The Baltimore First Interview Fair for AllFirst

Eastside Career Center, 3001 East Madison Street

At the June 26th Interview Fair, coordinated by the Rapid Response team of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, more than 100 former AllFirst employees will be interviewed by representatives of 15 companies including Legg Mason, Fannie Mae Foundation, Merrill Lynch, The Johns Hopkins Health System, BB&T, Provident Bank, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Solomon Smith Barney, RGII Technologies, Susquehanna Bank, MedStar Health, CitiFinancial, Morgan Stanley, National Corporation Bank and McCormick. In addition, recruitment will be conducted for Northop Grumman, Legg Mason, Verizon and SECU. The participating AllFirst employees include financial managers, information technology professionals, support staff and executive level management.

When mass layoffs occur, the Rapid Response Team assists businesses and displaced workers through the period of transition to reemployment. The Rapid Response Team’s current customers include the 350 workers recently laid off from AllFirst Bank as well as workers laid off from the Baltimore City Public School System. In addition to the Interview Fair, support provided to these workers includes workshops on job search strategies, executive resume writing, career transition and financial management as well as paid training opportunities and referrals to other re- employment services offered at the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development’s One-Stop Career Centers.

As layoff dates approach, success stories for these employees begin – including former AllFirst executives securing new positions with annual salaries ranging from $60,000 to $100,000. These successes illustrate the ability of the Rapid Response Team and MOED’s One-Stop Career Centers to assist individuals at all skill levels, education, experience and income levels.

In fiscal year 2002, Baltimore’s Rapid Response team assisted 16 companies and 1,700 affected employees. In the first eleven months of fiscal year 2003, the Rapid Response Team has assisted 24 companies and more than 3,000 workers.