Job fair draws strong crowd. Check it out:
(Record, The (Stockton, CA) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 21--STOCKTON -- Hundreds of job seekers crowded tables manned by more than two dozen private and public sector employers Wednesday afternoon at the Stockton Diversity HIREvent.
"Anything is better than where I am now. I have given a better effort than what I have been given back," said Brittany Hood, 21, as she filled out an F&M Bank job application.
Hood, a Dillard's sales clerk and Humphreys College student, hopes to land a customer service or new account representative job with the bank.
The four-hour-long job fair, held at the Radisson Hotel Stockton, was produced by HIREvents, a division of The California Job Journal, a Sacramento-based career and employment publication.
HIREvents stages about 20 free recruitment events in Northern California annually.
Job Journal spokeswoman Christina Clark said that job fairs are a tried and true method of connecting employers and prospective employees.
"We've had 200 people walk through the door this first hour," she said.
Michele Johnson of Lodi was one of those early birds.
Her previous job as an evaluator of state standardized school tests ended one month ago.
"I'm looking for something more permanent," said Johnson, 50.
An hour-plus into the fair, Johnson had filled out applications for jobs at Central Valley Autism Project Inc., Comcast, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Georgia-Pacific Corp. and The Home Depot that ranged from customer service and cashiering to manufacturing and sales.
"The main thing is to get back working. The hardest time to get a job is when you don't have one," she said.
Cathy Bentley of Central Valley Autism Project, who was recruiting tutors for autistic children, said that the majority of job seekers approaching her table were dressed appropriately, friendly and ready to find a job.
Still, she was cautiously optimistic about hiring prospects.
"This is not for everybody," she said.
In addition to employer-job seeker matchmaking, the HIREvent also offered seminars on job search techniques and resume evaluations.
Marie Cholula, a laid-off mortgage industry worker who now attends San Joaquin Delta College, walked the rows of employer tables with her sister, Marie Almaraz, and her brother, Albert Almaraz Jr.
"I'm just keeping my eyes open. I don't want to pass up an opportunity," she said.
Contact reporter Michelle Machado at (209) 943-8547 or [email protected]
Copyright (c) 2006, The Record, Stockton, Calif.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Technorati
Del.icio.us
Slashdot
Digg
