Reader-Submitted: I would like to publicly thank Duvi Honig and his team for the incredible expo that took place yesterday. Many people have come out with their opinions about the expo and some have been contrary to what actually took place. Just because you did not secure a job, does not mean that others did not.
I arrived at the expo at 12:30 and stayed until 7pm. Yes, it was tiring. However, I walked away with two solid interviews that will hopefully lead towards a full time job. You many wonder how I got these offers. Allow me to explain.
Many attendees were walking up and down the aisles looking for job. However, did you approach anyone? There were many company owners there that were looking to hire but did not have a booth. These people had one or two jobs available and were seeking qualified individuals to fill these positions. I actively approached people to ask them if they were looking for a job or offering. That netted me two potential jobs. So before everyone starts to ask whether people found jobs at the expo or not, I am proof that I will (hopefully) be securing a job because of this expo.
Another thing I noticed was the college booths at the expo. If someone did not find a job, perhaps you would like to beef up your resume with a college degree. There are many programs online or at local locations that offer a variety of degrees. Do not spend a year looking for a job when you could have been receiving your degree. I myself took one of these great programs when I was 24 and now I am happy I did. An employer will give more preference to someone with a degree than someone without. Therefore, I encourage you to look at these programs and take advantage of them.
Thank you,
Y.D.
great
wait a minute. Title says you found a job,and the article says you got 2 solid interviews which will hopefully lead to a job. I must be missing something here.
All everyone is saying is that it should have been advertised as a business to business expo, not a job fair for people who are out of work.
for a business to business expo it was great. Just tell it like it is.
Just curious….
You write “that will hopefully lead towards a full time job”
Why does the headline of your article say “Yes, I found a job!”?
Good Luck to you, just hoping that all works out!
U found an interview, not a job. Big difference.
TLS stop tring to sell lakewood down the river, don’t post found a job when the got got two interviews, an interview and solid job over 10 an hour are very far apart.
I agree with #2 .Dont charge people money for a JOB FARE and then make it a business marketing expo.
How was anyone supposed to know that in order to find a job you had to ask random people walking around if they are looking to hire?
As the writer of the letter, I just want to follow up. I succeeded in securing one of the jobs today! The other one I passed on to a friend. Thank u!
So we hear from ONE person that will possibly have a job. Where are all the others?? Looks like the PR people are still at work…..
It was a great experience, I met many old friends and I got a good deal on water coolers for my office!
Keep up the good work
Lets Say You Did ..find a job.
It seems like your not sure yet.
Was is worth all the time and energy to find you and a few more people jobs by having this expo is the question.
I would think there are much more smarter ways to spend time, money and energy.
I would leave it for fellow commenters to post suggestion.
the point was not if he gets the job or not. rather the point was that he had opportunities to find jobs which he obviously did because he has two interviews set up so I say Duvi your amazing keep going ! There are the doers and the talkers you’re doing! keep Doing! Klal Yisroel needs you!
I was waiting for all the positive baloney feedback. Most people found the event to be abig waste of time and money. The reason for this is because the event was not properly organized in a way that would give real direction to people that do not have jobs. The event was mainly a show case for businesses. Thats it. Nice try though….
what kind of job did you find. 1.) sales person 2.) sales person 3.) sales
How many people actually got a job out of last years expo? How many do you think will get out of this years? I’ve been to a number of job fairs in my life. This was a way for businesses to advertise themselves and a few people to maybe get an interview. It was not portrayed correctly and I feel it was a real failure for people who came seeking jobs. I hope next year they can expand the job fair part and not focus so much on the business expo
The last event had a lot of “hype” of people finding jobs, at the end it was a few commission jobs that u can get any ware, this hype led people to impractical expectations this time.
I beg to differ from all the detractors. 9-5 jobs are not the only form of parnassah, people who own businesses need to make a living too and this was an invaluable tool and for people who dont even know where to start looking for parnassah options, dont even know whats out there like me , the Expo was exactly what we needed. I went home with a lot to think about. and last, even before OP secured a job, the expo mwas a success for him. The expo cant force anyone to hire him, it put him in contact with the right people. those of you who are calling it a waste of time and $ bc it didnt meet your selfish expectations have major mechilah to ask of those who invested blood sweat and tears and yes money for the sole purpose of helping yidden find parnassah w dignity.
i had a booth and met someone at my booth and was able to recommend his services today to a customer of mine…..u never know. i agree that it was more a job fair then helping people find parnassah but….noone wasout to mislead or harm anyone….
