PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Sometimes finding the right job takes the right door to open up.
Talia Julien said she hopes she found that at a job fair at the Portsmouth Sportsplex Thursday.
“I would like to do police work and criminal analysis," Julien said. "I have a degree in psychology and criminal justice, so I'd like that or family services.”
According to Gregory Coleman, Portsmouth's director of Human Resources, there are more than 100 vacant job openings across the city's departments, from library and social services to front-line positions with the police department and fire and rescue.
Thursday's job fair is the first in at least 10 years that was sponsored solely by the city itself, instead of being participants in another career or job fair.
“We kind of get to drive the ship, for lack of better terms," Coleman said.
He added the biggest vacancies are still with the police department.
“Between 50 to 55 for the police force. That’s comparable for 200 to 250 officers. That’s a vacancy number we’re aggressively trying to address," he said.
Some of the other open positions include the city's chief financial officer, law clerks, EMS paramedic, clinical therapist and more.
By the end of the job fair, roughly 50 prospective job seekers came through.
For those who missed the fair, the openings can be found on the city's human resources website.