ORLANDO, Fla. – Job seekers poured into the Amway Center on Friday for the “largest job fair in the southeast,” according to a news release from OrlandoJobs.com.
The 13th annual Florida Classic Diversity Job Fair was held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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“Can you imagine a company that had the same person cloned and working the whole time? We are so fortunate in Central Florida because we live in a diverse marketplace anyway,” Roger Lear, president of OrlandoJobs.com, told News 6. “And to ... bring everybody together is just an absolute win for the employers. It’s win for the job seekers, and it’s why our community keeps growing and our businesses keep growing.”
More than 140 employers were hiring for over 8,000 open positions at businesses like Universal Orlando Resort, Celebration Restaurant Group, T-Mobile, the City of Orlando, Hilton Grand, Walt Disney World, Advent Health, FedEx, UCF, Orlando Health and many more, according to Tabitha Higgs, director of marketing for OrlandoJobs.com.
“It is the best job fair I have ever been to and I’m not just saying that,” said Shirley Green, an attendee who was looking for data entry and customer service jobs. “I have been to several and this one is the most accommodating. And they have more booths, and the people at the booth, they know how to talk to you.”
OrlandoJobs.com partnered with Florida Citrus Sports and the Florida Classic to host this free event, the release continues.
The job fair featured “career advice sessions with career experts, résumé critiques and professional headshots, all aimed to help job seekers find their purpose within serving this community,” according to the release.
Heather Doughlin, who has over 30 years of event experience, was in attendance at the fair because her job was consolidated into another job as a result of the pandemic.
“With 30 years experience in an industry, I think (people are) probably thinking you’re thinking of retirement. I’m not. I’m just this is the best time of my life. I’ve never felt more experienced, more confident,” Doughlin said.