Thousands attend job fair in Visalia

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- In his suit and tie, a resume in hand and over 25 years of experience in management, Akie Alifragis says he is on the hunt for a job.

"All I am doing is constantly putting my information out there. It's a numbers game, you know," he said.

Alifragis waited in line, which wrapped around the corner at the Wyndham Hotel in Visalia.

There were over 1,000 people with the hope of landing employment at the Visalia Industrial Park Job Fair on Wednesday morning.

"First time ever attending a job fair, so it's kinda new to me, obviously," Alifragis said.

It's a sign of a competitive job hunt in a tight employment market.

Akie shares that he worked as a manager at a local car dealership and was laid off.

Being the primary income in his household means the pressure is on.

It's been years since he has had to fill out a job application, but in the last few months, he's applied to over 200 jobs.

"Furthest thing from my mind, but I think it happens to anybody. Never take anything for granted," Alifragis said.

Hoping to land a job in law enforcement, 22-year-old Isaac Butler attended his first job fair.

"It's crazy -- there are a lot of people here looking for careers, so it's really good to see people out there trying to look for something to help them out," Butler said.

The latest unemployment rates for February in Tulare County are at 11.2 percent, which is more than twice as much as the state.

Locally, the closure of Jo-ann's distribution center has left hundreds without a job as of last week, and a handful of them showed up in search of work.

RELATED: Employees at Joann distribution center in Tulare County laid off amid bankruptcy fallout

Bruce Nicotero was the former General Manager at Joann's Distribution Center in Visalia several years ago.

He is now the Executive Director of the Visalia Economic Development Corporation, which worked alongside the Workforce Investment Board of Tulare County and Employment Connection to make the event happen.

"It's sad that people are out looking for work, but we are glad we can provide a venue and a place where they can go and meet and make connections with the employers," Nicotero said.

If you missed Wednesday's Job Fair, there will be one on April 15 at Porterville College from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and there will also be another one at the Wyndham in June.

For South Valley news updates, follow Kassandra Gutierrez on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.