The KOMO Problem Solvers Job Fair: FML

The next few months will be an uphill battle. Could be epic.

I knew this to be true before the KOMO Problem Solvers Job Fair at the ShoWare Center in Kent, but it didn't really hit me until my girlfriend and I actually arrived at the event.

The plan seemed easy enough: my girlfriend and I decided to head to our first summer job fair a little early to make sure we made it in on time. I had my newly-created journalism portfolio and business cards, and both of us had our résumés in hand, dressed to impress and ready to tackle the decidedly difficult job market with vigor and enthusiasm. Both of us were wearing all black, my girlfriend commented that we looked like we were going to a funeral. I uneasily stole a line from the now-crazy Joaquin Phoenix's portrayal of Johnny Cash and said that maybe were were headed to a funeral.

It's safe to say the vigor and enthusiasm changed a bit when we came into view of the ShoWare Center. I'm not sure I expected any differently with the economy the way it is right now, but seeing what we saw was a very harsh reality check.

Outside, a line snaked around the venue, 40 minutes before the job fair began. And not just any line. Keep in mind, large sporting events are held there, so it's not exactly small. The enormously long line consisted mainly of people over 30, dressed in suits and ties and looking like they just wandered out of a board meeting at Microsoft. Sadly, some of them probably did just that recently.

We decided to stay in the car until about five minutes after the party began, just so we could avoid standing out in the cold. Once 1:05 rolled around, we walked in. We still had to wait in line, though this was thankfully an indoor one. Once we were finally ushered into the fair, we beheld a sight that I will never forget.

The first image that came to mind was a middle school science fair where they give out solid gold. It's an incredibly boring gymnasium-like setup with booths and poster boards everywhere, but the gold is enticing enough for everybody and their dogs to show up. The catch is, the gold only goes out to a select few people, and if you want Boeing's gold, you need an engineering degree.

There wasn't exactly a whole lot of room to approach each booth, let alone present yourself and your résumé in a professional manner, or stand around like a bored, civilized person for that matter. Instead, elbowing and pushing your way to the front could get you a moment with a company representative, but even that generally proved futile for me, since there were no newspapers to be found at this particular event.

The problem is, everybody wants a job. The specific problem for me is, the hot jobs at this particular fair were ones requiring different qualifications than I possess. The other companies hiring included various law enforcement stations, jails, Ivar's, Shari's, Hollywood Video and Game Crazy, among others. Sorry, but I think I'm going to try to peddle my four-year degree around to a few more places before I resort to deep-frying halibut and chips for a living.

We did uncover a few prospects, however, so it wasn't a total loss. My girlfriend and I both interviewed with Aflac yesterday, but the idea of no benefits and a fully commission-paid salary isn't all that tempting right now. My girlfriend got a chance to speak with Valley Medical, where she has been applying since February. I should be filling out an application for a 911 dispatch center in Tacoma as I write this, but I'm having more fun writing.

I knew the job market would be tough to crack, but I never imagined anything like this. The ShoWare Center was filled to the brim with tall guys in suits, holding beautifully handcrafted leather portfolios full of résumés documenting a lot more experience than I have.

Hopefully, employers can look past all this and find the cash to invest in some new faces. The speaker at my college graduation gave me some hope when he said that we are the people who will change the economy. New graduates have new ideas and new ways to do things. These new ideas will be essential to changing the economy for the better, and nobody should deny the fact that it needs some serious change.

Sadly, It's quite apparent that employers just want experience, and don't have the cash to invest in new people (unless we're talking Shari's). This is understandable, to be sure, but they should be cautious. Resting on old ways seems like a quick fix right now, or maybe even no fix at all. Fresh faces are needed to blaze some new trails in this economic climate. Hopefully we get lucky.

So that was the KOMO Problem Solvers Job Fair, our first of the summer, but certainly not our last. It didn't solve too many problems immediately, but hopefully something will come out of the whole experience.

We left the ShoWare Center a little depressed, but the job fair did leave me craving Ivar's since we walked past their booth at least seven times. I guess the day wasn't a bad one. I got to see my girlfriend and eat fish and chips too.

Not too bad.