For those offering jobs, even if they didn’t have a booth, had a special tag showing they were hiring there was no need for cold “calls” on the floor
I personally think that the next time aroundthere should be at least two a year or more. Suggestion one after succos and one around now. Why do we have to wait another year for another expo and to find a job, education etc. it should be ongoing
The negativity here is amazing!
This guy got a job. Not every person who found a job there will post about it (or even reads TLS) Also alot of the people complaining are not willing to face the fact that entry level positions do not pay top dollar.
Also a B2B show also helps people with parnassah by showing them what services can help them either start a business or expand theirs. Many such shows charge entrance fees.
Its time to stop expecting alot for nothing.
I wasted $20 on the bus ride. I wasted $25 on the admission fee. There were no booths setup with businesses hiring. Everyone was hocking their wares and were there to make money off the attendees. This was NOT a job fair and this was NOT a parnassah expo , unless you are talking about the parnassah of the businesses with the booths, or the guys running the show who I am sure made off with a mint.
First of all a big yasher koach to Duvi and all the others who gave of their time , effort , and money to put together such a event. I like many others went hoping to find a parnassah , a way to enter the work force. After walking around the expo for about 2 hours I left. On my way home I tried to reflect on my time there and see what knowledge I can walk away with. Unfortunately there wasn’t much to take away. I tried to listen to some of the speeches but most of them were so packed I couldn’t get close enough to hear anything. I know it was made with great intentions. Please next time have a little hadracha for people looking for jobs. Many of us simply don’t know which way to turn. A information booth inside would have been a great start. Next please have someone there to guide the many job seekers of what the proper mehalech would be to increase the chances of getting a job. Many of us dont really have much to put on a resume. My hopes are that there were people who found jobs there. Once again a tremendous yasher koach to everyone who put this beautiful event together(and cared enough to try and help us).
Devora
Calm down! Its not about being selfish – it’s about being realistic. And if the truth hurts now – it will save alot of grief down the line.
Happens to be there was a special person hired just to help ppl navigate the job fair section!it was an extremely organized and successful expo…and many many ppl found jobs!!!!!yes jobs!!!!last year. I know of soeone who landed a 150000$ a year job..kol hakovod to duvi!ur all jealous of his zechusim!
I agree, WHY do we have this only once a year??? Yes, I know it’s alot of work and how can we ask the people doing this L’Shem Shomayim to do this more than once every 12 months, BUT it is an UNBELIEVABLE event that accomplishes SO MUCH!!!
If somehow this can be done twice a year it would be GREAT!
THANKS AGAIN TO R’ DUVY and ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO DID THIS! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A CHIZUK IT WAS….
Kudos to the organizers!
BH, I got my job last year at the expo and it is a well paying job! I am forever greatful! I bet this year there are many that were fortunate like I was. Keep up the great work!
Wow the negative attitude that people have is insane!! Maybe that’s because they think everything needs to be handed to them on a silver platter!! !!
After the Internet asifah and the siyum hashas, we had the same people complaining.
Just saying.
Annon #27 why don’t u sign your name. People are really starving to hear the name of even ONE person who got a job at the expo. Just one. Not100 and not 1000. Just one. Someone please sign thei name!
Yasher koach to Duvi and all those involved.
We must remember that this was the first year it was done on such a large scale and certain. Things just need to be fine tuned.
As far as finding jobs there were plenty of places to leave your resume and have on the spot interviews. Even as far as the business to business aspect, it gave people ideas of what they could go into. Hatzlocho to everyone
To all those hocking the people complaining everybody agrees that if anything it was a good event for business to business the point is that it was portrayed as this amazing event that was supposed to help people find jobs too and in that it failed badly personally i dont think this is the way to do it people dont find jobs from a huge event every business got 100 resumes and most of them will go straight in the garbage no small biz has time to go thru so many resumes now
What jobs? Please.
There was no reason to make it in such a large venue where people had to shlep. the Organizers had to fill it up. and thus convinced everyone to come to this great Job fair while they knew in advance this was far from a job fair. The money wasted is enough to employ 35 people for a year.
