Today the Black Press Extreme Education & Career Fair is taking place at 19 Wing Fitness and Community Centre between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Recruiters will be looking for all kinds of experience levels and personality traits.
Cedar Valley Memorial Gardens will be there actively recruiting empathetic salespeople.
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The Cedar-based company has an opening and is hoping to speak to qualified and interested candidates, according to branch manager Darryl Grossauer.
“The position title is a family services director, so we help families mostly with pre-arrangements of cemetery. We also help with the funeral,” said Grossauer.
“If the candidate fits the bill, we may move them on to our at-need team where they’ll help families who have just lost someone. That takes a little bit more qualification than just anybody applying for an entry-level, but once they’re trained up on the pre-need, we find suitable individuals to put [there].”
In terms of necessary skills, Grossauer said it’s not so much about skills as it is about character traits.
“Definitely [a] personable character, compassion, patience,” he said. “It is an asset to have sales or customer service skills. That is typically what we look for when we’re looking at a resumé, is someone whose dealt with the public before.
“Anybody who’s been in a position where they were counselling before, where they were doing any work with seniors or other vulnerable people, that’s always good as well, because we know they know how to approach the subject.”
Representatives from Vancouver Island University will also be at the event.
“We’re there to connect with potential students and help them find the right program for them,” Rob Barcelos, VIU recruitment officer said in an e-mail.
“Often people will approach us and say, ‘I really like doing X, but I don’t know if there’s a program to help me do that.’ That’s where we can help.
“At these fairs, we’ll see a lot of people looking for new opportunities or training opportunities. On top of our degree programs, we offer quick turn-around certificates, diplomas and trades programs.”
The Black Press Extreme Education and Career Fair takes place Thursday, Feb. 7, at 19 Wing Comox, Station Main, Lazo Road in Comox, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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