As thousands of Georgians look to start the new year with new opportunities, Goodwill of North Georgia is launching its annual New Year, New Job initiative, an expanded series of career fairs designed to connect jobseekers directly with employers throughout North Georgia.

Running throughout January, the initiative will feature in-person and virtual hiring events hosted at Goodwill’s 14 career centers and its mobile career center, making it easier than ever for jobseekers to explore open positions, meet hiring managers, and access free career services.

As part of its New Year, New Job initiative, the organization is leveraging its growing partnership with the College Park Skyhawks, the NBA G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, to create real-world career exposure opportunities for local residents. The organizations will partner during a Skyhawks home game against the Birmingham Squadron to host a Job Shadowing Night, where participants selected by Goodwill are paired with Skyhawks business staff across key departments to observe game-day operations, ask questions, and explore potential career pathways in sports, entertainment, and community engagement. This effort builds on a year-and-a-half collaboration that includes pop-up shops and donation drives at Skyhawks home games.

The New Year New Job program comes at a critical time. While Georgia continues to experience job growth, workforce gaps persist across industries such as logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and skilled trades. According to recent labor data, employers across the state continue to report difficulty filling open roles, even as jobseekers navigate career transitions, layoffs, and the rising cost of living, making direct connections between employers and talent more important than ever. 

“The start of a new year is a powerful moment for people to reset their goals and take the next step in their careers,” said Keith Parker, president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia. “Our New Year, New Job events are designed to remove barriers, bring employers and jobseekers together in one place, and help people move quickly from searching for work to securing meaningful employment.”

Each event will feature employers actively hiring for a range of positions, along with access to Goodwill’s career services team, which provides resume assistance, interview preparation, skills training referrals, and job placement support at no cost to participants.

“These career fairs are about more than filling open roles, they’re about helping people find stability, growth, and long-term career pathways,” said Jenny Taylor, vice president of career services at Goodwill of North Georgia. “By hosting events across our communities and through our mobile and virtual platforms, we’re meeting jobseekers where they are and helping employers connect with motivated talent.”

January “New Year, New Job” Career Fair Schedule:

  • Athens — January 15 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | East Athens Career Center
  • Cornelia — January 14 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Cornelia Career Center
  • Old National — January 13 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Old National Career Center
  • Virtual Career Fair — January 13 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | https://pvapi.premiervirtual.com/s/d0PXPd
  • Rome — January 20 | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Rome Career Center
  • Smyrna — January 20 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Smyrna Career Center
  • Woodstock — January 20 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Woodstock Career Center
  • Decatur — January 21 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Decatur SkillSource Center
  • Metropolitan Atlanta — January 21 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Roosevelt Hall, 660 Atlanta Student Movement Blvd SW, Atlanta, GA 30314
  • Pleasant Hill — January 21 | 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Pleasant Hill Career Center
  • Oakwood / Hall County — January 26 | 10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | Oakwood Career Center & Hall County Library System, 127 Main St NW, Gainesville, GA 30501
  • Cartersville — January 27 | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Cartersville Career Center
  • Dawsonville — January 27 | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Dawsonville Career Center
  • Mobile Career Center — January 28 | 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. | Fleur De Lees, 1932 Austin Dr., Decatur
  • South DeKalb — January 29 | 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. | South DeKalb Career Center
  • Stockbridge / South Clayton — January 15 | 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. | South Clayton Recreation Center, 1837 McDonough Rd., Hampton, GA 30228

Jobseekers are encouraged to bring copies of their resume, dress professionally, and be prepared to interview on site.

From FY23 to FY25, Goodwill of North Georgia saw steady, double-digit growth in participation across its career and training services, underscoring rising demand for workforce development programs. In FY23, Goodwill served 43,146 individuals, a figure that increased to 48,205 in FY24, a 11.7% increase year over year, and grew again to 53,700 in FY25, representing an additional 11.4% increase. During this same period, Goodwill of North Georgia’s job placements numbers remained steady from FY23 (22,113) to FY24 (22,083) and then climbed significantly to 24,595 in FY25, marking an 11.4% increase in just one year. Together, these gains reflect both growing employer demand and the increasing importance of accessible, skills-based training opportunities across North Georgia.

“The growth we’re seeing across our career and training services tells a powerful story about both opportunity and need,” said Parker. “In just two years, the number of people we’ve helped increased significantly. These numbers reinforce what employers are telling us every day, North Georgia needs skilled talent, and Goodwill is committed to meeting that demand by helping people move from a job to a better job and ultimately to a career.”

For more information about the New Year, New Job events or Goodwill of North Georgia’s free career services, visit goodwillng.org.

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