More than 80 businesses take part in job fair

recruiting efforts have been very successful due to this kind of job fair.”

Would-be employees worked their way through the crowded gymnasium, booth by booth. People of all skill sets, experience levels and backgrounds — from recent high school graduates in Death Metal tees to seniors in three-piece suits — sought an employment match.

“I’m a pandemic graduate, so I wasn’t able to gain a lot of the experience that people wanted from me,” Shannon Roth, 25, an information technology specialist, said. “It’s a very difficult field right now. I’m still pushing myself out there.”

Where some applicants seemed out of their comfort zone applying to positions in a medium other than LinkedIn — awkwardly laying their resumes on a table and walking away without a word — others thrived in the in-person networking environment.

“When you apply to jobs online, there’s no personality or face behind the application,” said Dejeane Edouard, a job-seeker and 2021 graduate who had just finished a conversation with a representative at the PSEG booth.

Edouard said employers at the job fair “get to see the person they’re talking to. So maybe if they just saw your application it didn’t grab their attention, but maybe there’s something in your vibe — maybe you’re articulate, maybe some energy exists in you.”

Employers agreed that an applicant’s skill in face-to-face conversations is a major plus in the hiring process, and a job fair is the perfect way to find these potential employees.

“It’s great to see them face-to-face rather than just pulling their resume, particularly for hiring for a position in a retail brand,” Jeff Pangburn, assistant vice president and senior recruiter for TD Bank, said.

“You get to see them and how they interact with people. People from our branches are generally hiring people from the local community, to help people from that community. So it’s important to see how they interact with you.”

While many participants were searching for companies with a need for a specific skill or experience, plenty of others were present to see what’s out there and to expand their horizons.

“It gives everyone a good opportunity to push your limits, try to be outside the box, to go to a job you’re not comfortable with but willing to learn,” job-seeker Dominic Parkin, 23, said. “It’s good to jump into the deep end.”

For more information about HempsteadWorks’ employment opportunities, go to HempsteadWorks.com or call (516) 485-5000.