By Joe Malan, Staff Writer

After working 15 years at Seaboard Foods in Hennessey, Dean Gripp now is on the lookout for a new job.

The 55-year-old is doing some part-time work for a small contractor, but even then there’s not much work available with that contractor.

So Gripp came to a job fair at Northwestern Oklahoma State University-Enid on Friday, eager to find a place to work.

“I’m looking for virtually anything,” he said as he held a small red bag full of information from several local companies.

Gripp was struggling with his job search, he said, mostly because he hasn’t done it for a long time.

“It’s getting back in the practice of looking,” he said, describing the trouble he’s had so far.

Gripp said he knows the resources are out there, he just needs to figure out where to look. He also needs to brush up on his typing skills.

Jeremy Clingenpeel, an HR generalist at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, said computer skills are key these days when looking for a new job.

The need of an applicant to have computer skills is two-fold, he said. On one hand, a lot of companies put their job applications online, so it’s important to be able to use a computer to fill out that applications.

Also, he said, more and more jobs need people with computer skills.

But the most important skill, Clingenpeel said, is to be able to put together a good resumé.

“There’s a lot of applicants out there,” Clingenpeel said. “The more you can stand out, the better chance you have at getting an interview.”

He’s especially interested in resumés that don’t look like the typical resumé — boring, standard format with lots of bullet points is the wrong way to go.

Another thing Clingenpeel notes when going through resumés is the candidate’s work history. If they’ve skipped around to a bunch of different jobs, he said, that should raise a red flag to the company.

Holly Lamb, staffing coordinator at StarTek, also scrutinizes applicants who have been at a number of jobs for a short time.

“We’re looking for people with (job) stability,” she said.

Lamb also suggests job-searchers apply for many different jobs, no matter what field they’re interested in.

“Be persistent,” she suggested.

Vera Gleason, human resources manager for McDonald’s, says browsing the Internet also is a good idea.

“There’s always jobs out there,” she said.

“Put yourself out there. Talk to anybody and everybody you can.”

Bass, StarTek and McDonald’s are all hiring right now.

StarTek is looking to fill a 25-person class, and is taking applications for the class until Nov. 30. After taking the introductory class, they automatically will be hired for positions in the company.

Clingenpeel, meanwhile, said Bass is offering some clinical positions, as well as a few entry level positions in housekeeping and dietary.

Lisa Palmer, 37, hopes she can possibly secure a nursing position at Bass once she’s done with the nursing program at NWOSU.

“I’m going through and figuring out what area I want to work in,” Palmer said at the job fair.

She said there’s a big need for medical personnel in Enid, as opposed to other places in Oklahoma. So, she hopes she can secure a job here in Enid.

“I think (my chances of landing a job) are pretty good,” she said.

“But they’re not assured.”