MILWAUKEE — Roughly 2,000 people participated in the Waukesha Department of Workforce Development virtual job tour Thursday.
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There were 41 employers and 13 resource agencies participating in the four hour event. Hundreds of jobs available were available.
"The interface took a little getting used to, but once I realized where the chat rooms were and how to connect, it went pretty well," Vince Clore said.
Clore has been working freelance for much of the last year. In January, his unemployment benefits were exhausted. Now, due to the unforeseen circumstances surrounding COVID-19, he hasn't had any pay coming in for months. So this virtual job fair came at the perfect time.
"Nothing beats in person obviously," Clore said. "But it's the way of the world right now."
Clore says he didn't get any job offers today, but is making strides towards getting back into the workforce.
"I was able to connect, get some emails and hopefully, when things get better int he future, we can connect again and be some opportunities for me," Clore said. "If it's available, I will definitely do it again."
Others, had some issues connecting.
"I clicked the chat and nothing," Pete Viravec said. "It was just blank. I'm not sure if it was broken or no one was chatting at that time."
Viravec was let down by the experience. He works in user experience but was open to other jobs that could utilize his skills with technology. He felt there wasn't anything there for him.
"I'll probably check it out again to see what companies are there," Viravec said. "I would say, if they could list the jobs they plan on offering ahead of time, like hey, here are the jobs."
Those on the other side of the screen felt good about how things went.
"I actually connected with, maybe five people," Nickee Anderson, Senior Human Resources Generalist for Ozaukee County said. "I had a few applicants come in from outside of the fair too."
The Waukesha Department of Workforce Development says they plan on having additional virtual events in the future. They are going to look at feedback from attendees, employers and resource agencies to help meet the needs of those involved.
"We are thrilled with the amount of activity and connections that were made today!" Laura Catherman with Waukesha County said.