CareerForce is focusing more than ever on proactive outreach and meeting people in places that make sense for them. In many cases this means meeting people out in the community at places like libraries, community centers and other places they already visit. That's why CareerForce now has a presence in more than 50 libraries around Minnesota in the form of a CareerForce Corner!
There is a CareerForce Corner in the Winona Public Library, which is regularly staffed by CareerForce staff. Coming out of this collaborative relationship, the library and CareerForce recently hosted an outdoor job fair in that Southeastern Minnesota city. The event brought together 32 local employers and about 40 job seekers. Employer participants had nothing but good things to say and they felt it was helpful in making connections with potential employees. Job seekers said they felt more comfortable in the informal outdoor job fair format. One employer came to us after the event and said that it was the best job fair that they had attended in years.
The relationship between Winona Public Library and Winona CareerForce is strong and plans are to continue collaborating in the future. In addition to the CareerForce Corner at the library and the recent job fair, the library and CareerForce are also collaborating on a job club that meets twice a month.
