Business & Tech

Organizers: Up to 1,000 Expected at Job Fair Tuesday

LI Job Finder Job Fair at Smithtown Sheraton starts at 9:30 a.m.

If you're one of the 500 to 1,000 local job seekers expected to descend upon the Long Island Job Finder 2103 Job Fair on Tuesday, organizers have one tip you shouldn't forget: dress up.

"Come with the proper attire," said Javier Castro, director of sales at LI Job Finder, which publishes a weekly job magazine. "That is one of the biggest things; we've had to tell people not to come in for wearing things like sneakers."

According to Castro, 20 companies will set up booths at the event, set to take place at the Smithtown Sheraton at 110 Motor Parkway in Hauppauge. Those include NY Life, Dove Chocolate Discoveries, The Princeton Review, St. Joseph’s College, The Daily News, Family Residences, Commercial Driver Training (CDT), NBTY, Nassau County Department Of Labor, Best Yet Market, Suffolk County Police, NY Army National Guard, Suffolk Department Of Labor, Briarcliffe College, Guardian/NRL Wealth Creation, New York Police Department, Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Independent Group Home Living Program Inc.

"It's an all-day event, starts at 9:30 a.m., and we usually have a line waiting at that time," Castro said.

The sales director also said attendees won't need to register in advance, but they should bring plenty of resumes.

While unemployment across the country has steadily shrunk since the start of the Great Recession – the United States added 165,000 jobs in April, trimming unemployment to 7.5 percent – thousands of people still remain unemployed on Long Island. In March, the region's jobless rate fell to 6.8 percent, its first drop below 7 percent in nearly two years, with 99,300 people still claiming jobless benefits in Nassau and Suffolk counties combined.

The LI Job Finder event presents an opportunity for many of them, but Castro said it's up to applicants to set themselves apart from the pack.

"Research the companies a little bit," he said. "Get familiar with them, see what you have in common, what they are about. Then you'll know if it's a good fit or not"


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