When I was 17, my mother was not content to let me lollygag about without a job, so she went down to the local Tastee Freez in my little town and convinced the owner, Alan B., to give me a part-time, after-school position. (I remember a few things about Alan B. to this day. He did his bookkeeping from a messy desk in the back of the store and, when he wasn’t using it, tucked his lit cigar behind his ear.)

The truth is, I wasn’t very good at the job. I remember once someone asked me to make a malt, and I didn’t know how, so I just made up something (it had ice cream, ice and some flavoring in it—who knows what else.) Another time (this was before cash registers did the calculating for you), a customer gave me his cash and I couldn’t do the math in my head fast enough to know how much change he had coming. So I accidentally-on-purpose dropped the money so I could do the ciphering while I was on my knees behind the cash register.

That was a long time ago, but fortunately today there are better ways to find good jobs and quality employees (certainly better than I was) especially in the hospitality industries.

One of the best is at the second annual Wake County Hospitality Job Fair, scheduled for Tues., March 5, 2019, at Raleigh Convention Center. This Fri., Feb. 15, is the last chance for employers to reserve a space. To register, you can click here.

I was there last year (fortunately not applying for another Tastee Freez job), but there are a few things I noticed that I'd love for you to know about.

• About 800 potential employees were there (we don’t have an estimate yet for how many to expect this time). I met a few of them—some were young, some older, some confident, some nervous. All were eager to make a good impression, to meet with potential employers and (some) to use this opportunity to begin a career track in the hospitality sector. We have heard many success stories from last year (see this one for example).
• The Job Fair is a great place to find not only full-time employees but also part-time hires. In fact, we know of student groups who are coming so they can find after-school and weekend jobs.
• Also remember this—this Job Fair is specific to hospitality-industry jobs. There are other employment events you can be part of, and they are fine. But this one attracts potential employees who have already self-selected with a preference for restaurant, hotel, attraction and services jobs. You have a pool of employees already enthusiastic to work in the field.

If you’re on the fence, now’s the time to decide. Click here to register and look through the website for a lot more information about this event.

And I hope you find exactly who you are looking for. Fortunately for me, I already have a job. (<: