Gwinnett Cares holding drive-thru job fair with 5,000 open positions

A local non-profit group is partnering with Goodwill of North Georgia to hold a drive-thru job fair with 50 companies looking to hire 5,000 people.

A local non-profit group is partnering with Goodwill of North Georgia to hold a drive-thru job fair with 50 companies looking to hire 5,000 people.

Gwinnett Cares formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to help people in Gwinnett County who were impacted. Along with Goodwill, Gwinnett Cares is hosting the job fair at the Infinite Energy Center on Oct. 29.

“This is a golden opportunity for those in our community that are unemployed. As stimulus relief dollars and separation packages time-out, more and more people are on the open job market,” said Paige Havens, a spokesperson for Gwinnett Cares. “On the flip side, as more and more businesses are gearing back up, employment opportunities abound. There are literally thousands of jobs available in Gwinnett County right now.”

Job seekers will be able to interact with recruiters from their cars; each company participating in the job fair will have a station inside the Infinite Energy Center parking deck that potential applicants can drive up to. Traditional job fairs, where large amounts of people typically gather inside conference centers or hotel ballrooms, have generally not been held since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Georgia. Large indoor gatherings are considered high-risk events for the spread of the virus.

Companies and agencies participating in the event include Amazon, MARTA and Kroger. Available positions range from $14 an hour to full-time salaried roles with benefits. A full list can be found at GwinnettCares.org. Those interested are encouraged to create an account at CareerConnector.org before the event and upload their resume, contact information and any other credentials that may be relevant to their job search. Applicants should also bring multiple paper copies of their resumes to give to potential employers. Some companies may have representatives who speak multiple languages, but anyone who does not speak English may want to bring an interpreter, Gwinnett Cares said in a press release.