http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=7321883
SAN MATEO, CA (KGO) -- There are some encouraging numbers about unemployment out. The Department of Labor reports job openings rose by about 7.5 percent earlier this year. That's an indication employers are slowly ramping up hiring, but many people are still looking for jobs.
A job seeker had an interview on Tuesday morning, went home, then got a call to come back for a second interview -- now that's encouraging.
The unemployment rate in San Francisco and San Mateo is 8.9 percent. That's down from what it was in December and Manpower says trends look strong.
"What it feels like is, we've passed the tipping point where companies are saying that we are definitely going to hire. It's just a matter of when as opposed to we're not going to hire at all," Bill Lewis from Manpower said.
At the ABC7-sponsored job fair in San Mateo, people brought resumes and hoped to meet representatives from a dozen companies.
Pacific Technology College retrains people who want to make a change. They see growth in medical and green technology.
"Entry level is pharmacy technicians, medical assistants at the present time. And in our green technology we are focusing on renewable energy," Saeed Foudeh from Pacific Technology College said.
Some have to make the difficult decision of a career change. This is Sarah Hadley-O'Neill's fourth job fair in two years.
"There are a lot of people like me who are experienced, but are a liability to a company that wants to hire them at entry level," she said.
The longest line at the fair was for resume analysis. Experts say it may be the most important thing to do when looking for a job. You need to make a good first impression.
"We look at anywhere from 300 to 1,200 resumes for every position available. It has to be outstanding and it has to look eye catching and be presentable immediately," Janis Barat from Resumeprofessionals.org said.
A lot of these job hopefuls have retained positive attitudes.
Don Crawford has been out of work for four months after his bosses cut staff by 50 percent.
"Sometimes it's a blessing in disguise to lose your job," he said.
"One of the things being unemployed has offered me is to lose a bunch of weight," Darren Hickey from San Mateo said.
"It's a full-time job looking for a job," Kathy Caricato from the California Job Journal said.
The next job fair that ABC7 News is co-sponsoring will take place on Tuesday, April 6 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Emeryville.
Janis Barat
Resume Professionals
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