Gina Keith, office manager at Kachemak Electric, spoke with job seekers on March 22 at Kenai Peninsula Job Fair held at Peninsula Job Center. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Gina Keith, office manager at Kachemak Electric, spoke with job seekers on March 22 at Kenai Peninsula Job Fair held at Peninsula Job Center. (Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Local employers attend annual job fair

More than 50 employers attended the Peninsula Job Center at Old Carrs Mall yesterday for the annual Kenai Peninsula Job Fair, hosted by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The job fair was free and open to the public and participants were asked to bring their resumé and dress for potential interviews. In the past, the event has drawn upward of 700 people, said Rachel O’Brien, regional manager of Job Center operations.

“If this morning is any indiction, I think we’re going to be on the high side of that this year,” O’Brien said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The job fair gives employers and job seekers an opportunity for human interaction, which is lacking in online applications, she said.

“The largest benefit to job seekers is having a lot of employers in one place, so a one-stop shop, in order to talk to employers.”

The list of employers included Tesoro, Kachemak Electric Co., Kenai Parks and Recreation and the Alaska Division of Forestry.

Several of the employers were looking to fill full-time, permanent positions including Kachemak Electric Co., which is looking for a project manager who is able to read electrical maps and submit bids, according to their representative Gina Keith.

Carlile Transportation was also in attendance. The trucking company is gearing up for a project they are starting on the peninsula that will require Class A CDL Licenses, according to Robyn Moe, Carlile’s HR generalist.

Other employers were also hiring for seasonal positions, including Pacific Star Seafoods, the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department and the Alaska Division of Forestry.

“We have a few different positions that we are hiring for, we’re trying to gear up for summer like a lot of the places here,” Dottie Herrick of Frontier Community Services said. “We’re looking for someone that has a passion for helping people, because we help people with disabilities.”

The Kenai Parks and Recreation Department is also looking for temporary, seasonal employees to help with various tasks, including maintenance, said Randy Dodge, operator of the Parks and Recreation Department.

The Alaska Division of Forestry is hiring a variety of short-term positions for the summer months.

“Mostly what we hire are firefighters, drivers and then we hire people to help out in dispatch and administration as well,” Nick Adamson of the Division of Forestry said. “There is no experience necessary, we offer a free firefighting class in the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May and that will get them certified to fight wildfires across the U.S.”

Although the job fair happens just once a year, the Job Center works throughout the year to connect employers and jobseekers, O’Brien said. They also offer mock interviews and assistance in resume writing. For more information, call the Peninsula Job Center at 335-3010.

Kat Sorensen can be reached at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Kenai Central High School’s Kyle Foster speaks during the 35th Annual Caring for the Kenai Oral Presentations at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward freshman wins 35th Caring for the Kenai with thermal asphalt proposal

Twelve finalists were chosen in this year’s competition.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) speaks to reporters about his decision to veto an education funding bill at the Alaska State Capitol on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy’s veto of education funding bill puts pressure on lawmakers during final month of session

Governor also previews new bill with $560 BSA increase, plus additional funds for policy initiatives.

Brent Johnson speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Assembly kills resolution asking for option to cap property assessment increases

Alaska municipalities are required by state statute to assess all properties at their full and true value.

City of Kenai Public Works Director Scott Curtain; City of Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel; Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche; Sen. Lisa Murkowski; Col. Jeffrey Palazzini; Elaina Spraker; Adam Trombley; and Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank cut the ribbon to celebrate the start of work on the Kenai River Bluff Stabilization Project in Kenai, Alaska, on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai bluff stabilization info meeting rescheduled for April 30

Originally, the event was scheduled for the same time as the Caring for the Kenai final presentations.

Project stakeholders cut a ribbon at the Nikiski Shelter of Hope on Friday, May 20, 2022, in Nikiski, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Peninsula organizations awarded mental health trust grants

Three organizations, in Seldovia, Seward and Soldotna, recently received funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority.

Chickens are seen inside of a chicken house at Diamond M Ranch on Thursday, April 1, 2021, off Kalifornsky Beach Road near Kenai, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna council hears call to lessen chicken restrictions

The Soldotna City Council this month heard from people calling for a… Continue reading

Mount Spurr, raised to Advisory on the Volcano Alert Level, can be seen in yellow northwest of the Kenai Peninsula. (Map courtesy Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Department of the Interior)
Spurr activity ‘declined slightly’

If an eruption were to occur, there would be noticeable indicators that may provide days to weeks of additional warning.

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche delivers a borough update to the joint Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Micciche pushes mill rate decrease, presses state to boost education funding

Borough Mayor Peter Micciche delivered an update to the joint Kenai and Soldotna Chambers of Commerce on Wednesday.

Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion
SPITwSPOTS employees speak to an attendee of the Kenai Peninsula Job and Career Fair in Kenai on Wednesday.
Job fair gathers together employers, job seekers

“That face-to-face has kind of been missing for a lot of people.”

Most Read