Individuals who are seeking employment or considering a job or career change are invited to attend a Thursday, June 10, tourism and hospitality industry hiring event presented by Visit Annapolis & Anne Arundel County (VAAAC) and Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation (AAWDC).
Nearly 30 businesses seeking to fill more than three hundred positions have signed up thus far to participate in the virtual event designed to help Anne Arundel County job seekers connect with hospitality industry employers who are gearing up for increased business following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
AAWDC President and CEO Kirkland J. Murray encourages businesses and job seekers to take advantage of the event designed to help get the travel and tourism industry back on its feet again. As Murray sees it, “The more businesses and job seekers who register for the event, the greater the likelihood that both parties will walk away with what they need – businesses with qualified, motivated employees and job seekers with their foot in the door of one of the largest and most in-demand industries in Anne Arundel County.”
VAAAC Executive Director Kristen Pironis says the June 10 hiring event presents a perfect opportunity for job seekers to vie for hospitality industry positions from the comfort of their own home. “Interested individuals will have the ability to meet with dozens of employers over a two-hour period via video chats that could result in a long-term career in the hospitality industry. Historically, individuals whose first job was in travel went on to earn a maximum average salary of $82,400 by the time they were 50 years old,” said Pironis. As an added incentive to participate, the names of all job seekers who meet with employers during the hiring event will be entered into a drawing to win a $250 Visa gift card compliments of VAAAC.
The list of registered employers to date includes Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Arundel Mills Mall, Live! Casino & Hotel, True Food Kitchen, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton BWI, ATC Event Services, Green Turtle Sports Bar & Grille in Hanover, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks Coffee, Boutique Air, Fairfield Inn BWI, Libations Tavern, Party Plus Tents and Events, Bobby’s Burger Palace, and the Grill at Quarterfield Station, among others.
Employers registered for the 10:00 a.m. June 10 hiring event will have the opportunity to post a company biography, job openings and descriptions, and their federal employer identification number in their virtual booth. Businesses are invited to provide up to four links to their social media channels and websites. On the day of the event, recruiters will have the ability to welcome job candidates to their site for one-on-one meetings.
To help ensure maximum turnout for the hiring event, VAAAC and AAWDC will host a virtual information session at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8 for individuals seeking employment in the travel and tourism industry. Event speakers include VAAAC Executive Director Kristen Pironis; David Ludwig, Assistant Director, Hotel, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute, Anne Arundel Community College; Shavon Banks, AAWDC Career Navigation Specialist; and Ray Cajudoy, President, BWI Arundel Mills Hospitality Alliance. Employers and job seekers who would like to participate in the VAAAC/AAWDC information session and/or hiring event are invited to register at ApplyAnneArundel.
The information session and hiring event are part of a four-week VAAAC recruitment campaign that runs through June 11. Via radio, digital display, and social media advertising, the organization is encouraging friendly, talented, motivated, hard-working individuals to “Apply Now.” The ads drive job seekers to a newly created VAAAC Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality job board on the VAAAC website. The job board is designed to help businesses catch the attention of more job applicants through VAAAC’s aggregate website that attracts more than 50,000 users monthly.
