[Rehab] Washington Seminar Career Fair

[Richard Davis]

Job Seeker and Employer Registration for the 2022 Washington Seminar Career
Fair is now up. We expect registration for agency job developers to be up
tomorrow.  Here is the letter about it that I prepared for wide
distribution:

Dear Employer, Job Seeker, or Job Developer for the Blind,



The Washington Seminar Career Fair will be a virtual Zoom fair. It will
occur on Monday February 7, 2022, from 11 am to 1 pm eastern time.
Registration is open now. Registration forms for each group are available
on this page:



https://nfb.org/programs-services/advocacy/washington-seminar/washington-seminar-career-fair



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



The NFB 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.



There is no charge for the fair. 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 20 to 45. 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 but should
arrange for interpreter services with their 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 (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 (see registration page for
link).

·         Monday, January 31, 3:00 to 4:15 pm eastern time, seminar: *Employer
Zoom Room Training* (link will be provided to registered employers).



Other Events



·         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 eastern time.



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                                         John F. Dubay,
Employer Liaison

NFB Employment Committee                    NFB Employment Committee

612-719-0753                                               410-671-4850

dickblind at gmail.com                                  *jdubay at leadsatscale.com
<jdubay at leadsatscale.com>*