“‘Tis the season” usually refers to an abundance of holiday decor and good cheer that comes around November and, but we’d like to shift that phrase to a different context today.

It may be the beginning of the holiday season come November, but it’s also hitting the mid-point in the year where December graduates are looking for employment and June graduates are beginning to apply for jobs to enter come spring. In other words, careers are top-of-mind for many Nebraskans about to hit the job market. The good news? Nebraska has plenty of resources on hand to help.

There are a plethora of job and career fairs in Nebraska to help interested seekers find their way. While many of the October fairs have passed, there are still a wide variety available at different educational institutions through November. Even if you’re not on the hunt for a specific job, it may be worth stopping by simply to adjust your paradigm of what’s out there on the market, like the reported happening for many area residents in Gage County.

“A career fair at the one-stop resource center at Southeast Community College on Thursday broke or affirmed many area residents’ assumptions about jobs available in Gage County and surrounding areas,” the Sun wrote. Robert Grabowski, a Beatrice resident who currently works in a material handling position at a manufacturing company in Marysville, Kansas, was looking for something closer to home: ‘There’s a lot of bigger employers here. It’s kind of a one-stop shop for employment,” Grabowski said. “I talked to a lot of people and got a lot of insights. Endicott Clay, for example. I had heard of them, but I couldn’t tell you where it was before today!”

Job seeker Bruce Sejkora, a former employee of the recently-closed Store Kraft, said that the career fair can be helpful depending on what a job seeker is looking for: “To me, the main thing is that everybody is looking for education beyond high school. There are a lot of good opportunities here. Some of them require driving. I’d like to try to focus on working locally.”

This isn’t the last career fair we’ll see in Beatrice, as Nebraska Department of Labor Workforce Coordinator Josh Sheffield mentioned that their office would like to host one fair every other month.

In case you aren’t able to wait until next month, here are a few upcoming fairs we scouted out in the Nebraska area. Some are for students at specific institutions, but not all opportunities are only limited to students, so always make sure to check out the fine print!

Sejkora’s observation that many employers are looking for drivers is absolutely right: Transportation and driving jobs are in high need of workers. Head to Southeast Community College’s Fair to learn more on Wednesday, November 11 from 11:30am-1:30pm on the Lincoln Campus!

Wayne State College is hosting representatives from large and mid-sized firms and governmental agencies for full-time, part-time, and summer employment! Stop by on November 4 from 11:00-2:30 in the Student Center!

On November 16 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, head to the Wick Alumni Center to meet successful alumni who participated in recognized student organizations. They will share professional experiences and provide advice for job seeking in the future!

What kinds of opportunities await you? Head on over to a job fair in the next month or two to find out. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the abundance of great job opportunities right here in our own backyard.

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photo credit: via