Three partnering organizations are gearing up to host a job fair next week, giving both employers and job seekers access to the opportunities available in the area.

The Beaufort County Job Fair, presented by the NCWorks Career Center, Washington-Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and Beaufort County NCCSHRM, is scheduled for May 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Preregistration is required. Those interested in participating should return their registration information to the Chamber. The event was revamped from Beaufort County Community College’s Career Fair, said Jennie Bowen, manager of the center.

“They’ve been doing a career fair, and we’re moving it off campus to make it better accessible to the public,” Bowen said. “The ones at the college were more of a career fair. It was a lot more career-focused. It was a great resource for the students, but not as many people from the public attended. We really want to make this one more open to the job seekers in the public.”

Bowen said the center has sent out invitations to local businesses through the Beaufort County Business and Industry Innovation Council, the Beaufort County Committee of 100, North Carolina Coastal Society for Human Resource Management (NCCSHRM) and the Pitt County chapter of NCCSHRM, which Beaufort County is a branch of, according to Bowen.

In addition to the changes in venue and sponsorship, the fair will include a new feature this year that may give applicants that put forth the extra effort a leg up, Bowen said. On Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and, again, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., the center will host a preparation workshop, giving participants aid in making resumes, refining questions they ask potential employers, guidance on how to give a 30-second elevator speech to employers, information on how to make the fair work better for them and other interview tips and techniques. Participants of the workshop will be permitted to enter the fair at 10 a.m., an hour earlier than the public, in order to have more one-on-one time with employers, who participate in the fair, Bowen said.

“The ones who come to the workshop can come to the fair early,” Bowen said. “We will actually open the job fair at 11 a.m. (Workshop participants) took the time to come do the prep work at the workshop so we wanted them to have a little bit more one-on-one time with the employers. We’re thinking we’ll see the employers see a difference in those participants because they’re a little better prepared. We’re excited about highlighting our local businesses and the opportunities in Beaufort County, as well as the surrounding areas.”

At the fair, corporations and businesses in Beaufort County will be on hand to give out information, talk to participants and get a feel of what the potential workforce has to offer. Job seekers will be grouped according to the field they are looking for a job in, such as welding or healthcare. Job seekers should also come dressed to impress, meaning business attire, and with copies of their resume, Bowen said.

“(Job seekers) should be ready to interact with the employers and quickly highlight your skillset and how you would be a good fit and to prepare their questions ahead of time,” Bowen said. “Sometimes people are too timid to stop and talk to someone or people want to come tell their life story. They need to learn how to give their questions and move on to the next table.”

To register, contact Jennie Bowen, manager of the Beaufort County NCWorks Career Center at 252-974-1828. The Washington Civic Center is located at 110 Gladden Street in downtown Washington.