There were many determined job seekers at the Hotel Whitcomb on Market Street intent on getting hired.
"I've been out of work since February, and I'm in the health care business, and I'd like to get back in," said Oakland resident Elizabeth Johnson.
They were attracted to this job fair where a dozen companies had just over 200 openings. About half were in the health field. While some are hiring, many others are not.
"The ones that are hiring are hiring faster, but overall, I think there's kind of a lull in the market right now," said job fair coordinator Kathy Caricato.
Brenda Marie of Oakland welcomes a chance to talk to recruiters face-to-face instead of applying online.
"When they look at the years of experience sometimes, they think, 'there's an older worker. She's un-trainable.' It's so wrong. It's so wrong. It works much better when I can meet people face-to-face," said Oakland resident Brenda Marie.
Recruiters are good at reading faces in this room.
"You can see it in their face -- the desperation on some of them, but people are hopeful. They are hopeful, especially when they see that you do have opportunities available," said Stacy Blanchard from Sutter Health.
There were handshakes, resumes were submitted, yet many applicants expect to be turned down. That's what Laurens Drost has experienced for the past year and a half.
"I volunteer at a soup kitchen right now, and a lot of people there have their Ph.D.s in chemistry and physics. It comforts me to know it's not just me who's suffering from all this," said job seeker Drost.
This is the sixth HIREvent co-sponsored by ABC7 and the California Job Journal.
For the job applicants who came on Tuesday, this is only the beginning of the process. May will be contacted for an interview, possibly an in-person interview. However, for those who couldn't find a job opportunity, the process continues.
Our next jobs fair, co-sponsored by ABC7 and the California Jobs Journal, will be on August 31st at:
Hilton Garden Inn
1800 Powell Street
Emeryville, CA
Job Fair information: 1-888-THE-JOBS
