This week brings the tourism juggernaut of Jazz Fest, and with it the visitors who contribute significantly to our regional economy and moderately to locals’ annoyance (Hey Karen, those oysters taste better than they look on Insta). We need talented folks to work in the industries that support hospitality and tourism, and New Orleans & Company is holding its monthly Job Fest Thursday, April 25 to bring together some of the top companies in the area with job seekers for a range of roles.
Hotels, restaurants, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and other tourism-related businesses will be onsite at the Job Fest from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Urban League of Louisiana located at 4640 S. Carrollton Ave.
The event is designed to be a one-stop shop for people looking for their next career move. Job seekers will be able to meet one-on-one with potential employers and learn about the companies and available positions. New Orleans & Company said attendees can explore jobs in guest relations, finance, administration, housekeeping, food and beverage service and more. Participants are encouraged to bring updated resumes, but they are not required. As part of the event, the Urban League of Louisiana Office of Workforce Development will be onsite to provide resume writing assistance.
According to New Orleans & Company, 86,000 New Orleanians work in the tourism industry. As such, it has been making a sustained effort to help area residents find meaningful employment in the tourism and hospitality industry. This Job Fest is part of a series that began a few years ago and has helped thousands of job seekers connect to hundreds of companies. There is also an area of the New Orleans & Company website dedicated to Career Pathways with articles offering career advice, highlighting local business people and announcing events like the Job Fests.
An especially interesting resource in the Career Pathways section of the website is the drop-down menu that allows users to explore specific areas of employment. You can choose from Food and Beverage; Guest Services; Sales, Marketing and Human Resources; Housekeeping and Facility Management; Transportation and Event Management; and New Orleans & Company Careers.
Each of the first five areas break down that sector with a description, an area asking what you like to do and skills you may have, a link to find jobs via the Louisiana Restaurant Association website, and a chart of roles, education and certifications that may be required for jobs within that field. It is a helpful resource for those looking to learn about jobs in the industry, especially the behind-the-scenes jobs that are hard to see when you are new to hospitality and tourism.
If you are interested in attending Thursday’s Job Fest, the following are companies scheduled to be there, with the caveat that there may be additions/subtractions to this list:
- Audubon Nature Institute
- Beauregard-Keyes Historic House and Garden
- Boomtown New Orleans & Hotel
- Brennan’s
- Commander’s Palace
- Creole Cuisine
- Dickie Brennan Restaurant Group
- EMR Group
- Hilton Garden Inn New Orleans Convention Center
- Hilton New Orleans Riverside
- Hospitality Enterprises
- Hotel Management/City Sightseeing
- Hotel Monteleone
- J Hospitality
- Job 1
- Juan’s Flying Burrito and Slice
- Laundry’s Seafood
- NOLA Cantina
- NOPD
- Omni Riverfront Hotel
- Pelican New Orleans
- Pythian Market
- RTA
- Sheraton New Orleans/W French Quarter
- James Hotel
- S. Army
- Waffle House
