About 310 job seekers attended the March 11 Sandy Springs Connects! Career Expo for an opportunity to connect with employers in person at the city’s Performing Arts Center.
The Community Assistance Center, City of Sandy Springs, and Greater Perimeter Chamber partner to host the biannual job fair. It attracts large public and private employers from across metro Atlanta, especially the Central Perimeter market, including parts of Brookhaven, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs.
The goal is to move hiring beyond online applications and create opportunities for meaningful conversations and networking between employers and job seekers, organizers said.
One of the job fair’s largest returning employers, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, had one of the busiest tables. A CHOA representative said the hospital is hiring clinical and nonclinical employees. While no offers had been made, the representative said she had seen a handful of strong candidates who were referred to the hiring team.
Other popular booths at the job fair included the City of Sandy Springs and its police department, Fulton County Schools, Nalley Automotive, and Symphona.
CAC leader discusses market
Francis Horton, CEO of the Community Assistance Center, said the job market and search process are dynamic, adding that conditions change every three weeks or so.
“The City of Sandy Springs has been a great partner in helping us,” Horton said. “We help them think through how the development impacts our clients, both from the housing standpoint, but also from the labor standpoint, job standpoint.”
Horton said Sandy Springs Economic Development Director Chris Burnett bought into the idea of getting job seekers and employers face-to-face for employment opportunities.
“The more labor, the more employees that we can have in Sandy Springs, who live in Sandy Springs, the better off Sandy Springs is,” Horton said. “For that purpose, we’re shooting at the same target.”
While last September’s expo attracted more than 400 job seekers and 30 local employers, the first one of the year saw attendance decline slightly across the board.
Horton said he thinks the job market is tighter than it was about six months ago. Whether it’s looser or tighter, he said, it does not seem there are as many “real jobs” available. It’s especially hard on clients of the Community Assistance Center, local families who rely on the nonprofit for its food pantry, thrift store, rental assistance, and educational programming.
“It’s getting harder on both sides,” Horton said. “In past expos, we’ve seen 10 to 12 people hired on the spot. It’s a reflection of the atmosphere out there.”
Gen Z at the career expo
Atlanta native Elizabeth Scott, who graduated from Savannah State University in December 2024, said she found out about the Sandy Springs Connects! Career Expo on Facebook.
The Northview High School graduate said she was interested in public service and legal work, chatting with a deputy at the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office booth.
Two friends in their early 20s, Woodstock local Kenneth Burke and Decatur native Afolami Adebayo, showed up toward the end of the three-hour job fair.
Burke, who is graduating from Kennesaw State University this spring with a computer science degree, said his dad saw the event on Nextdoor and encouraged him to attend.
“I spoke with everyone who I thought would offer an IT position,” Burke said. “The city has some internships that I’m interested in.”
Adebayo, who graduated from KSU in 2022, said he is currently working on a certificate in cybersecurity.
“I don’t have a traditional background, but I have been working in tech for a while,” Adebayo said. “I just came here to see who I could talk to, network, and see if I can get my foot in the door.”