BREMERTON, Wash. –
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility held a two-day hiring fair at the Kitsap Conference Center in downtown Bremerton, Washington, June 6 and 7. Approximately 1,600 job seekers came through the doors, resulting in 442 on-the-spot job offers during the event.
Patrick Wlodarchak, welder, Shop 26, Welders, was one of many representatives at the event who were able to meet and interview candidates on the spot.
Wlodarchack staffed one of the 29 booths representing the shipyard’s different shops, services and codes. Each booth provided applicants with details about job openings, career advice and the opportunity to submit their resumes for positions.
Mark Dizon, a Bremerton resident, was one of the enthusiastic applicants looking for a career at the event. Dizon, who previously worked at PSNS & IMF as a temporary contractor, said he hoped the event would help him find a new position in the shipyard.
“It’s a good environment," he said. "I like the idea of a job with a purpose, like serving your country, rather than just working for a paycheck."
To help give candidates a preview of what they may be doing if hired, many booths had working displays and work examples. It’s something job seekers like Dizon enjoyed.
“It definitely gave me a better idea of what was possible,” Dizon said. “There were a lot of positions I wasn’t even aware of or knew what exactly they did. Being able to see something as opposed to trying to listen to what they were describing was informative.”
As candidates and hiring managers filed back and forth between booths and interview rooms, displays with representatives from Employee Resources Groups, Command University and PSNS & IMF Career Counseling were there to highlight the services and benefits they provide to employees.
According to Bill Barnum, branch head, Code 900A.4, Administrative Support, many shops and codes are still in the process of interviewing and reviewing resumes, so more jobs may be filled in the coming days and weeks. The hiring fair was the third hiring event PSNS & IMF has held this year to attract new workers to the shipyard. If you or someone you know is interested in a great career with PSNS & IMF, email a resume to DHAproductionjob.fct@navy.mil or visit USAJobs.gov and search PSNS & IMF.