Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office holding virtual career expo, hiring deputies

Lawrenceville: Deputy D. Dean processes an inmate at the Gwinnett County Jail. Vino Wong/vwong@ajc.com

Lawrenceville: Deputy D. Dean processes an inmate at the Gwinnett County Jail. Vino Wong/vwong@ajc.com

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office is looking for new deputies, and it isn’t letting COVID-19 get in the way.

The agency is holding its first-ever virtual career expo, allowing potential new hires to connect with recruiters online. Aspiring sheriff’s deputies can register to participate in the Aug. 29 event at gwinnettsheriffjobs.com.

Job fairs are one of the many events complicated by the coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend staying at least six feet away from people outside of your household, restricting group gatherings to 10 people or fewer, and wearing masks in public. That makes traditional networking and hiring events, which usually feature large groups and interacting closely with strangers, difficult to pull off without significant changes.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office will keep its virtual career expo open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Aug. 29. Potential hires can speak with recruiters over video conference, and should complete a job application and prepare a resume ahead of time. The event should be treated like an in-person job opportunity; make sure you’re dressed professionally and have a “distraction-free environment” to hold your conversation, spokeswoman Shannon Volkodav said in a press release.

Those who pre-register can also participate in virtual facility tours, hiring orientations and job interviews, Volkodav said.

The department is looking to hire deputies that could work in the Gwinnett County Detention Center or on the streets. In-person jail visitation has been suspended since the pandemic emerged in Georgia in March, and the sheriff’s office screens every employee before they enter the building in order to prevent the virus from spreading in the jail.

Anyone with further questions can contact the sheriff’s office’s professional standards unit at 770-822-3825 or gcsorecruiter@gwinnettcounty.com.