Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs Return As In-Person Events In 2022

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County's teen job fairs are returning in 2022 as in-person events, with job fairs coming up at West Springfield High School and Chantilly High School.

The job fair series, hosted by Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity, is for students and young job-seekers looking for a variety of employment opportunities, whether it is part-time, full-time, after-school, seasonal, internship, or volunteer positions. This is the eighth year that Herrity has hosted the teen job fair series. He hosted the first job fairs in 2015.

“Each year, the Teen Job Fair Series is one of my favorite events to host because it fulfills two critical needs: first job experiences for students and meaningful recruitment for local businesses," Herrity said in a statement. "This year’s fairs are particularly important as businesses are eager to recover from staff shortages and students are excited to make up for lost time during the pandemic with new learning experiences.”

Since they started in 2015, the fairs have provided thousands of teenagers the opportunity to get in front of employers and for the county's employers to find talented Fairfax County students to fill their positions.

The job fair at West Springfield High School is on Saturday, March 12 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The event is hosted by Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, Connection Newspapers, School Board Member Laura Jane Cohen, Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and the Mt. Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce.

The job fair at Chantilly High School is on Saturday, March 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Along with Herrity and Connection Newspapers, the Chantilly event is hosted by Chantilly HS STEM Academy, Dulles Regional Chamber of Commerce and Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce.

In 2021, Herrity hosted two virtual teen job fairs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the shift to an online platform, the fairs proved successful, with 124 business representatives and more than 1,000 students participating in them, according to the supervisor's office.

This year's two job fairs will include career-building workshops hosted by local Chambers of Commerce.

At the West Springfield High School fair, Casey Whitmarsh with the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a workshop on How to Prepare for an Interview. Whitmarsh conducted a virtual version of the same workshop in 2021.

At the Chantilly High School fair, Jennifer Rose with the Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a workshop on Resume Building, similar to the virtual workshop she held in 2021.

Students can register for the job fairs for free by visiting a county-sponsored registration site. Businesses can apply to participate for free by visiting a separate registration website.

RELATED: Fairfax County Teen Job Fairs Go Virtual In 2021