ORWELL —  There were 4,100 unemployed persons in Ashtabula County in June, but a job fair held at Grand Valley High School on Wednesday drew only eight persons in its first five hours.

The fair, “Uniting Talent with Opportunity,” was sponsored by Country Neighbor Program in partnership with Rep. Casey Kozlowski, R-Pierpont. Kozlowski’s office partnered with the agency to promote the event, which was scheduled 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

However, by 1:30 p.m., Jill Chernesky of Colebrook and Karen Schlote of Cherry Valley were packing up their Avon recruiting table and heading home.

They were unable to convince job seekers that they could make anything from a few extra dollars to a full-time career for an initial investment of $10.

“You don’t get laid off, and if you want a raise, you go out and get another customer,” Chernesky said, explaining the benefits of being an independent consultant.

You don’t have to live in the suburbs, either. Schlote pointed out that even though she lives in a very rural township, she sold enough to make the President’s Club. Opportunity is where you make it — Amish customers account for about half of her sales.

For job seekers who want something that does not involve selling, Save-A-Lot’s distribution center in Austinburg has five order-selector positions to fill. Kevin Rocco, assistant manager of the distribution center, said pay of $14 to $25 per hour is possible. Qualifications are a good safety record and availability — the distribution center is a 24/7 operation.

“Work history is a big thing for us,” he said.

Even a free bag of microwave popcorn was not enough to draw a crowd to the Save-A-Lot booth. Rocco said that the several who did have an interest were directed to apply online at savealot.com.

Nine jobs orders were posted at the Ashtabula County Department of Job and Family Services Office of Workforce Development booth. Kathleen Davey, an employment service representative, said openings include a field supervisor, administrative secretary and second-shift plant supervisor.

With lots of time on their hands, Davey and the other representatives used the opportunity to critique resumes brought in by job seekers.

“We collect the resumes and put them in a bank so when the jobs pop up they will have a match,” she said.

Jonathon Brooks, human resources director for Creative Learning Workshops, said the three most common problems that he encounters with resumes are misspellings, lack of contact information and improper qualifications for the position being sought.

Amanda McGowan, administrator for the Geneva CLW location, said they are in a hiring mode, both for Geneva and a new location in Newbury Township, Geauga County. Geneva has 33 employees and needs more.

“We have tripled in size,” McGowan said of the Geneva workshops that work with individuals with an intellectual disability.

She said openings that require a degree are most difficult to fill in Ashtabula County, because the young people who do get a degree move out of the area to take advantage of more varied opportunities.

“We have only one employee with a college degree (at Geneva),” she said. There is a need for teachers and LPNs, but also opportunities for non-degreed persons to work as aides.

“We have a whole plethora of jobs,” McGowan said.

Infinity Resources’ Nancy Harden said the applicants who stopped at her booth were mostly professional, college-educated persons. She said it is her observation that those who receive unemployment benefits don’t get serious about finding a job until about a month before their benefits are about to expire.

Then again, perhaps the lackluster response was due to the beautiful weather, a perfect day to go fishing, if you could find a stream or pond with enough water for the activity.

While acknowledging the slim response to the job fair, Kozlowski said that if just one unemployed person ended up with a job, the effort would be a success. His summer intern, David Thomas, said about a dozen businesses, employment services and schools participated.

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