Thousands of job seekers dressed in suits, resumes in hand, packed a free job fair at Rutgers University in New Brunswick Thursday. Over 150 public and private organizations took part in the "New Jersey Collegiate Career Fair" with representatives from the FBI, State Police, MetLife, NJM, and United Way on hand to name a few.

Tyrell, a finance major who is due to graduate in May, said while he's optimistic he will find a job, the economy isn't helping. "I know things are starting to pick up…but it seems like everyone is competing for the same position so you really need to have that edge. I am actually thinking about picking up a minor in something else this semester."

Another woman said she wasn't having much luck in her employment search. "I am a mother of three children and have worked in sales and retail for most of my life, but there are just not a lot of jobs out there these days. I'm hoping that the reason these employers are here today is to actually hire people, not just collect resumes."

"Its rough out there," said another student making his way through the crowds. "I think its better here one on one with someone that just blindly sending your resume to someone on the internet...but its still a really tough search for work.

Some, like Bill, think that by the time they graduate in the spring, the economy and job market will have turned a corner.

"I'm hoping that eventually when it does, I'll be there, in the right place at the right time."

Many freshman, like Dave, were simply there to land an internship. "I'm a new student and I know that one of the only ways to get experience is to have an internship in your field, so I'm searching hard for one of those."

 

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