Man Turns Job Search Into Job Fairs

As corporate recruiters set up banners and laid out pamphlets among rows of tables and chairs in Hermosa Beach's  on Thursday morning, Edwin Duterte was in the mix, preparing the room for an anticipated 300 to 500 job seekers.

"I should tell them to move that banner since it’s blocking the bathroom," he said while surveying the room. "Ah, I see there’s tech jobs over there."

For the past three years, Duterte, 42, who is unemployed himself, has organized Pink Slip Mixers 2.0 events across the country, including here in Southern California.

Thursday's Mixers job fair in Hermosa Beach took place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Duterte, who has worked in real estate and lending—even working for Freddie Mac—lost his job in 2008. Around that time, he said, he attended a forum where he heard that a recession soon would hit the country.

"I thought, 'If that’s true, there will be no jobs for anyone,' " he said, and he sensed an opportunity.

Duterte began to host professional mixers where job seekers could mingle with potential employers. Those events then developed into Pink Slip Mixers 2.0, which are more organized job fairs in which recruiters also speak before groups of job seekers in a Q&A forum.

For these events, Duterte said that he sometimes calls companies he would like to work for.

Duterte has been looking for more dates and locations to host the Pink Slip Mixers, he told Patch. The next tentative date for a job fair is Oct. 6. All Mixer events are free for job seekers.

"The only thing that is stopping me from inking this in is that I don’t have the money to rent the facility," he said.*

To organize a small event, such as the Mixer in Hermosa Beach, Duterte said it costs him about $1,100. He asks companies that attend to pay a sponsorship fee ranging from $200 to $500. Nine companies participated in Thursday's event.

Among the recruiters were Caspian Solutions Inc., a tech company; Workforce Development Partners, a staffing and training agency; and New Day Talk Radio.

"A lot of our jobs are in Silicon Valley … but I’d like to know who’s here," said Shiva Adli, CEO of Caspian Solutions, about the local job fair. "What we see are a lot of start-ups and they have apps, so that’s where the market is moving in Silicon Valley; and also gaming."

Job seekers attending the fair told Patch they were happy to see these job opportunities across the board—but said there’s still room for improvement.

Maurice Phillips, 67, was one of the first job seekers to attend Thursday’s event. With resume in hand and wearing a tailored suit, he was searching "for anything in sales," he said.

"The job market is the worst I’ve ever seen," Phillips said. Years ago he envisioned he'd be on a golf course, "sipping a mai tai," when he got to this stage of his life. But now, he said, "My 401K is gone."

One of the reasons Duterte organized Pink Slip Mixers 2.0, he said, is because he didn't see government officials stepping up to help people find jobs.

"Locally, they’re very supportive," he said, mentioning that Hermosa Beach Mayor Howard Fishman was accommodating during the setup of Thursday’s event. "I’ll go to senators, congressmen, and walk into their office and make them accountable. ... But the sorry part is, they’re not in touch" with what job seekers are facing, he said.

"Six months ago, I would’ve said we’re on a better path … but now because of all the politicking going on, I could see us going back into some challenges if we don’t get our act together," Duterte said. 

"There’s a hidden job market," Duterte said. "How do we tap into that? We have to work as a community. I hope by doing this [the Pink Slip Mixers 2.0], we can inspire others… I can safely say someone will get hired today."

If you missed the Pink Slip Mixers event in Hermosa Beach on Thursday, you can watch video clips of recruiters, and their advice to job seekers, on the Pink Slip Mixers' YouTube page.

*Editor's Note: On Friday at 9:47 a.m. this article was updated with information about the next tentative Mixer event and costs related.