Job seekers flock to Mayor's job fair

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Job seekers flocked to Buffalo Thursday hoping to impress local employers who were offering up more than a thousand jobs.

Though each person was competing against the other for a shot at one of 1,500 jobs, waiting in lines that seemed to never end, job seekers wore faces of optimism.

Cheryl Dial said, "You know, I was a welfare child growing up. I never wanted to be on welfare, but the economy hit the bucket, and here I am."

Dial is a single mother of two. She hoped to land a job, lifting her family out of the depths of poverty.

"It's a matter of getting out and having the initiative to get that job and handle your life on your own, without the government's assistance. I'm trying to make it so my kids don't see that their life was "welfare" forever," said Dial.

Mayor Byron Brown put together the job fair, and said the huge turnout is clearly a sign of the times.

"I have heard from many people in the city of Buffalo that they're looking for an employment opportunity in the City of Buffalo, [and] they've had some difficulty," said Mayor Brown.

Adding her name to yet another job application, this was Asya Stephens' fourth job fair. She's been out of a job for more than a year and a half.

Stephens said, "Try to one, come in a professional setting and a mindset and just be positive. That no matter how many times I get told, "No," eventually somebody will come across my resume and offer me a job."

By midday, more than 800 perspective employees passed through the Buffalo Museum of Science. Available positions spanned the pay scale, from entry level to the more advanced. Nurses are in high demand at Erie County Medical Center, and recruiter Sue Przepasniak was accepting resumes and applications.

"If we had people qualified, we could hire all 50 positions from here," said Przepasniak.

Very few companies hired any applicants on the spot, something Dial says won't stop her.

"I wish them all good luck. If someone gets a job over me, then that's all right. I'm going to keep trying. I'm going to work really hard to get my job and handle my life for my kids," said Dial.

Despite the huge turnout, it is important to note that Buffalo's unemployment rate sits below the national average at 7.3 percent.