Yesterday at South Common Community Centre, more than 400 teens passed through the Mississauga Service Canada Centres for Youth summer job expo in its first hour.
"Last year, we had 500 students in total for the four-hour expo, so this is a huge success, greater than we imagined," said Caillin Pinto, a York University student who helped organize the event.
Students were able to access job search information and get help with their resumes and filling out job applications. Some 20 employers from across the city, including The Source, Extreme Pita, Starbucks and Winners, to name a few, accepted resumes and interviewed students.
Clarkson Secondary School graduate Pinky Ali hopes she gets a phone call with good news in the coming days. She dropped off 10 resumes and was interviewed by one company.
"I really want to work this summer," said Ali, who'll attend university in September. "It's great that (the employers) are here to interview."
Employers were equally impressed with the turnout, and the talent.
"This is a great event and we've talked to a large number of students," said Scott Hamilton, a recruiter for Good Life Fitness. With six locations in Mississauga, Good Life can hire about 20-30 students looking for part-time work.
Employment Ontario representatives, who also had a booth, called the expo "a huge success."
Sandra Araujo, a youth employment coach, said she has attended hundreds of job fairs, but Tuesday's expo was one of the best she has seen.
"We've been to fairs at bigger venues...and employers don't even show up," she said. "They just leave a box out for people to drop in their resumes. This is very impressive.
"All of the students are dressed professionally; they really want to get a job and it shows," Araujo added.
jslack@mississauga.net
