at LBCC job fair

By Alex Paul

For the Gazette-Times

ALBANY - The Oregon State Police are looking for a few good men and women. A couple hundred, actually, if the Legislature comes through with a proposed funding package.

On Thursday two recruiters, Senior Trooper Dave Randall and Trooper Ken Terry, were telling the OSP's story at the 29th annual Career Fair held at Linn-Benton Community College.

"We do much more than patrol the highways," Terry said. "We need to educate the public that we also have troopers working fish and wildlife, a criminal division and patrols."

Robert Walter, 23, of Roseburg was one of more than 40 young people who filled out applications during the first two hours of the fair. Walter was recently discharged after 4½ years in the Army. He served with a combat engineering unit and had tours in Germany and Iraq.

"I'm looking for any type of work, but this interests me," Walter said.

Although they said they weren't trying to "hook" anyone, the troopers were quick to offer Walter a look at a new Dodge Charger cruiser, pointing out that the OSP has a full fleet of them.

"We're impressed with this career fair," Randall said. "We've been engaging a number of people, but only a very small percentage of those who apply will qualify. We have high expectation levels, and even though we're going to need more troopers, we do not plan to lower our standards."

You can visit www.osptrooper.com to learn more.

Not everyone was interested in pursuing a law enforcement career. Nadine Warren, 36, of Lebanon, is a mother of two and is looking for an accounting job.

"I've been out of the work force since 2003, when I started taking accounting tech classes at LBCC," Warren said. "I love this fair. Everyone needs accounting and office help. I feel good about what I've seen today."

Marci Johnston, a career and employment specialist at LBCC, said more than 650 people had visited the event in just two hours and predicted the total would top 800.

"Our goal is simple: to connect employers with job seekers and to help students find careers," Johnston said.

Johnston said many companies now accept online applications, and face-to-face meetings are important in a job search.

Alex Paul can be reached at alex.paul@lee.net or 812-6076.