[Ohio-Talk] Employers, Job Seekers and Interested Participants

[Suzanne Turner]

Employers, Job Seeker, or Job Developer for the Blind: Register for 2022
February 7 Career Fair 


 

Join the National Federation of the Blind at our Washington Seminar Career
Fair on Monday, February 7, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. eastern time via
Zoom. There is no charge for the fair. Registration is open now.
Registration forms for each group are available at
<https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar/washington-se
minar-career-fair>
https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar/washington-sem
inar-career-fair.

 

Registration opens on Wednesday, January 12 and closes on Tuesday, January
25, 2022, at 8:00 p.m. eastern. Nobody will be able to register after that. 

 

The National Federation of the Blind Employment Committee runs the career
fairs and other employment activities during the year. It is our goal to
bring employers who are interested in hiring blind people in contact with
blind people who are looking for employment. We do seminars and other
activities to help blind job seekers develop interviewing and other skills.
We also recruit employers and answer their questions about hiring blind
people.  

 

Our career fairs usually bring in around 100 to 200 blind job seekers,
including some agency job developers who are looking for jobs for their
blind clients. The number of employers ranges from twenty to forty-five.
Employers will be seeking blind and low-vision persons with all levels of
skills and experience. There will be full-time jobs, part-time and seasonal
jobs, and internships. Post-COVID, an increasing number of jobs will involve
remote work, but many will require onsite work, and some will require
relocation.  

 

Each employer who attends our Washington Seminar Career Fair will get a Zoom
room, which they can customize to meet their needs. The room is expandable,
so they can have a waiting area in which job seekers can get general
information about the organization and its career offerings, and breakout
rooms in which recruiters can conduct screening interviews. Job seekers will
enter the main room on a first come, first serve basis. If too many job
seekers show up at one time, some may be asked to return later. 

 

Deafblind job seekers are encouraged to attend the career fair. Please
arrange for interpreter services with your state rehab agency. Any deafblind
person who has difficulties getting agency support should email or text Dick
Davis or John Dubay well before the career fair. See their contact
information at the end of this letter.  

 

We strongly encourage all job seekers to attend our seminars on January 17
and 24. "Zoom Etiquette and Tools for Blind Job Seekers" will teach them
technical and interviewing skills needed to interview for jobs in the Zoom
environment. "Fearless Interviewing for Blind Job Seekers" will further
build their self-confidence and interviewing skills. Attend our seminars -
don't show up on February 7 wondering what to do!  If you need extra help,
including help using Excel spreadsheets, contact us well in advance, and we
will attempt to find someone to help you personally. 

 

Career Fair employers need to attend our "Employer Zoom Room Training"
seminar. It will provide them with the skills they need to run their Zoom
rooms, get their questions answered, and learn helpful hints on how to
interview blind people. Employers need to have at least two persons to run
their Zoom room: one with technical skills and one with recruiting skills.
We cannot provide someone to run an employer's Zoom room, but will be able
to help with problems employers encounter before the Career Fair. 

 


Seminar Dates and Times


 

*	Monday, January 17, 7:00 to 8:15 PM eastern time, seminar: "Zoom
Etiquette and Tools for Blind Job Seekers" via Zoom. Closed captions
available. (see registration page for link).
*	Monday, January 24, 7:00 to 8:15 PM eastern time, seminar: "Fearless
Interviewing for Blind Job Seekers" via Zoom. Closed captions available.
(see registration page for link).
*	Monday, January 31, 3:00 to 4:15 PM eastern time, seminar: "Employer
Zoom Room Training" via Zoom. Closes captions available. (link will be
provided to registered employers).

 


Career Fair Timeline


 

*	Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 8 PM eastern time: End of registration. 
*	Wednesday, January 26, 2022

*        Distribution of registered employer Excel spreadsheet to jobseekers
and job developers.

*        Distribution of registered job seeker and job developer Excel
spreadsheets and jobseeker resumes to employers. 

*        Employers, job seekers, and job developers can contact each other
and set up interview times at the career fair. 

 

*	Week of January 31, 2022

*        Distribution of Zoom rooms to employers.

*        Job seekers and job developers receive access links to employer
Zoom rooms. 

 

*	February 7, 2022: Career Fair 11 AM to 1 PM ET. 

 

Registered individuals and organizations will receive additional information
prior to the Career Fair. If you have questions in the meantime, please
contact one of the following members of the Employment Committee. If
emailing, please include your phone number in case we need to call you. We
look forward to a successful career fair!

 

Sincerely, 

 

 

Dick Davis, Chair                                         

NFB Employment Committee                 

612-719-0753                                             

dickblind at gmail.com <mailto:dickblind at gmail.com> 

 

John F. Dubay, Employer Liaison

NFB Employment Committee

410-671-4850

jdubay at leadsatscale.com <mailto:jdubay at leadsatscale.com>