NMSU job fair to be on Saturday

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — The mining industry in the area is expected to boom once again in the next couple of years. What type of jobs will be available for college graduates in this comeback field? Find out Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon at the Fourth Annual New Mexico State University-Grant Career/Job Fair. Potential employers will be on hand from a variety of industries to assess future employees and answer questions about their specific company.

Campus Student Services Director Irene Lutz is expecting a good turnout.

“So far we have 18 employers signed up for presentations and interviews, and we do expect more before the weekend. Our success ratio has been pretty good in the past of getting applicants placed, primarily in the local casinos and in the field of corrections,” she said.

Other industry participants include Pima Medical, ITT and colleges including NMSU and Central New Mexico College of Albuquerque. The mining industry will be represented too and that appears to be growing area of interest to job seekers.

“Mining will be coming back strong, and because the industry has changed so much there will be a big demand for tech and computer jobs in the field as opposed to labor,” Lutz said.

The fair will have more employers on hand to explore the available labor market and the turnout should be better than in the past as it is being held on a weekend, and not during the week when most people are at jobs and can’t attend.

As local applicants go from booth to booth exploring opportunities, attendees will have the opportunity to have their skills assessed by taking the Career Interest Inventory.

The test takes about an hour to complete and gives the employer and the prospective employee an idea of which career path should be taken. Each jobs fair vendor will have a display and information relating to their company or organization and will answer all questions.

The CareerJob fair will take place this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon and be held in the lounge area of the Martinez Building on the campus of NMSU-Grants.

For more information contact Irene Lutz at (505) 287-6629. Interested persons can also visit their Web site at www.grants.nmsu.edu