Louis Sacco is used to high-pressure environments. After all, she worked as a nurse for 30 years.
But she said little could have prepared her for the stress of the current job market.
“Things have changed since I’ve been in the workforce,” she said.
Sacco and five other job seekers attended a career fair at Santa Fe College’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development on Wednesday.
The fair was held to help people re-enter the workforce by giving them professional resources and time to chat with potential employers.
Devin Marc, a personal banker with Wells Fargo, represented one of five companies at the event.
“I’m usually very blunt,” she said. “You have to make yourself as valuable as possible.”
Enactus, a business service club within UF’s Warrington College of Business Administration, hosted the biannual event and provided resume critiques, mock interviews and presentations about the job market.
Melissa Travaglia, a 21-year-old UF marketing junior and a member of the business organization, said the fair was designed to be educational and to allow some unemployed people to network with city businesses.
Travaglia said she was surprised by the small turnout, especially since Alachua County’s unemployment rate is 7.1 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“I think it’s a disconnect of being aware and going out and actually doing it,” she said.
Sacco has been unemployed for about a year after an injury made it impossible for her to keep up with her job’s physical demands.
The 59-year-old said she’s ready to begin a new career but said she sees a completely different landscape.
“It’s nice to see what’s new and how I can use my skills in a different capacity,” Sacco said.
Contact Shelby Webb at swebb@alligator.org.
Enactus, a UF business organization, hosted a job fair Wednesday for adults hoping to re-enter the workforce. The organization provided resume critiques and mock interviews. Six job seekers participated.
