Pittsburgh organizations aim to support women during all stages of their careers
A job fair was held in Homestead this week to help women thrive at all stages of their careers, whether they are changing industries or just getting started.
"When a woman comes into the space, most importantly, she knows she's welcome here," says Liz Mims, director of community engagement with Dress For Success Pittsburgh. "It's entirely for her, about her, and it's designed that way."
EmployHer is a collaborative effort created by Dress For Success Pittsburgh, When She Thrives and New Century Careers. EmployHer and Dress For Success Pittsburgh say their pop-up events are meant to bring nonprofit resources, prospective employers and individualized support directly to those they're looking to help.
"There are so many great organizations and nonprofits doing the best things ever in Pittsburgh. We make it harder sometimes for the people that need us if we are not working together," says Mims. "When you are short on time, it affects everything else directly. So, for us to do all of the good things we are doing, in one room for a change, even if it is once or twice a year, it saves women time. It saves them the energy of trying to chase things down and make connections, because the connections are made for them here.
With free childcare provided, women were able to get assistance with resumes, hair and makeup help from Ulta Beauty, as well as a complementary professional headshot. They were also able to speak with companies across multiple industries.
"There's a couple hard hat positions out here that I saw and I like, so I applied for them," says Breyonna Peterson. "I have heard about jobs fairs, but this one is specifically for women, which is comforting. I am more than amazed; it was more than what was explained. You hear some things, and it doesn't end up being that. But I got here, and everybody is here."
Abreea Sohali is graduating soon from Carnegie Mellon University with a master's in biomedical engineering.
"I'm really excited for the University of Pittsburgh in particular, because they have a lot of research positions," says Sohali. "Even ones that are not for jobs, I'm meeting great people in general. I'm following them on LinkedIn, and we're going to go get coffee later."
Other nonprofits also provided support for women in all aspects of wellness, including a yoga class, crafting, and a chance to make their own perfume.
Since February, Dress For Success Pittsburgh has hosted nine pop-up opportunity fairs, helping more than 1,200 women in Allegheny, Butler, Washington and Fayette counties. Sims says they also work in Greene County and hope to bring an opportunity fair there soon.
"We ask women when they register on a scale of zero to 10: 'How confident and how prepared are you feeling for whatever your next steps are?' You get people that say zero. You get people that say three, six, seven. We have a couple 10s, which is great," says Sims. "So before they leave: 'now that you've been here,' so far it's a 100 percent increase. Every single person we have asked has gone up in her level of confidence and feeling prepared for their next steps."
The next pop-up opportunity fair is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Community Engagement Center in Homewood. You can learn more on the group's website.