Wheeling News-Register: Sunday, October 19, 2008/WASHINGTON, Pa. - By 8 a.m. Saturday, more than 200 people were lined up to enter a job fair offered by CONSOL Energy at Consol Energy Park, in Washington, Pa.
By 10 a.m., CONSOL officials had handed out 1,500 job information packets and called for another 1,000 packets to be delivered to the career day by noon. As the crowd swelled, the line of men and women interested in possible employment with the coal giant snaked in and around the baseball field, home to the Washington Wild Things. The frosty morning did not deter the crowd from seeking a brief, face-to-face interview with coal company officials. The fair continued until 5:30 p.m.
Many of the job seekers hailed from the the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia and East Ohio. Kelly Fulton of Warnock was among the early birds, arriving at 8 a.m. for the 8:30 a.m. opening of the job fair. "I've worked in the business before and need some years before retirement," Fulton said.
Like others who have been in the mining industry only to see their jobs cut, Bill Graham of Powhatan attended the job fair in hopes of returning to the mines. "I'm looking to get back into coal. It's worth the wait if you can get in."
Mark Johnson of Fairmont has not worked in the mines before but was willing to give the job a try while Don Thompson of Monongalia County said he has worked in a machine shop and was seeking a position above ground with the coal company.
Mike Fincham of Proctor was in line for about two hours and said he would wait as long as it took to get an interview. "I'm looking to work underground. That's where the jobs are."
Lorren Lewis of Wheeling said he came to find an underground coal mining job with CONSOL. ''I think the industry has grown more stable with a lot more safety aspects,'' Lewis said.
Tim O'Neal, who heads up work force planning and development for CONSOL Energy, said he was thrilled with Saturday's turnout. ''We had job fairs in Wheeling and Morgantown in 2006, but this is by far the biggest we've ever done,'' O'Neal said.
CONSOL, established in 1864, advertised the career day with the promise of "outstanding pay, exceptional benefits and an absolute zero safety culture." Among the positions available are operations supervision, operations trainee positions, technical and engineering, and staff and support positions. Applicants turned out dressed in everything from shirts and ties to hunting garb as today marked the first day of bow hunting for deer in West Virginia.
O'Neal noted that although CONSOL encourages people to apply for jobs online, the job fair gives both the employer and potential employees an opportunity for a ''face-to-face'' interview. While the interviewing process was brief to keep the line moving, most applicants leaving the park appeared pleased with the process. Many were smiling and shaking hands with others in the crowd. No one was actually hired on Saturday, but everyone who waited in line got their foot in the door. Once all the information collected at the career day is compiled, applicants will be notified of the next step toward employment.
''Ninety percent of the jobs we are looking to fill are for underground mining,'' O'Neal commented. ''These 10-minute interviews give our screeners a much better look at who is applying for the jobs. People call all the time about jobs ... almost too many calls, so the job fair helps the screeners have something more to go on than just an application online or a phone call.''