Instead of all the bashing, why don’t we all give our input to make the next Expo more beneficial for all of us that are looking for jobs…
Were the booths of hiring companies just from the Jewish community? Were they marketed to other companies? There’s not enough work for everyone to work for a Heimische company, but any college job fair gets 30-40 non-frum employers who are actively recruiting. Why couldn’t the expo off the same thing?
I was there.
one thing that did not happen is you didn’t get a bag filled with jobs.
You had to work hard.
I am a business owner.
I wasn’t actively hiring but if the right person came up I would consider it.
At the Expo
I met an old chaver. Was very successful until 2008.
He’s honest hardworking and all the skills I’m looking for.
He was there all day.
i hate to say this but the 50k and up jobs are not out there for the inexperienced, in the tri state area there are many expos, trade shows, going on all the time pick one Health care, education, Hospitality food Service, technology, marketing, and even Financial. employers are always looking for good hard working men and women that are honest, and drug free. if u start on the the bottom and work your way up you will get there, even the managers at the big stores and franchise stores make way above 50k.
For all u negative ppl!maybe that’s y u don’t have a job??I know a few ppl who landed jobs besides the wheels r turning as we speak..things take time it all about networking n meeting right people..but ur right!!duvi should have never done this terrible event that took over his life..would have been much better if u all stayed in bed n noone tried to help you!!then!!ull forsure get a job!!!!!after all his expenses I hope duvi made something..he has never taken a penny for anything as of yet!he is the most selfless person I know!
It is scary how people say things they know nothing about and only think of themselves.
Why does it need to be such a shlep, so far away? So far away from whom? From Lakewood. There are many large communities like Brooklyn, Monsey, Passaic, Long Island etc that also have people looking for Jobs and Networking so it makes sense to make a large event somewhere in the middle. The Passaic area is actually an excellent location.
No Jobs. First off, there were. You need to make an effort yourself to go over to everyone as well as to Job Placement Organizations. If you gave it all you got, Hashem will help. If you just walked around hoping to find a pot of gold, it wont happen. And besides, an expo can not magically bring in Jobs. Its a matter of companies reaching out to the expo group and paying to be there.
There was excellent reason to make it in such a large venue. No one knows how many people will show up before it happens. If it were smaller and there was a huge crowd how many people would complain how it was too tight?
Somethings could have been done better. Hopefully they will try and make it better next time. This is the first time such a large event of this type was held. Its a group of people trying to help and we should be thankful for them.
I know one of the guys who has been working behind the scenes on this project for months without taking a cent. He really threw his life into it. It’s amazing how there are people out there that really work for the Klal without getting any recognition or kickback and even taking slack.
#23, I too was like you. I wandered around for about 2 hours and was about to leave thinking that I had nothing to gain by sticking around. I even had a ride going back to Lakewood right then (I came with the bus). BUT I decided to stick around and that’s when it became GREAT.
I wandered in to a seminar and it was an eyeopener. Then I went to another and another and after 2 hours I felt that I gained a tremendous amount of insight and information that would have an imediate positive impact on my business.
The bottom line is, going to the expo was an experience that offered a vast amount of resources for everyone.
When we deal with parnossah it means different things to different people.
For many it means starting the path to parnossah. Many have never had a job before and first need to know their options and then pursue one. For these people the Expo is a waste of time unless they want to listen to a seminar or get a sales job. They are better off going to speak to an advisor at PCS.
Let’s say someone has already decided which path to pursue and has accumulated skills and/or experience and now needs a job. Did the Expo offer opportunities? I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but last year I was and at least for me the answer was no (in the sense that they had headhunters there but I could have contacted them on my own). An unsubstantiated anecdote of a 150K job is worthless because 1) it may not be true) and 2) even if it is what were the circumstances, was it a doctor that got a job at CHEMED because if so its value is worthless to the average job hunter (unless you are a doctor). What we need are numbers (X number of people got jobs and the salaries were Y) to make this real (if it is real).
I think the primary tachlis of the Expo was if someone has a business and wants to get more business from other frum businesses then this gave a good opportunity to do so. In other words, it was good for the businesses, but not for the job hunters.
For someone who wants to start a business, I don’t know if there was much to take out from there, you are likely better off doing your homework on your own, which involves speaking to business owners on your own. If the Expo made this easier then that is another tachlis. The problem was that the purpose of the Expo was just not clearly defined.
Thank you to Duvi, and all those who worked so hard on this project. Such an event may need to be tweaked in the future to help the many job seekers, but thank you again.