Over 250 applicants, 28 entities take part in NMC Career Fair

03/24/25 - After an absence of one year, Northern Marianas College held a successful return of the NMC Career Fair last March 14 at Hibiscus Hall of Crowne Plaza Resort & Spa Saipan.

NMC career manager Neda C. Deleon Guerrero said the 2025 NMC Career Fair attracted 28 hiring agencies registered to participate and welcomed over 250 participants to the event. 

“This fair wasn’t just about connecting employers with jobseekers—it was also an opportunity for individuals to explore different career paths and gain insight into various industries. It was open to both college students and community members, ensuring that everyone had access to career resources and potential job opportunities. We are so grateful for the employers who participated and for everyone who took the time to engage in this meaningful event,” she said.

NMC president Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero said the job fair is part of NMC's concerted effort to ensure that it’s developing the workforce of the Commonwealth. 

Aside from the 28 vendors from public and private agencies that came and recruited students to work full-time or even part-time, he said NMC also invited the college’s entire student body—assisted by Project PROA Navigators—to, well, navigate the whole job application process. 

“It's just a wonderful opportunity to connect employers with potential employees and even part-time employees...It's timed sort of a few months before graduation, because graduation is in May...We're trying to give everyone adequate time to make those connections with prospective employers and maybe begin the interview process, begin the screening process.”

Guerrero also acknowledged that the CNMI economy currently is not what it should be, but said the job fair was held with the near future in mind.

“We are facing a labor crunch right now in the private sector as well as the public sector and we know that 2029 (the of the CNMI-Only Transitional Worker Program) is just around the corner. So. there's an intense need to really build and capitalize on local capacity and that's what this career fair is trying to do.”

What’s also unique with the NMC Career Fair, he said, is the college has invited the CNMI Small Business Development Center to also promote entrepreneurship.

“I'm convinced that the small businesses we have in here and the small businesses in the Commonwealth are the key to our economic recovery. Because no matter how good or bad the economy is, small businesses always find a way. I have faith that our small businesses, our entrepreneurs, our businesses will figure this out. [It’s] a two-pronged approach, employee and prospective employers. Workforce development, economic development, they go hand in hand,” he said. 

Looking for fourth and fifth grade teachers for the next school year Saipan Community School took a chance and took part in the job fair 

“We're a small school that gives you an opportunity to really build relationships with your students so that you can give them a holistic education. We do teach strong academics, but also teach the student's heart. We are a Christian school and so we're able to help them not just guide them spiritually, but also with their mental health. So, we have a holistic approach to education because you can't just teach what's from the book. It has to be relative and applicable and to teach from the heart to the heart.”

Triple J. Saipan Inc. said it’s currently hiring an accountant, a baker, and a cook for its Saipan operations and a landscaper for Tinian.

“We're here at the NMC job fair to help employees seek job employment and give them some experience on their new start of their career...We are actually impressed that there's a lot of students and public that came to the job fair,” said Triple J HR specialist Jorianne Cabrera. 

Herman's Modern Bakery HR specialist Claudine Camacho said the CNMI’s oldest bakery is—not a surprise—looking for bakers.

“We're welcoming mainly the local workforce to Herman's Modern Bakery. Our main thing is [we want] people who are loyal, ready to work, local workforce of course. I've entertained five great applicants that submitted full paperwork on site. So, we're very excited. I'm hoping we can review and pull some people in from the local workforce.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Saipan port director Ferdinand Malari said they’re not only looking for applicants to work in the CNMI but even in Guam and rest of the U.S.

“Well right now we just want to go ahead and raise awareness that CBP is hiring nationwide. And we would like to entice interested individuals to go ahead and try and apply for the job.”

Asid from openings under field operations, Mallari said CBP is also ready to fill openings for border patrol and agents for air marine operations.

“We don't have any set number, but we always tell applicants to just go ahead and apply. Minimum requirements are they're going to have to be a U.S. citizen, a degree would be great, job experience as well, and other than that, just the willingness to get the job done. We're accepting applicants at 21 years old, but then there's also the cutoff which is at 41.

Mallari said CBP always tries to place applicants as close as possible to their location of choice and in fact 80% of staff in the CNMI are from the islands.

“Anybody that at least meets the minimum requirements, I encourage to go ahead and apply. You have nothing to lose. All you have to do is have the willingness to sit down and the application is all online.”

