HispanicBusiness

An estimated 3,000 job seekers attended New Jersey's largest career fair Thursday, as economic indicators suggested that the employment picture might be brightening somewhat.

"We're looking for good people," said Art Hobble, recruiter for the Hackensack-based construction company, J. Fletcher Creamer & Son. A line of hopefuls waited to speak with him.

The fair, held at Rutgers University, drew mostly young, soon-to-be college graduates. But older workers armed with resumes also visited some of the 174 employers who attended on the university's College Avenue campus in New Brunswick.

"Over the past few years we find more and more people out of work coming to these career fairs," Hobble said.

Richard White, director of career services for Rutgers, said students were looking for internships and full-time jobs. He said the event also attracted a fair amount of the "three years out group," -- those who graduated since 2008, during the height of the recession.

Shraddha Desai of Wayne, a biology major, was looking for something different after a few semesters of working on campus.

"I'm sure I don't want to work in a laboratory setting for the rest of my life," she said. "I want a job that's more people oriented."

Paul Scilingo, of Old Tappan, was more focused on his chosen field of electrical engineering. He'd traveled from his school, Cornell University, where career counselors suggested the New Jersey collegiate career fair.

He was hopeful.

"I've had two really good conversations so far," said Scilingo, who plans to graduate in June.

Indeed, White said career fairs are still relevant in the Internet age.

"Now much of recruiting activity happens on line, but a handshake and a face-to-face conversation is still important in the job hunting process," he said.

The number of employers attending the fair grew by nearly 30 percent this year, he said. And he was encouraged that the group included a fair amount of midsize and startup companies that can be crucial to an economic recovery

"It's one event in a big economy but it suggests that maybe there was some pent up demand," White said.

"We do have jobs to offer, starting from internships to experience professionals,' said Joi Troutman, a recruiter at ADP, the New Jersey-based payroll and administrative services giant. "Things are looking really good."

The company issued a jobs report on Thursday showing that the private sector had ramped up hiring in December.

Troutman said successful job candidates had updated resumes, were professionally dressed and had done their homework about the company. Resumes collected at the job fair were put in a data base and would be routed from there.

Lines were long at many recruiting tables and discussions were robust.

"We're not really looking for any particular major, we are just looking for open-minded, smart people," said John Morris, a vice president at FGA Inc., a medical billing firm in nearby Piscataway. He said he hired two full-time employees at last year's fair.