Published Feb. 19, 2010
By Pratik Joshi, Tri-City Herald staff writer
PASCO — When Doug Gruba worked at Tri-Cities WorkSource he helped the unemployed find jobs. Now, he’s trying to peddle his skills to prospective employers after being laid off last year.
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| Sue Beitilich, an administrative office supervisor for the city of Kennewick, shows Doug Gruba of Kennewick the city’s online application system Thursday during Columbia Basin College’s annual Career Expo. Photo by Kai-Huei Yau of the Tri-City Herald |
And he’s keeping his options wide open. The Kennewick man, who has a master’s in clinical psychology, was among more than 500 job seekers Thursday at the 26th annual Career Expo at Columbia Basin College.
Gruba, 53, gave a one-minute pitch about himself to a group of employers at the job fair as part of a live resume program.
He has worked as a middle school teacher in California and as a food science technician at ConAgra in the Tri-Cities. He’s also teaching himself about financial investing.
“I hope age is not an impediment (to being hired),” he said.
Hunting for jobs can be challenging, but he remains optimistic, thanks to support from his wife, former boss and co-workers.
Daphne Lightfoot, director of student employment services at CBC, said, “The expo was a huge success.”
There were about 60 employers, including first-time participants the U.S. Census Bureau, Mission Support Alliance (at Hanford), Northwest Pilates and a new beauty salon.
Job seekers represented a range of education and experience, said Brent Howard, division manager at Sun Pacific Energy, a wholesale and retail gas business that owns, among others, Sun Mart convenience stores.
Some were looking for a career and others for a job, Howard said. “People are exploring all options and their horizons are widening.” They realize old jobs aren’t coming back and that they need to be prepared for different types of jobs in the future when the national economy turns around, he said.
Job seeker Joe Chapman, who also participated in the live resume program, said, “There may be fewer positions. (But) the employers are looking for people.” Chapman, 35, a former newspaper reporter is now a full-time computer science student at CBC. He was impressed by the turnout and the quality of presentations.
CBC student Sharon Groff, 60, wants to be a medical office assistant. The West Richland woman has been unemployed since August after a Hanford subcontractor she worked for lost the service contract.
Groff talked with representatives from area hospitals and the federal prison system for possible job leads after she graduates in about six months.
Health care is a growing industry in the Tri-Cities. “I’m confident about finding a job,” she said.
WorkSource is a state-funded agency that helps businesses find workers and helps the unemployed get short-term training.
Additional news stories can be accessed online at the Tri-City Herald.