Eager Job Applicants

South Orange County Community College District at the Anaheim/OC Job Fair Expo

By Ettie Graham

Eddie Campo, below left and Jenne George, right, were two of • Orange County’s thousands of job seekers at Wednesday’s event. unemployment rate was 8.5% in March 2009

• To see more photos from the job fair visit the HR department’s Facebook page

There were over 5,000 job seekers at the Job Fair Expo “To be realistic,

June 3, 2009 there are more

Competition with thousands of jobless makes the job hunt applicants than tougher for a larger pool of job seekers. there are jobs

The job search is taking a toll on Eddie Anaheim. The event underscored the available.” Campa of Colton. He’s been searching eagerness, if not outright desperation for an accounting job for more than of rising unemployment and a three months after he got laid off from prolonged recession which is increasing his accounting management position the number of job seekers. Many of the at Nova Meridian Academy earlier this people that we spoke with at our too, is a casualty of a recent layoff year. Luckily, his wife still has her steady booth had stories to tell about from a real estate investment trust teaching job at a local high school. unemployment periods that were company. She is looking for work as an Campa’s job was cut as part of a lasting too long. administrative assistant. She’s afraid massive layoff at the charter school that if she does not get work soon she due to state budget cuts. The mass of applicants was decidedly will fall behind on house payments. dressed for the part: shirts and ties, So, the well dressed and pleasantly business suits, and skirts were She’s already down to the “bare mannered, seasoned manager from commonplace. necessities” and limiting any the Inland Empire found himself unnecessary expenses. George heard standing in a long line outside the "They're dressed to impress potential about the job fair and decided she doors to the pavilion at the Anaheim employers," observed Ruth Ruiz, Public had to go – even though all the Garden Walk early today, waiting more Information Specialist and one of the competition is difficult to deal with. than an hour to get a chance to speak organizers for the Anaheim City with prospective employers at the sponsored event. "By last count we "I need work," George said, clutching a OC/Anaheim Job Fair Expo. estimate that over 5,000 eager job bag filled with job applications and seekers have come here today." brochures. "I've been looking for more "Being out of work has been difficult than three months and I’m fighting the and frustrating" said Campa, who, "To be realistic, there are more discouragement of not getting call before he was laid off was in the applicants than there are jobs backs. Every day, I have to ask, what’s process of adopting a child from Haiti available," said Ruiz. California's wrong with me that no employer calls with his wife. Although the adoption unemployment rate soared to 11.2 me back?” plans are still on, he said losing his job percent in March – more than double makes it even more difficult. He added, the pre-recession rate. Orange SOCCCD’s booth had a constant "I’ve been on interviews, but because County's jobless rate was 8.5 percent. stream of eager applicants. We were of all the competition for jobs, I’m honored to be part of such a positive thinking about completely reinventing Jenne George of Long Beach, was effort to reach out to job seekers. myself with other talents I have." another job seeker that came to Ruben Ramirez, Sokha Song and Ettie today’s event. The unemployed Graham represented the District at the Campa joined thousands who turned mother of a seven year old boy is trying event. out for today’s job fair event held in to find a job to support her family. She,

June 3, 2009 ● SOCCCD Office of Human Resources ● socccd.edu