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Far More Seekers Than Jobs At Fair

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By KRISTA KLAUS

kklaus@wfla.com

Published: March 7, 2009

TAMPA - Angela Booker attended a job fair at the Quorum Hotel in Tampa on Friday with a heavy heart. The recently laid-off 42-year-old customer service supervisor said it's the first time she can remember being without a job, and the competition is fierce.

"For every job you look for, there's about 50 to 100 already applying for it," Booker said. "Years ago, when you used to apply for a job, you would get a call back within a day or two. Now it's like your application was just dropped in a bucket of other applications, so it's very scary."

Booker was attending the same day the state reported that 9.7 percent of the Bay area's workers are unemployed and the national rate is at a 25-year high.

For Booker, the job fair brought some success. She filled out an application with LDG Financial Services and nabbed an interview for Monday morning.

Other job seekers were disappointed. Victor Acevedo complained that many of the vendors were trade schools seeking students rather than offering jobs.

"There's more training here today than job opportunities," said Acevedo, a 41-year-old single father of three who's been out of work for six months. "It's very stressful. You don't know if you have a job tomorrow or two months from now."

Acevedo and an expected crowd of about 1,500 others found slim pickings at the job fair sponsored by JobNewsTampa.com. The promoter promised a "chance to interview with dozens of top employers" on its Web site. But out of 22 vendors, only a handful accepted applications. Peter Mosca, regional vice president for JobNewsTampa.com, said he understood the frustration.

"I think people are coming here looking for a job. I think their hope is to be able to find a job today," Mosca said.

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