being a federal service employee is an honor.”
By event’s end, she estimated there were more than 770 attendees. Moseley said she expects all 87 vacant positions, including 22 in human resources, to be filled through this hiring fair. These range from basic entry to senior level positions.
“Our plan per the guidance from IDS (IMCOM Director of Sustainment Davis Tindoll) is he wants to create a robust workforce, and the way to do that is to have either quarterly or semiannual hiring fairs,” Moseley said. “Mission first, people always.”
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