Commerce to host CNMI US Eligible Workers Job Expo

The CNMI Department of Commerce will be hosting a CNMI U.S. Eligible Workers Job Expo on Oct. 21, 2011, at the Multi-Purpose Center from 8:30am to 2pm.

The event is geared to allow CNMI businesses currently announcing their job vacancies to meet and interview candidates on the spot.

Participating employers will receive a certificate of participation from the CNMI Department of Commerce certifying that the employer participated in the job expo and made efforts to secure U.S. Eligible Workers (U.S. citizens, FAS citizens, and green card holders) for the positions within their organization.

While the space is limited, the event will provide 30 CNMI employers the opportunity to interact with a variety of candidates, collect résumés, conduct interviews, and advertise their business lines to the public. It also will allow eligible applicants to interact with representatives from each business and explore the variety of job opportunities available. Many of these vacancies are being announced through local media outlets and through various websites in an effort to meet the criteria for the I-129CW forms.

“What this effort does is bring employers and job candidates together in one place to explore the job opportunities that are currently being announced. Participation does not guarantee that employment will be secured or that an employer will find the right candidate, but it certainly increase the chances of that occurring,” said acting Commerce secretary Sixto Igisomar.

The event will kick off with a meet-and-greet session for participating employers with Interior Assistant Secretary Tony Babauta and local dignitaries. This will be followed by opening remarks from Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos and Babauta. Following the opening remarks, Babauta will announce the sub-grant awards to the various government and non-profit agencies who competed for the CNMI Department of Commerce’s Economic and Labor Enhancement Program. The sub-grant awardees will be on-site to market their respective programs to potential participants in helping them secure additional employment skills.

Participating employers will post their job vacancy announcements no later than Oct. 19, 2011 on http://jobs.marianas.us so that potential candidates may review the variety of opportunities available prior to the event. Candidates will be able to respond to the announcement and express interest via the website. The posting on this website is simply to provide job candidates the opportunity to sort through the various positions from the employers who will be on site so that they may better target which employers that they want to interact with.

Candidates should be ready to discuss the opportunities by preparing an adequate number of copies of their resumes for employers to review, dress appropriately for a job opportunity, and research the firms that they are interested in working for.

“This event is well timed given the dynamics of US Public Law 110-229. CNMI businesses are trying to locate US Citizens and eligible CNMI residents to replace the Foreign Labor pool and we feel that this effort will allow employers an opportunity to interact with U.S. eligible workers pool. This is also an opportune time for CNMI government employees to seek out part-time opportunities and other employment options given the continued austerity measures within the public sector,” said Igisomar. (Office of the Governor)