LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Channel 13 has heard from many Las Vegas locals about how difficult it can be to find a job right now in the valley.
The Spring Job Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center drew the most job seekers in the event's eight-year history, which organizers say illustrates how urgent the need for work is in Las Vegas right now.
WATCH | Guy Tannenbaum talks to job seekers about their experience at the Spring Job Fair
The theme of the day at the Spring Job Fair?
"Opportunity, growth, development," local Delleyon James told Channel 13.
James went to the job fair even though she already has a job.
"I have five kids, so I definitely want to be able to set up for them–having multiple jobs, and finding something I can go with as a career," James said. "A job you can get fired from—a career? That's something that's long-lasting."
With more than 130 employers and tens of thousands of jobs available all in one place, it's an opportunity that was hard to pass up, says local Emil Jenkins, who came to the job fair with his daughter Emiasjha.
"I'm looking for a better job, and this right here saves me time to where I don't have to go other places or online," Emil Jenkins said. "They've got fliers and everything, it's really helpful."
"I really like the little caregiving thing I just passed—I do love taking care of people, so I have a job interview for that, and I'm glad," Emiasjha Jenkins said.
And if you're new to town, what better place to hit the ground running—just ask Jeffrey Pierre-Louis, who just landed in Las Vegas from Atlanta Wednesday night, and headed to the job fair the next day!
"I'm ready to accept new opportunities," Pierre-Louis said. "So I was googling things and moving around Las Vegas, and I saw the job fair, so I said, let me come in and give it a shot and try something new."
WATCH: Atlanta man tries to find opportunities in Las Vegas through Job Fair
The appeal of the event lies in the opportunity to make connections in person, and not on a website, according to both job seekers and employers.
"Eye contact and a firm handshake will get you a lot," Emil Jenkins said. "If it's online, it's online, they don't really know you, and they can just go through [the application]. But if it's here, they can see you, they meet you, you can talk to them."
Diana Ocampo is the VP of Operations with the Global Gaming League, and told Channel 13 she received more than 200 resumes on Thursday.
"To speak to the individuals and get to know them, versus having just a resume and downloading it and thinking if this person's going to be a good candidate or not," Ocampo said. "It's different to see them live, and you get to interact with them."
The massive turnout is giving people hope in the face of so much economic uncertainty.
"The fact that the community came together, HR, managers, came together and are wanting to give interviews on the spot—they're giving people a chance, take this opportunity," Delleyon James said.
Organizers say more than 6,400 job seekers came to the Spring Job Fair—nearly 4,000 of those went through the door by noon—including 300 CCSD high school seniors.
Organizers tell Channel 13 that employers are still finishing up interviews, so they'll have the number of people who were offered a job or hired because of the job fair ready to go sometime next week.
