Even before the job fair began, the lobby of a market street hotel was packed. The unemployed and underemployed from all over the bay area came looking for an opportunity.
"I've been unemployed about a year now. It's getting tougher and tougher," job seeker Scott Unger said.
The latest statistics from the U.S. Labor Department show the national unemployment rate fell to a nearly two year low -- 8.9 percent. The California unemployment rate remains steady at 12.4 percent.
"Actually I'm working but I'm looking for something better right now because we're going thru a layoff phase," job seeker Frankie Antoine said.
The employers ranged from Caltrans to the police department to the Federal Reserve Bank. Volt, a staffing firm for fortune 500 companies, is trying to fill 350 jobs in the Bay Area.
"We are searching for accounting and finance professionals as well as people on the IT side. The market is definitely turning around," Sarah Mills-Krutilek from Volt said.
There seems to be more people who are hiring," job seeker Frances Chan said.
To become job ready, some candidates are having their resumes revamped. The line was long for those critiques. Any help is welcome when you are searching for work.
"Keep on going, keep on going, keep on looking for a job," Unger said.
The next HIREvent by ABC7 and the Jobs Journal will be in Emeryville at the Holiday Garden Inn on Tuesday April 26.
