I think for those of use without extensive personal networks in Seattle, these job fairs present the hope of making contact with a corporate gatekeeper. My experience in attending local job fairs can be grouped into an assessment of the job seekers, the employers, and the hosting organization. In terms of job seekers, they are in my own talking with them to be currently out of work. A few of them, like me, are new to Seattle with very little in the terms of network and local contacts. The employers that attend legitimately seeking to fill a currently open position are often in the minority. Today's job fair had about twenty booths set up and I counted a total of 7 booths actually hiring. The rest are schools/training organizations, "business opportunities," and military/gov't recruiters. While it may be obvious that Employee Guide hosts an event like this, one would hope there is money in it because it meets a need or demand. I do question whether it does, though. I can see education/training institutions as having a legitimate place at a job fair, but the so called "business opportunities?" We're in a recession, times are desperate, and you come to a job fair to sell me something? In my opinion, selling booth space to these folks eats at the integrity of the job fair as a quality offering. I think I figured out today why I still attend these things. My resume is a career change that's heavy on the education. I worked law enforcement for 9 years before going back to school for a Master's degree in Corporate Communication. I get turned down for positions in my discipline for having too little experience, and then get turned down for the $9/hr job for being "over-educated and likely to quit and go elsewhere soon." Why do I still go? Because I'm hungry for accomplishment. I need to feel like I'm getting somewhere. Anywhere. Even if it was a complete waste of time, I got up, put on the suit, grabbed the briefcase and went looking for a new start. Staying home would've been to feel like I missed an opportunity, like I'm not taking an extra step every day to get out and show somebody that my skills and talents are valuable. I'll tell you why we go: What else can we do?

I pretty much avoid job fairs and feel they are a waste of my time. They are mainly propecting for beginning level and low paying jobs. Frequently they just tell you to go to their website, I can do that without wasting time and gas.