As the season changes from summer to fall, one of PPL’s favorite community events is right around the corner: The People of Color Career Fair! Next Tuesday, October 13, professionals from across the region will meet downtown at the Minneapolis Convention Center for the twice-yearly event to network and connect with Minnesota’s top employers.
For years, PPL has attended the career fair as an employer to meet both up-and-coming and established talent, with new connections often going on to join the PPL team. One of those talented professionals is PPL Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives, Gaith Hijazin.
We sat down with Gaith ahead of next week’s fall fair to hear more about his experience, why he’s passionate about PPL and advice he’d give to others who are considering attending the fair. Read on to learn more — and perhaps you’ll be inspired to attend next Tuesday!
Q: You’ve been with PPL for a little over four months now. What was your professional journey to get here, and how were you connected to PPL?
My professional background is in workforce development, education and economic mobility, with time spent doing everything from direct programming and instruction in higher education to project management and high-level policy work in state government.
These experiences have shaped my interest in how education and workforce development connect—and how those connections help people move forward. My journey in the U.S. began as an international student. Later, working in a Global Engagement Center, I supported incoming international students and students preparing to study abroad. At the state level, I oversaw projects focused on education, student success, career readiness, and digital services, gaining a broader understanding of how education and workforce systems work together. Personally, that journey has felt like a full-circle moment: an opportunity to offer others the support and opportunities that helped me find my own way.
I was connected to PPL through the spring People of Color Career Fair in Saint Paul, which I found out about through the Eventbrite Job Fair app. I was hired on as PPL’s Career Services Manager and was recently promoted to Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives, which includes working with our Career Services team to strengthen and expand career pathways and build relationships with employers, colleges and other community partners.
Q: What was your People of Color Career Fair experience like?
Very positive. When registering for the event, attendees were invited to submit a short elevator pitch about themselves for the opportunity to participate in an invitation-only Networking Breakfast on the morning of the fair, at no extra cost. This breakfast is a smaller setting for people to really connect one-on-one with top Minnesota employers who will be at the main fair later in the day.
I took a chance by submitting my elevator pitch and won a spot at the breakfast — and I couldn’t recommend the experience more. If you’re not an extrovert, it could be overwhelming to walk into a space with several hundred people and immediately begin talking. But the breakfast was such a safe and warm welcome to the day. It’s a nice way to practice your introduction of who you are and what your experiences include. Plus, you get free breakfast.
I also had a good time at the main Career Fair later in the day, where I met PPL’s Chief People Officer Dr. María Pabón Gautier, who connected me to PPL’s Director of Career Services Carlo Bruno. Both were very friendly and genuine, and I appreciated the consistency of communication about the great work PPL does. I took this as a good sign of who PPL is.
Q: Was there anything that surprised you about your experience at the career fair?
What stayed with me from the People of Color Career Fair was how intentional the space felt. I knew it would be a valuable event, but seeing people connect so openly was a powerful affirmation of what happens when a space is built with purpose and by people who understand the community it serves. People of color are an essential part of Minnesota’s workforce, and the fair made that visible. It was inspiring to see that commitment reflected in the people, conversations and opportunities throughout the room.
Q: What advice would you give someone who may be on the fence about attending the career fair?
Take a chance on yourself. When you're actively looking for jobs, you start to feel smaller and smaller. It is a daunting process. What I like about the People of Color Career Fair is that it’s a safe space for people to come together and see other people who look like them and have successful stories. Attend the event and learn from all the rich experiences being shared! Talk to people. It's a powerful space in so many ways.
Three positive impacts I’ve seen come out of the fair, in both myself and others:
- Increased self-confidence.
- You get to meet other like-minded people. At some point, they will remember you when they get a job. Networking!
- When you take a chance on yourself, you’re investing in yourself — and that can change your life.
The People of Color Career Fair is an excellent place to practice taking a chance on yourself. The space is built super intentionally so that when you walk in, you’re immediately taken care of. Everyone there genuinely wants to give back to the community and engage with you.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working at PPL?
There are always new opportunities, and new ways to approach our guiding mission of creating long-term stability through affordable housing and career readiness.
No one does it better than PPL, to be honest. I really enjoy being part of a team that does it all, but in a customized way. We have an entire division dedicated to low-income housing, to workforce development, to career readiness — and it’s all guided by our “secret sauce,” which is working to meet people where they are at. I love how accessible we are to those we work with. It strengthens our trust and credibility as a nonprofit that genuinely wants to serve the communities it cares about.