More than 100 people turned out March 23 to “throw their hats in the ring” for job opportunities with the Hazard Lowe’s home improvement warehouse at a day-long job fair hosted by the Perry County JobSight.

“It was great,” Sonya Roark, Human Resources manager for the Hazard Lowe’s store, said of the turnout. “We weren’t expecting that number of people. It definitely exceeded our expectations.”

Although the turnout surprised Roark and other Lowe’s managers who attended, it did not surprise Jack Duff, manager of the Perry County JobSight workforce center located in the L.K.L.P. Community Action Council at Jeff.

“It’s our job to help employees find the right job, and help employers find the right employees to meet their staffing needs,” Duff said. “When you help both sides of that equation, everybody wins.”

Roark said the Hazard Lowe’s store plans to select up to 50 seasonal employees from the 102 applicants who attended the job fair at the JobSight. Those positions could turn into permanent full-time or part-time jobs depending on the employees’ performance and the store’s staffing needs, she said.

Attendance for the Lowe’s event is the second triple-digit turnout in as many weeks for job fairs hosted by Perry County JobSight for area employers. A recent job fair for International Coal Group (ICG) attracted nearly 200 job seekers interested in coal mining careers.

The Perry County JobSight is part of the JobSight network of workforce centers administered in 23 eastern Kentucky counties by the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, Inc. (EKCEP). At JobSight’s one-stop workforce centers, job seekers and employers can access over a dozen state and federal employment and training programs and employer services in a single location. JobSight links employers with the right employees through EKCEP’s Business Solutions services and activities.

Roark said having the event at the JobSight greatly reduced the amount of time required to handle a large number of applicants. At the store, only two applicants can complete the company’s on-line job application at any given time. The JobSight’s computer-equipped Resource Room allowed 10 people to work on applications at once.

“It was just convenient,” Roark said of the JobSight’s hosting of the job fair. “The JobSight also had staff there who knew how to help us administer our applications and assessments.”

Crawford Blakeman, EKCEP’s Business Solutions manager, said any area employer can benefit from the convenience of JobSight helping handle their human resources duties.

“We’re here to help employers throughout eastern Kentucky,” Blakeman said, “and the JobSight network can help them find the right employees for the right jobs just like we’re helping the Hazard Lowe’s store.”

Roark said the success of the job fair guarantees Lowe’s partnership with EKCEP and the JobSight network will continue. She said plans are already being developed for the JobSight network to host a regional job fair also involving Lowe’s stores in Pikeville, Paintsville, and Wise, Va.

“Working with JobSight helped us out tremendously,” Roark said. “It’s a great opportunity for us, and can be a great opportunity for other employers, too.”

Employers interested in learning more about JobSight services can contact Crawford Blakeman at 606-436-5751.