The Fox Valley Park District is preparing for a busy summer season by offering its annual job fair from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Prisco Community Center at 150 W. Illinois Ave. in Aurora.
A press release from the park district said it is looking to hire employees for the upcoming summer season at many of its facilities “including summer camp counselors and site supervisors at camps held at Blackberry Farm, Red Oak Nature Center, Vaughan Athletic Center, Prisco and Eola community centers, Splash Country Water Park and Phillips Park Family Aquatic Center.”
The release adds that “lifeguards, slide attendants and swim instructors are in demand at both outdoor pools, as are seasonal operations staff with duties ranging from mowing and landscaping to shelter preparation and signage repair.”
Kelly McGloon, human resources supervisor for the Fox Valley Park District, said the district has held the job fair “for 15-plus years.”
“Our hiring supervisors and managers are top-tier,” McGloon said. “We just try to make this a fun and enjoyable experience, and I think we’re very good putting ourselves in other people’s shoes. A lot of us are parents and we know how intimidating it can be for kids and a first-time job.”
McGloon said that typically, half of the park district’s summer work force is hired during the 2½-hour job fair, adding that the park district already has a head start on this year’s hiring process.
“This year, we were one step ahead of the game,” she said. “Last year, I think our job fair kicked off our hiring season. This year, we went from our first week in January – we went from eight posted jobs to 50 posted jobs, so we’ve actually started hiring in January and February. ”
She said the district is looking to hire a number of people this weekend.
“We’re hoping to get another 150 or so this weekend and we do attend local high school and college job fairs as well afterwards,” McGloon added. “The bulk of those positions includes aquatics which is always looking for people – lifeguards, admissions, managers on duty, slide attendants, swim instructors, aquatic camp counselors.”
Another big push, McGloon said, includes summer camps and counselors and site supervisors as well as “operations, including greenhouse maintenance workers, facility and trade technicians, grounds’ maintenance, trail and tree maintenance.”
The demographics of those filling seasonal positions, McGloon said “are about 75% high school or college-age workers.”
She said the district anticipates “up to 300 people coming through the doors” at the job fair.
“We try to make it as easy as possible. We know that a lot of these kids are 15 years old,” she said. “They just got their work permit and we like to hold their hands from step A to Z.”
Throughout the fair, raffles for a $50 Amazon gift card will be held every 15 minutes, officials said.
Those looking to attend the job fair are strongly encouraged to register in advance by submitting an application and resume through the Fox Valley Park District’s Job Fair Pre-Registration Portal at https://foxvalleyparkdistrictilemployees.munisselfservice.com/employmentopportunities/default.aspx
Registered attendees will also receive a raffle ticket at check-in for the Amazon raffle.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
