Rockville Centre's job connection

With unemployment a continuing problem during the ongoing recession, some Rockville Centre residents and out-of-towners put on their suits, grabbed resumes and headed over to the second annual Career Fair sponsored by Sen. Dean Skelos at the Recreation Center on May 5 for a glimpse of potential job opportunities that could await them.

Village resident Christian Grim, 27, saw the public listing for the Career Fair on the senator’s Facebook page last week as a chance he wasn’t willing to give up. Grim, who has been out of work as an attorney for professional poker players since the FBI shut down online poker sites, was pleased with the help in finding a new firm to work at. “To see it in my backyard is a nice surprise,” said Grim, who did not attend the career fair last year. “It’s very relevant and important [considering the economy.]”

Grim contacted a few of the law firms that were invited by Skelos last week. In total, 57 companies participated at the Rec Center event and a little more than 600 people attended— almost the same turnout as last year.

“It’s a diverse group of professions,” said Tom Locascio, director of district operations for Skelos. “It all boils down to jobs, the economy and putting together an event like this that can address what is critical. This effort is more important in light of what’s gone on economically.”

Approximately half a dozen employees from Skelos’s office contacted representatives from companies all over Long Island. Some were non-profit, some were local restaurants and there were others like Molloy College and Hofstra University who were there to offer their educational services. Skelos’s staff was on hand to help job seekers sign in before they entered the gym.

Brendan Droge, senior admissions counselor at Molloy, said the college was pleased to attend the fair in a different capacity. “Our presence is not the same as others,” said Droge, whose father grew up in Rockville Centre. “We’re trying to get people during these tough times to go back to school.”

H2M, an architectural and engineering company in Melville, also lent its services. Human Resources manager Preetha Sasikumar said the company isn’t used to attending career fairs like these. “This is great,” she said. “We’ve been doing career fairs at universities over the years, but nothing like this. We have a good relationship with the village and it was an easy decision to say ‘yes’ to the invitation.”

Locascio said that planning for the fair began in January, when a list of companies were contacted and invited to attend. Among the local potential hirers were the police department and Astoria Federal Savings Bank, among others.

A prospective employee who visited one of the company tables will receive an e-mail within the next two months informing them it they will get a job interview, Locascio said.

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