A local consulting firm led by a 19-year-old Springfield entrepreneur is hosting a job fair tailored to Gen Z job-seekers in the region.
Bells Marketing Consultants, a Springfield firm focused on marketing strategies and employment trends of Gen Z, will host the job fair at the Jay Wasson Idea Loft at the eFactory downtown April 12 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., said Founder and Managing Director Jonathan Bell. The event aims to be a bridge to regional employers for Gen Z workers, many of whom feel a disconnect when it comes to job opportunities, Bell said.
“I want employers to understand Gen Z and I want Gen Z to understand employers,” Bell said. “I’m on the side of actually trying to help the community understand each other from both perspectives and to see how we can come together.”
Some regional businesses and organizations have already confirmed they will be represented at the event, including Ozark Public Schools, Springfield Public Schools, Central Bank, Compass Financial, Bank of Branson, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and more, Bell said.
Bell, who founded the company in 2020 while he was still attending Parkview High School, said he personally has had struggles getting hired as a young person in Springfield. He said he has considered leaving the city to explore employment opportunities elsewhere.
He's not alone: 42% of young professionals plan to leave the region in the next five years. That's according to a 2023 study highlighted on the website created for the hiring event.
“Our team has faced challenges in Southern Missouri, and we've all considered leaving the region — some of us still do,” the company, which includes Bell and eight additional employees, wrote on the website for the event. “However, we see the potential of the Ozarks to offer something much better for our young people.”
“We're committed to making positive change and taking action rather than just talking about it.”
A unconventional structure for a job fair
The job fair has an unconventional structure, including presentations and a large, roundtable discussion. The first hour will be for networking, giving employers the opportunity to meet Gen Z workers. Bell said about 180 people have signed up to attend the job fair and the list keeps growing.
From 10 a.m. to noon, the event will center on a few speakers and a few presentations. First, a few Gen Z workers will speak about their employment experiences in Springfield. Bell said he is also hopeful a few businesses will share their experiences of employing the younger workforce. Bell will also have a presentation highlighting trends of Gen Z workers moving away from the region and indicators for the reason behind the migration.
Afterward, he will have a series a questions for the participants that he hopes will inspire a roundtable discussion on Gen Z hiring trends in the region. The discussion will be as interactive as possible, with anonymous polls to survey the participants.
“We are trying to be that voice for Gen Z,” Bell said. “We're just wanting to start conversations and this event, in my opinion, is going to help lead that conversation to see if we can get further execution ... so we can actually figure out how we can keep our young people here.”
Bell said he expects an influx of Missouri State University students, as well as students from other local universities. Bell also expects a number of high school students to participate in the fair, he said.
If the event goes well, Bells Marketing Consultants will likely hold multiple job fairs in the future. It could even become a semi-annual event for the company, Bell said.
“This event is going to alleviate the frustrations between job seekers and job recruiters,” Bell said during a promotional video for the event posted on Instagram.
“This event is really going to stir up conversations. We're going to swap perspectives on both sides and see if there really is an issue in our community that needs to be addressed.”
