An event devoted to reducing the “Now Hiring” signs in front of area businesses and helping individuals find jobs drew job-seekers and employers to ConVal High School on Thursday.

In collaboration with the Greater Monadnock Collaborative-Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Peterborough, the school hosted the Monadnock Job Fair and Career Fair after school hours. More than 30 local businesses, nonprofits and educational organizations in search of new hires shared what they do and who they’re looking for at tables in ConVal’s gym. People seeking to find or change jobs showed up to speak with company reps and pick up swag, which ranged from water bottles and upscale pens to frisbees and snacks.

“Our notice encourages people to bring their resumes,” said Tricia Cheever, Peterborough’s Energy and Community Planner, which is what Mike Hamilton did. 

“I’m trying to find something that will fit my skill set,” said Hamilton of New Ipswich as he headed to the Nashua Community College table. NCC Enrollment Specialist Carolyn Doherty said they were looking for people who could teach some of the courses they offer, but also wanted to let people know about offerings which could help job candidates polish their qualifications, ranging from STEM and manufacturing to accounting and statistics courses.

At the United Way table, Stephanie Latini said she was interested in meeting people who would like to work with young people later in the day.

“We’re seeking to create an intergenerational staff for our after-school program,” she said.

Ethan Whittaker of Peterborough approached Latini’s table to learn more about the opportunities, but with some after school commitments of his own, couldn’t pursue those opportunities, at least not Thursday. Tom Rizzo of New Ipswich was trying to decide which possible employers he should speak to. With a background in electrical work, he hoped having a few decades in age on Whittaker wouldn’t work against him with businesses. 

“I applied for a lot of positions online for two years, including via Indeed, and never heard back on them. When I finally contacted one of them and asked about things, she said that the lack of response could be due to my age. Pretty frustrating,” said Rizzo. 

Brianna Douglas of Bar Harbor Bank and Trust said age hasn’t been a barrier in hiring at her firm. The assistant manager of the Hillsborough branch said the bank hires young adults as well as more-mature individuals. She added that some people can find the notion of working at a bank intimidating, and was hoping to erase that perception in people’s minds.

Riley Coleman of Power Guaranteed Services was asked how business, as they were looking for more people to come aboard.

“We’re busy!” he said.

The Swanzey firm sells, installs and services power generators. Coleman said that it’s best if people can acquire such devices well before bad weather hits, thus they’re hoping to hire. He added that an increase in training in the trades by schools would make the process easier. 

Linda Morehouse of Keene Adult Education said they were looking for students who would like to be part of four-year apprenticeships in the plumbing or electrical trades. 

“You’d come out of the program certified in one of those fields,” she said, adding that age is not a factor in their program, but since someone needs to commit to four years, frequently it’s young people without other obligations who have the time for such learning. 

This first event was an opportunity for employers and candidates to connect, and April 24 is a follow-up day for interviews that were scheduled last week, and for others to make initial contacts. The event is in the ConVal gym from 3:30 to 6pm. The following firms appeared at the event:

-- American Steel Fabricators, LLC.

-- ApprenticeNH.

-- Bar Harbor Bank & Trust.

-- City of Keene, NH.

-- Colonial Insulation & Fireproofing.

-- ConVal School District.

-- Dartmouth Health.

-- Dogs on Depot/Woof Wagon, LLC.

-- Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) - Workforce Development.

-- Form Up Foundation.

-- Genesis Healthcare.

-- Heavy Haulers.

-- Keene Community Education.

-- Keene Overhead Door.

-- Masiello Employment Services.

-- Monadnock Community Hospital.

-- Monadnock Developmental Services.

-- Monadnock United Way.

-- Monadnock Worksource Inc.

-- Nashua Community College.

-- New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc.

-- New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT).

-- New Hampshire Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

-- New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association.

-- Old Dutch Mustard Co. Inc.

-- Pearl Restaurant & Oyster Bar and Bantam Grill.

-- Perfect Peace, Inc.

-- Peterborough Recreation Department.

-- Potter Tree Care LLC.