CNMI SBDC Network marketing manager Roman Tudela said unlike other companies looking to provide jobs at the NMC Career Fair, they have something different to offer with their Side Hustle Without the Hassle initiative.

“We have a different pivot and a different approach. We don't necessarily offer jobs, but we offer the opportunity for them to become their own boss, and hopefully become one of the newest small businesses here at CNMI. We have a little pitch for our NMC students. It's called Side Hustle Without the Hassle. That pitch or idea is to support NMC and support them in pursuing their higher education, but also advocating that it's possible to be a successful student and to also become a successful small business owner at the same time, through the support and assistance of CNMI SBDC.”

He said Side Hustle Without the Hassle offers three core services—business counseling, business education, and technical assistance. 

“Those three core services allow clients to really flourish within their small business endeavors, and that can really entail a variety of services in between. The Side Hustle Without the Hassle for students is they don't have to stress about opening up a business on their own. They can get the support and back end of SBDC while they're also becoming students and going through their education at NMC.” 

Crowne Plaza Resort & Spa Saipan and Guam Human Resources Office director Frances Salas said the hotel group is currently on the hunt for a slew of employees that can provide work in kitchen service, particularly chef de parties; food and beverage attendants; part-time housekeeping; as well as engineering and general maintenance positions.

“We’re looking for people who are well-versed in cooking and culinary and have a vast experience in the culinary world. So please take a look at our website, ihgcareers.com, and you can scroll through the Guam site and as well as Saipan.”

Stay-at-home mom of five Yumi Norech said she’s applying for a job after recently receiving her GED and will accept any kind of job at this point.

“I would be really thankful to whoever first hires me because right now I think the whole reason why I'm not being hired is because I don't have job experience...As a stay-at-home mom, we're everything from chef, nurse, teacher. So, I know that I can be on point with being on time and getting tasks done, doing the right procedure on whatever job is needed.”

Norech will be taking NMC classes this summer and hopes to major in nursing.

Isaac Han, a liberal arts emphasis in pre-engineering student at NMC, said he went to the job fair to see what's available on the island.

“I was looking for a part-time job, mostly in graphic design, as that's my specialty. I realized a lot of our students need to be in the workforce here, because a lot of these openings are entry-level for us, and it would be a great opportunity for us to learn, as well as to get the experience that we need for bigger positions later on.”

What piqued his interest, so far, were openings at MARPAC, Ete Café, and CBP.

Keliv Lumbana, a junior at Marianas High School and one of the youngest participants at the job fair, said he’s looking for a summer job.

“I'm mainly looking for companies like Herman's and Joeten [Shopping Center], and something that I can have for part-time. I have a certificate in hospitality so one of my main interests is in hospitality,” he said.

Jimmy Marquez, a 21-year-old front desk clerk at Aqua Resort Club Saipan, said he swung by the job fair to see what other job opportunities are available out there.

“One thing that piqued my interest is the one from [the Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality], because I do enjoy the environmental stuff as well. So being able to take part in something like that would be something I would like to do in the future.”

Jacob Aldan, a liberal arts sophomore at NMC, said he wants to gain some job experience while still in college and wants to work in the tourism industry.

“I'm willing to just try anything,” he said, while saying that openings that caught his interest were the ones at Crowne Plaza and the Tourism Group.

The 28 entities that took part in the NMC Career Fair are as follows: AP Group LLC and its Affiliates; Asia Pacific Hotels, Inc. dba Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan; BECQ-Division of Coastal Resources Management; CNMI government—Civil Service Commission; Office of Personnel Management; CNMI Public School System; CNMI Small Business Development Center Network, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.; Commonwealth Utilities Corp.; Department of Finance; Department of Labor-Employment Services; Department of Labor Workforce Investment Agency; Ha & Jo Investment Group, LLC; Herman's Modern Bakery Inc.; J.C. Tenorio Enterprises Inc.; J&E Holdings, LLC dba Caffeinity; LSG Sky Chefs Saipan Inc.; MARPAC; NMTECH; Northern Marianas College-Enrollment Services; Northern Marianas College-Human Resources Office; Office of Vocational Rehabilitation; Pacific Rim; Pacifica Insurance Underwriters Inc.; S.A.I. Leisure Group; Saint Trading Co. Inc. & Prophet CNMI; Saipan Community School; Triple J Saipan, Inc.; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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Story by Mark Rabago