PORTLAND, Ore. — With hundreds of thousands of Oregonians filing for unemployment benefits in the past five weeks, many are out looking for jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Not all businesses in the Portland area are operating at this time, but many are still open and have job openings.
KGW has resources available to help those looking for employment. We're keeping track of businesses that are hiring here. KGW's "Yes! We're Open" initiative helps spread the word about small businesses that are open. And last week's KGW Digital Q&A welcomed two employment experts to discuss avenues for finding work.
During this week's episode of KGW Digital Q&A, KGW's Galen Ettlin spoke with two employment experts, Lisa Monfils of Express Employment and Julian Chadwick, the founder of PDX Pipeline, about the current job market.
Here are some of the questions that we answered during this week's episode. Viewers watching the live stream on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube also posted questions in the comments for the experts to answer:
- For someone out of a job right now, or looking for work, where do they even start?
- How do groups like Express Employment and PDX Pipeline help?
- Who is hiring in the Portland area right now?
- What trends do you see in hiring?
- How does hiring compare to about three months ago?
- How can people stand out and get a response?
- What are some of the common mistakes you see people making in the application or interview process?
- For people concerned about safety at work, how can they vet employers?
- What should applicants be asking, and when during the process?
- How did PDX Pipeline start its job board?
- What's the difference in hiring now compared to when PDX Pipeline started on Twitter during the 2008 recession?
- How does the PDX Pipeline job posting process work?
- Express Employment works with businesses and companies that are hiring, too. What resources can they access?