NATCHEZ — If you’re looking for a job in Adams County, there are at least 200 positions for which you can throw your name into the ring.

The WIN Job Center in Natchez has 170 full-time and 31 part-time jobs listed, Director Daniel Purvis said.

The positions vary from entry-level cashier and part-time seasonal work to executive assistants, nurses and physicians, Purvis said.

“There’s just a whole host of jobs that are open,” he said.

Purvis took over as branch director of the Natchez WIN Job Center approximately a year ago. The number of open jobs has hovered around 150 to 250 throughout that time.

Part of the solution to filling those jobs is making sure residents looking for work are connected to employers through the WIN Job Center and other resources, Natchez Inc. Executive Director Chandler Russ said.

“Part of our WorkKeys initiative is driving more applicants to the WIN Job Center and to Copiah-Lincoln Community College  in order to make them aware of the jobs that are posted, as well as helping them improve their skill levels,” Russ said.

While a popular sentiment may be that there are no jobs in Natchez, that all depends on what type of career or work an applicant is looking for in the area, Purvis said.

“I think when people say that, they are saying there are no good-paying jobs in Natchez,” he said. “It just depends on your skill set. If you’re some kind of oil worker, then yes, right now there are no jobs around here because of the price of oil.

“However, if you’re a registered nurse, you can have your pick of where you want to work.”

Other positions difficult to fill in the area include truck drivers, licensed practical nurses and nurse practitioners, Purvis said.

In terms of entry-level positions, Purvis said the biggest complaint the job center gets from employers is that the area needs soft-skills training.

“It’s people getting a job and not knowing how to keep a job,” he said. “Soft skills are how you present yourself, how you dress, how you present yourself in an interview as far as looking someone in the eye, being confident, speaking up and speaking clearly. Other things include having a professional email address, a professional voicemail message, something that wouldn’t turn an employer away, knowing how to fill out an application.”

The WIN Job Center does not offer soft-skills training.

“It’s just not a program we have,” Purvis said. “Of course, funding would be an issue to creating a program.

“We can work one-on-one with people as they come in and work with our case managers. But we don’t have any kind of en masse training.”

Employment statistics indicate there are approximately 10,000 local residents in the labor force and approximately 800 actively looking for work.

Russ said the area has the workforce to fill the open jobs.

“That’s one of the reasons we did the regional job fair (last week,” he said. “We want to connect employers to applicants. We have the workforce, it’s just a matter of getting them into those positions.”

The WIN Job Center is located at 107 Col. Pitchford Parkway and can be reached by calling 601-442-0243.

For more information, visit mdes.ms.gov/win-job-centers/natchez-win-job-center.