Job Journal HIREVent Draws Hundreds

The California unemployment rate continues to drop, but you wouldn't know it by the turnout at a job fair in Sacramento Tuesday.

The line to get into the Job Journal HIREVent at the Crowne Plaza Hotel ran through the hotel lobby and out a side entrance onto a sidewalk.

John Nelson is with the Job Journal.  

"What the line says is there are a lot of people that are looking for opportunities," he says.  "On the internet, they're getting frustrated perhaps with their job search. They see that this is an opportunity to actually have conversations with people.."  

Linda Mims is with Northern California College of Construction in Stockton. Mims says she was pleasantly surprised by the number of qualified applicants. 

"We're actually looking for instructors right now to teach our students how to operate the bulldozer the back hoe, the excavator, rail loader."
 
John Nelson with the Job Journal says an increasing number of people are starting to look for a job to enjoy as opposed to a job to survive.

"I think a lot of people say that with the employment rate going down, there's not a need for people to connect with employers," he says. "But, obviously, there's still the need. There's still a lot of people here that either want to find a job or want to find a better job."

Jessica Munson is working part time, but says she would like to work more.  She took advantage of a free resume critique offered at the job fair.

"Selling yourself, not, exactly what it is that you're looking for," she says. "It's kind of telling your skill set. It's one of the biggest things I would probably change about my resume right now."

Nineteen employers had 700 vacancies and free resume critiques. About 1,000 people attended.

This was the 23rd annual June HIREvent in Sacramento.  Job Journal hosts events in other northern California cities. The next job fair is in Contra Costa County in July.