LAS VEGAS-In a market with 14% unemployment, it was clear members without jobs weren't going to look to borrow.
So WestStar Credit Union set out to change that.
Mona Joseph, AVP of business development for the $134-million credit union that serves the gaming industry, said the solution was just as simple: help its members find jobs. Actually, coming up with the idea was simple, but the execution took some doing.
"In October 2010, I brought the idea of WestStar hosting a job fair to our CEO and our marketing manager," Joseph recalled. "Our CEO asked how I could make that happen with no marketing budget for advertising and no space to host it."
The initial plan was to use WestStar's corporate office and invite five major Las Vegas employers to the job fair. Because Joseph had a good relationship with the sales director at Greenspun Media (which owns several companies in Nevada) she expected the company might be willing to assist the credit union with advertising the event.
Instead, Greenspun was interested in being a co-sponsor of the job fair as a way of promoting its RecruitingNevada.com affiliate. With a larger name attached, Joseph was able to get the student lounge at the College of Southern Nevada donated as a location. The credit union's marketing department created graphics for full-page announcements in the Las Vegas Weekly, in Business Las Vegas, as well as banner ads for some of Greenspun's online publications.
"The value was close to $30,000 in free advertising," Joseph reported.
Ten employers-all of who were WestStar SEG groups-representing 3,200 jobs were invited to the Jan. 11, 2011 event. Booths were free for all participating employers. To ensure the event was meaningful, only employers with actual job openings were allowed to attend.
WestStar Credit Union members were given priority entrance to the job fair, which drew more than 1,300 job seekers. The local ABC affiliate covered the event and the credit union was mentioned in three print publications.
"It was an incredible success," Joseph assessed.
Job Fair Take Two - Reno
WestStar has three branches in Las Vegas and one in Reno. The Reno market has been even harder hit economically than Las Vegas, making it Joseph's next focus for a job fair. She was able to get the Grand Sierra Resort, one of the largest hotels in Reno, to donate ballroom space. With even more room than the Las Vegas job fair, 23 employers, representing more than 1,000 jobs, were present.
With the experience of the first event under her belt, Joseph realized the value of publicity. Press releases were sent to all the local newspapers and TV stations prior to the event, and she was interviewed by the local CBS affiliate on the evening news to promote the job fair.
On the day of the Reno job fair, March 30, Joseph said every major TV affiliate in the Reno market provided coverage of the more than 3,000 job-seekers who turned out.
"The story even made it to the national ABC Evening News that night," she said. "The Reno job fair was a bigger success than the Las Vegas event. Several people were hired on the spot and we heard that more than 70 people received job offers within a week of the event."
WestStar job fairs will be annual events going forward, Joseph said, adding benefits to the CU included "amazing, positive name recognition," renewed bonds with its SEGs and connections to several new SEGs, and "most importantly, we helped people get jobs. We feel that these events truly exemplify the credit union spirit."
