Dust off your resume and grab your briefcase – Roc Nation and Reform Alliance will host a free job fair at the Richmond Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This marks the second time the two organizations have partnered, with the previous fair held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Roc Nation, a global entertainment company founded by rapper Jay-Z in 2008, and Reform Alliance, a criminal justice reform organization founded by Jay-Z and Meek Mill in 2019, chose Richmond for the event to address the unemployment rate, which is 2.7% statewide and 3.4% in Richmond, according to Dania Diaz, Roc Nation’s managing director of philanthropy.

“We want people that feel really good about kind of entering this space where they're talking to employers,” Diaz said. “Getting a little bit of a boost sometimes when you're looking for jobs, and it could be very taxing, and you may feel like a little less confident.”

Employers set to attend include Starbucks, Foot Locker, Crunch Fitness, the City of Richmond, Greater Richmond Transit Authority, the Virginia Department of Corrections, and others, seeking to fill 250,000 open positions.

The fair will also offer free services to help job seekers, including resume consultations, interview coaching, access to professional attire, haircuts, styling, grooming, professional headshots, and information on expungement. The event is expected to draw over 1,000 attendees, Diaz said.

“Moments like this are really, really important because we want to spread the word. We want people to come out right now,” Diaz said. “[There’s] no judgment because that really is the spirit of it. Just come and learn, make connections and meet employers.”

In addition to addressing unemployment, the organizations aim to help formerly incarcerated individuals by creating job opportunities to break the cycle of probation and parole.

“Studies that show that you know the best way to reduce recidivism is to get people jobs and employers,” Diaz said. “When they hire returning citizens, they have some of the most dedicated and skillful employees. If we're looking at kind of a system that allows people to contribute to our overall economy and our overall safety, we should be paying attention to how we do that.”

Registration is encouraged at Reform Alliance's website but not required. Walk-ins are welcome.