Popup Job Fair: From Layoffs to "Let's go" — Boston tech community pulls together

A week ago, if you asked me if I thought the Popup Job Fair would be big, I would have said, "Yes, and it will be great. We'll have 10 employers and 100 job seekers at Industrious Copley."

That prediction wasn't even close. The Job Fair ended up including 60+ employers, 1,000+ job seekers, and took over a full banquet/ballroom floor at the Westin Copley Place. In addition, there were 100+ one-on-one resume and interview coaching chats, 150+ headshots taken, and countless conversations.

Like most companies in Boston, when the team at Argosight heard about the Wayfair layoffs we tried to think of how we could help. We provide executive search services -- getting people jobs is what we know. We knew we could leverage our relationships with some of the top companies in town and get a few to step up. And they did. But it wasn’t a few, it was everyone -- and it had a “let’s lift each other up feeling” that affirmed my view of the tech community in Boston: it is a community. As the idea spread on social media, it got bigger and more ambitious. We were inundated with messages and calls from people who wanted to participate and help, and four days after announcing (only two business days before the event) we had to move from Industrious to the Westin.

Pulling off a job fair in under a week is not for the faint of heart, but some fast moves by incredibly helpful and supportive people from some of the top companies in Boston jumped in and committed to the Popup Job Fair within 4 hours of reaching out.

Buildium, Chewy, Cogo Labs, connectRN, DraftKings, Drizly, edX, EverQuote, Examity, Klaviyo, Kyruus, Litmus, Mimecast, Predictive Index, Rapid7, Rue Gilt Groupe, Slalom, Toast.

I am talking about you: Abbey Cohn, Adam DeVos, Adam Pasti, Allison Sproul, Ashley Moniz, Branden Smith, Brendan Caffrey, Brendan McCartin, Carlisle Chiodo, Christina Luconi, David Vencis, Dena Upton, Elise Schoch, Elizabeth Gormley, Elyse Neumeier, Emily Hannon, Freedom Dumlao, George Hotter, Grace Kim, Jackie Dube, Gabriela McManus, Jeff Belanger, Karen Anderson, Kathleen Glebus, Liz Galvin, Lori Busch, Maggie McClellan, Mark McWeeny, Michael Hebert, Mike Brown, Nicole Zussman, Rob Fisher, Sean Cavaliere, Sharon DiOrio, Will Otto.

Thank you. Your quick commitment to help was the spark that made this entire event a reality.

The next 72 hours were a whirlwind. From Saturday until an hour before the event, people representing companies from all across metro Boston signed up to help out and provide support:

Alyssa Dalton, Amanda Cross, Amanda McGee, Amy Kruglak, Ann-Marie Tingley, Bill Chouinard, Bill Langenberg, Brendan Murphy, Brett Casavant, Brian Kelly, Brian Sodano, Brian V, Brian Zitin, Brittany Johnson, Bryanne Leeming, Camilla Santos, Caroline Kielar, Chandler Moore, Chris Lister, Chris McMahon, Christina Caccavale, Connor Hughes, Corey Potwin, Dave Williams, David DeMasi, Debbie Briggs, Edita Brumaru, Eric Richmond, Evan Favermann Eisert, Fran McHugh, Ian Ide, Jaclyn Jussif, Jake O'Brien, James McElroy, Jamie Cosgrove, Jana Eggers, Janet Oliver, Jeff Fredrickson, John Truelove, Kaitlin O'Reilly, Kyle Jackson, Lacey Maddalena, Lia Mastrogiacomo, Liam Corrigan, Lori McHugh, Lynn Sintani, Maribel Olvera, Marina Gawlinski, Marra Moran, Martha Bradley, Mary Paris, Mary Sellaro, Matt Richards, Maureen Carroll, Meghan Colon, Melissa Johnson, Melvin John, Michael Clinton, Michael Lauzon, Michela Falzone, Michelle Douglas, Michelle Nasrah, Mike Sullivan, Nader Shaar, Neil Duggan, Nick Stewart, Nick Stewart, Nina Caliri, Olivia O'Connor, Pamela Walls Oakes, Peggy Yu,  Phillip Reese, Qui Van, Qui Van,  Ray Dutelle, Rob Sullivan, Roger Bencivenga, Samantha Coons, Sarah Cooke, Scott Lobdell, Spencer Grant, Stacey Lawson, Stephanie Cheevers, Steve Favazza, Tara Willis, Tiffany Tang, Will Pallis, Yoon Park, Zoe Silverman.

These people are from amazing companies that truly believe in the power of building and supporting community: Amazon, American Well, athenahealth, BitSight, BJ's Wholesale Club, Blue Conic, CareDash, CarGurus, Cengage, Circle, ClimaCell, CVS Health, Drift, Education First, Foundation Medicine, HaulHub, Homesite Insurance, Hometap, Humana, IndigoAG, Insurify, Leyton, Liberty Mutual, Nara Logics, Onapsis, OnCorps.io, PathAI, Payfactors, Penn Foster, ProfitWell, Proton AI, Quick Base, Rave Mobile Safety, Recorded Future, Recover Athletics, Reggora, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Stack Education, TJX, Triverus Consulting, Unruly Studios, Validity, Verily, Vistaprint, Yesware, ZoomInfo.

Then, with job seekers in mind, and because it wasn’t challenging enough to get employers and candidates together, we added other elements: professional headshots, resume review, interview prep, and ease of networking by color-coding nametags. People came out in droves to share their expertise with job seekers. It was amazing to witness the extent to which people dove in to help. Here’s to Jeff Belanger, Bill Langenberg, Zoe Silverman, Ronda Billings, Margie Rothschild, Christina Caccavale, Gabriela McManus, Caroline Kielar, Samantha Coons -- you took this part to the next level.

Despite the rushed planning, the event was exactly what everyone wanted -- and needed. The energy was awesome, and we accomplished our mission: great companies met great people, and the Boston tech community showed itself to be something special. (Of course.)

This experience has been amazing for the Argosight team; to be able to have an impact such as this one is a gift. And, a special shoutout is in order to Grace Bucking, Brooke Beason, and Ilyse Greenberg. Without their willingness to do whatever was needed, the Popup Job Fair wouldn't have happened.

The Pop-Up Job Fair is a true testament to the unparalleled power of the Boston community when we come together. If something positive came out of you attending the Job Fair, please share your story in the comments here. We’d love to know about it -- and we'd love to encourage the Boston business community to continue to step up when needed.

We can tell you it feels really great to do something good. Let’s keep the momentum going, there’s more to do.