Hire Chicago to offer job interviews in new industry each week

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Laryssa Rollins, a 2020 graduate of Texas Southern University, is back in Chicago and looking for a job. She attended a job fair Wednesday and a large-scale, multi-industry hiring event is also planned for Chicago businesses.

"I moved back to Chicago recently. I don't have a job right now. I was going to give up on hospitality," said Rollins, of south suburban Matteson.

On Wednesday, however, her dad heard about a downtown job fair focusing on the hospitality industry. She jumped on the opportunity.

"This is going to be a great boost to helping me get my new Chicago life started!" she exclaimed after completing a round of interviews.

The Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association helped spearhead Wednesday's event. The group's presidents said more than 200 jobs are available right now, and pay starts at $20 an hour and up, benefits are also a possibility.

"Health care, paid time off, 401 K contributions. It's really a great career from Day 1, but also you have an incredible advancement opportunity," said Michael Jacobson, president & CEO of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association.

About 20 hotels participated in Wednesday's event, searching for guest service representatives, front desk agents, room attendants, cooks, bellmen, executive chefs, security officers, servers, even managers.

It's the latest job fair opportunity in Chicago, and a larger one is on the horizon, starting in August.

Job seekers can also find a career at Hire Chicago. The five-week event runs August 2nd through September 2nd. Every week will focus on a different industry, including manufacturing; hospitality, tourism, and food service; transportation, distribution, and logistics; health care; and technology.

Those looking for work can go directly to the website - HireChicago2021.org - and sign up. Employers are also encouraged to sign-up for the event.

"Hire Chicago is all about good paying jobs, and it really is about thinking about those things you have passion for, the skill set you have, and translating those into careers," said Karin Norington-Reaves of HireChicago2021.org.

As for Laryssa Rollins of south suburban Matteson, she's celebrating three job offers after Wednesday's event, which was held at Swissotel Chicago on East Wacker Drive. Her job offers included two supervisor positions.

"This just gave me more hope," Rollins said. "I got a supervisor position at a luxury hotel, so I'm happy....this was a blessing."

For more Chicago career resources, visit our Ready To Work page.