Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center, the City of Hattiesburg will host a job fair with a focus on filling staffing needs within the city’s restaurant and hospitality industries.
Typically hosted to connect students with summer job opportunities, Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker’s office expanded the event to cater to the many staffing concerts that are prevalent for many local eateries and small businesses.
“COVID-19 left a lot of destruction in its path. Our businesses are doing their best at serving residents and visitors safely, but many are still facing uphill battles like staffing, product supply and more,” said Barker. “A key factor in our community’s response to COVID-19 has been listening to all voices. We know staffing is a concern for our restaurant and hospitality industry so it made the most sense to retool our annual summer job fair for students into a job fair focused on the service industry.”
Currently, the job fair will feature more than 15 vendors representing more than 20 local restaurants and hotels. The job fair will also include summer jobs for local youth with Parks and Recreation and restaurants that also hire students ages 16+.
Additionally, Barker launched the second phase of the city’s “The Hattiesburg Way” campaign. This campaign is a list of commitments that asks residents and visitors to be patient and kind as restaurant and hospitality industries work through their current challenges.
“Last year, we asked all of our businesses and restaurants to make a commitment to serving our community safely through a series of commitments we called The Hattiesburg Way. Now that we are seeing the light at the end of what has been a very long tunnel – our restaurants, hospitality and entertainment venues need us to step up for them.”
This campaign features a list of commitments shared on social media graphics:
- Support local. This is a no-brainer. Our community has the best small businesses and eateries in the state. Choose them. Support them.
- Wear the mask + maintain social distance if they ask you to. We know it’s tiring; but it’s such a small inconvenience for us to get back to doing what we love doing – regardless of government orders.
- Be mindful of the financial challenges these industries have faced and how that might affect their ability to do sponsorship and donations right now.
- Be patient and kind. Restaurant staffing is an issue all over. If it takes a little longer for someone to bring your menu, drinks or food – be kind.
- Tip well. 20% is ok. 25% is better. More than 25% is best. The people serving your food + drinks and working twice as much because of staffing issues. Support them.
- Support your community. Can’t go to an event or make a show? That’s okay but share the information with people who can. Share social posts. Buy a ticket and give it to someone. Invite your friends to the event page. We all have to work together for this to work at all.
- Have fun. The live show, the big race, the outdoor market/festival, the grand re-opening … all of it. Have fun at all of it. We’ve been waiting to do these things for over a year, and now it’s time.
Barker added, “While these commitments may be small individually, they are rooted in attributes that describe our city. The Hattiesburg Way is being kind, patient and supporting each other during hard times.”
More details about the job fair and the second phase of The Hattiesburg Way can be accessed at hattiesburgms.com/jobfair.
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