PANAMA CITY, Fla. –
The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) hosted its first-ever virtual Journeyman Career Fair on December 10.
Led by the NSWC PCD Human Resources (HR) Department’s Recruitment Team, the career fair was designed to promote interest in Journeyman-level career opportunities and demonstrate NSWC PCD as an Employer of Choice by providing an interactive environment between qualified job seekers and hiring managers. In spite of restrictions due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the HR Recruitment Team was able to leverage their networking capabilities to create a cross-command event designed to recruit talented personnel from all over the United States.
The event was facilitated by NSWC PCD’s Recruitment and Student Programs’ Coordinators, Kristen Campbell and Shauna Love-VonKnoblauch, and featured a panel of representatives from each of NSWC PCD’s technical departments, including senior department personnel. The panel presented a brief command overview followed by virtual breakout sessions where participants interacted in round-table discussions on NSWC PCD’s core mission area subjects including Mining and Mine Countermeasures, Diving and Life Support, Naval Special Warfare, and Amphibious and Expeditionary Warfare. Additionally, hiring managers were on hand to conduct virtual interviews with top candidates.
“The virtual platform allowed us to stretch far beyond our normal reach to a wider audience with attendees from the Great Lakes all the way to California,” said Campbell.
Last year, NSWC PCD’s HR Department oversaw the recruitment for approximately 110 Journeyman-level billets, which exemplified the importance of being able to adapt to a virtual environment while still effectively engaging potential employees. With most states imposing social distancing and in-person gathering restrictions, the need to reimagine recruiting efforts is crucial to remaining relevant as a leading employer.
According to Love-VonKnoblauch, feedback on the virtual platform was positive.
“One attendee noted that he had attended many virtual hiring events hosted by various agencies and claimed this was the most thought-out and well-organized event he had attended,” said Love-VonKnoblauch.
NSWC PCD employs over 1,500 civilian engineers, scientists, technicians, and support personnel. The mission of NSWC PCD is to conduct research, development, test and evaluation, and in-service support in Mine Warfare, Naval Special Warfare, Diving and Life Support, and Amphibious and Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare Systems, as well as other missions in the Littoral Battlespace.