KAILUA-KONA — It’s a one-stop shop with the goal of playing matchmaker.
For several employers and job-seekers who met Wednesday during the Career Expo at Kona Commons, it was just that: a chance to meet the other side of a possible pairing.
“We had a plan — we’re not leaving here till we have a pool of people,” said Jeani Navarro, vice president of The Arc of Kona, whose service-providing nonprofit for people with disabilities was looking to fill six positions.
By early afternoon, the organization had four people on its short list after face-to-face time at the fair with prospective applicants.
“That’s what success looks like,” she said.
Hundreds attended the event inside the Old Sports Authority Building lined with 54 vendor booths. It’s coordinated with Kona Commons, the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce and West Hawaii Today.
“We’re getting really good feedback from the vendors and from all the attendees,” said Wendy Laros, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce executive director.
The goal would be to make it an annual event, she added, which the partners hope to do so every year job-seekers and employers can converge on a “one-stop shop” to get what each side sought.
Jim Kilgore, executive director of Full Life, another service-providing nonprofit for people with disabilities, had conditional offers to three potential hires by the afternoon. The organization was looking to fill nine slots and the one-on-one time helped expedite the initial interviewing process.
“We’ll definitely be back next year,” he said.
Mia Wright thought she could see herself working for Full Life after meeting the team. The Waikoloa Village woman and former Peace Corp. member was looking for part-time work and said she came across Full Life and was intrigued by the possibility of helping people with disabilities — one of which she has, with a hindered right foot after an accident 13 years ago.
A career with Full Life could also help fill another role for the mother of one. She’s also thought of adopting another child, so helping others could also feel like she was expanding her family.
“It’s something I always wanted to do,” she said.