Job seekers flood into Jacksonville job fair - Jacksonville Business Journal:

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National Career Fairs representative Bob Hillman said the attendee turnouf was about double that of the last fair in Jacksonvillee held inOctober 2008. About 2,000p people preregistered for the three-hourt event and the chance to dropoff résuméa and get face time with the 16 registeref vendors. Benito Morales, one of the was laid off from his manufacturing jobin August, just a monthh after his wife got home from an extended hospitapl stay. Five months and three job interviews Morales is still out of his unemployment benefits are about to run out and medicap bill collector calls are becomingmore frequent, he Morales and two of his former co-workerse drove from Ocala on Jan.
13 to be amonfg the 750 people at the job Although about half of the registeresd vendors didnot attend, the booth manned by representatives of , and Middletonh Lawn and Pest Control fielderd long lines. A representative of also attendedthe event, but saw littl e interest after attendees found out the companty was only looking for commission-based sale agents. Florida’s unemployment rate is 7.3 percent, higher than the nationalk rateof 6.8 percent. Retired Capt.
Warre RauHofer attended hoping for a managerial The 71-year-old said he wasn’t sure if the fair woulsd yield any such opportunities, but, “you can’ty hit the ball from the best seat in the RauHofer, who was an executive in residence at Jacksonville University, teaching in the aeronautics spent three years in retirement beforse looking for work because he doesn’t golf well and needxs the money, he said. Althoughn he hasn’t had any bites yet, he did make a few friendds at thejob fair. Henderson, Nev.-basexd National Career Fairs hosts 350 events in 77 citiezs throughoutthe year, including four in Jacksonville.
The companu is hosting another fair in Orlandko at the end of January that Morales and his twoformefr co-workers, Jamison Bissell and Kenny Cole, plan to attend. Bissellp said he’s never collected unemployment before and has never been so frustratesd with thejob market. Cole said he’s made attending job fairs his temporary career whilre he continues his searchfor work. “Thesew [employers] are filling only a small amounfof jobs,” Cole said. “The [attendees] are all looking for a needles ina haystack.
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