Amidst a competitive job market, Lead’s employment expo emphasized local hiring
LEAD, S.D. (KEVN) - Job hunting in a competitive market is one of the most stressful things to do, and job expos are hosted to make that task a little bit easier.
The Lead Employment Expo was that place for some folks on Tuesday. Including people all over the Black Hills who wanted to network their way into two of the nation’s leading research laboratories, Sanford Underground Research Facility and Fermilab. But during the expo, the tone was different, with both employers mentioning the importance of local employment and making sure people who are looking for a job are informed.
“This is a great opportunity to get to know what’s available to you locally and we want to make sure that they understand that we’re committed to hiring locally and want to get to know them on a deeper level,” expressed Fermilab technical recruiter Katie Rave.
Whether it’s a position with one of the research facilities or something else, knowing how to land that first interview is key in your job search, even if it’s just at the local level.
“Anybody who wants a position or wants a job or career opportunity needs to present themselves first as a professional and secondly that they’re aligning with the values of the organization. So they need to do their homework,” explained Sanford Underground Research Facility human resources manager Chris Burger.
Presenting oneself as a professional and knowing the organization where the application is going is only part of the job.
“They need to have a passion for what they do because I believe that’s what makes them happy and content in their position,” said Burger.
Tying both that passion and local work ethic together is why some Lead officials consider the city a growing hub in the northern Black Hills.
“‘Miles beyond ordinary’ and it truly is, what Lead is; there’s so much going on here scientific-wise, mining-wise, just in general, the beauty of the hills, and we want people to come here; we want people to stay here,” said Lead Area Chamber of Commerce executive director Jami Grangaard. “We still need people in the service industry working at our hotels and some of our tourist-type destinations because those places keep us going year-round, and so this expo is a great place to start.”
If you still want to get involved in the application process with either SURF or Fermilab, you can click on the hyperlinks to go to their website to find available job openings.
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