Allonhill Job Fair a Success

Allonhill hosted a job fair yesterday in Denver. We had 125 applicants make the trek downtown to spend a few minutes getting to know us and telling us about their job skills and interests.

The job fair was not without its moments. We received a lot of great publicity from local newspapers and television, and we were well-prepared for good turnout. We’d scheduled the event for outside, in our building’s plaza. I suppose this leaves no doubt that we are an optimistic group. It was clear by the day before that the weather would turn right around the time people would be walking from their cars, to an unfamiliar destination, in high heels and nice clothes, and they’d be freezing and drenched, then would get to mill around in a big, chilly lobby. So we moved it to the Magnolia Hotel’s meeting rooms, four blocks away. We publicized the change in venue broadly, but there were still plenty of people who did the logical thing and came to our offices, where they found out that the event had been moved.

The Magnolia has been very good to Allonhill. We’ve hosted meetings there when we were between builds, and we’ve had parties there too. They are always wonderful, and the facility is warm and inviting on a cold day.

I knew the move would be a problem for some people, though. If you don’t already work downtown, getting there is a hardship. So is parking, so is the cold weather, and so is coming to the first location and being told it’s moved. We had our friendliest staff waiting to greet and direct people, but there was still at least one extremely disgruntled applicant who got an impromptu interview upstairs with the CEO after all other efforts to assuage her anger failed (it turned out this was a terrific applicant, and I don’t blame her for being mad). We found out from a couple of people that our gesture of apology, a gift coupon for free yogurt at PinkBerry, was probably not the greatest idea on a cold day, and especially when considering the ones who were the most put off didn’t come from downtown and had no idea what PinkBerry is about. That’s okay; I’m eating theirs.

I spent the afternoon meeting people as they waited for their interview. These interviews were really more like screenings, to go over resumes and get a quick read on whether someone met the qualifications for any of the many positions we have open. It was the best afternoon I’ve had in a long time. I met so many wonderful people! The range of skills and experience went from no experience at all, but with determination to break into a new career path, to highly experienced executives.

We were THRILLED with the turnout, and especially with the level of talent represented in that room. Their seriousness about their profession and industry, and their interest in working for Allonhill, were tremendous and exciting to me.

To those who made the effort and were able to come meet us, thank you so much. It was an incredible pleasure for us to meet you. For those who are looking for a position at Allonhill, please check the jobs listed on our website. We still need many more applicants.