Staff Photo by Tim Barber
Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Michael L. Thurmond, left, talks with David Brock, a part-time cook and inventory worker, in front of a resume section set aside for attendees at the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center on Thursday. Mr. Brock is an experienced plumber and came to the job fair looking for work.

DALTON, Ga. -- Armed with a dozen copies of her resume, Maria Salaices went to work searching for work at the North Georgia Career Expo and Job Fair.

After a year in and out of a temporary job, the 21-year-old Dalton resident went booth by booth at the fair, looking for a full-time clerical job.

Her strategy was simple: "Be honest and try to do your best."

She and about 3,000 other job seekers were all doing their best Thursday to woo employers at the fair. About 70 employers, including banks, medical offices and government agencies, lined the Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center.

Thirty additional agencies and nonprofits ran booths educating the attendees about unemployment services. The fair also featured free classes on writing resumes and organizing job searches.

The number of booths impressed Dalton resident Allen Cole, who was looking for part-time work after recently retiring from a small business.

"For the young people, there's a lot of things," said the 64-year-old. "For an old guy like me, I'm not sure."

Varnell resident Charles Hubbard said he realized the fair might have been more of a step forward than the end of his search.

"I'm hoping for a job, but I'll settle for contacts," he said.

The crowd exceeded expectations of many officials, including Georgia Department of Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.

"It's sad to see so many people out of work, but it is encouraging because everyone still has hope," said Mr. Thurmond, who spoke to each group of job seekers gathering for orientation.

The job fair came on the same day that Mr. Thurmond's department released October's unemployment rate for the state, which rose a fraction to 10.2 percent. The rate is 3.3 percent higher than October 2008 and more than double the rate for October 2007.

Localized October data is not yet available for Northwest Georgia, but in September, the region's unemployment rate was higher than most of the state with 11.1 percent unemployed, according to the records. Dalton has been one of the hardest-hit areas, with its rate hovering above 12 percent for the last several months.

"We knew coming in this region has faced challenges, but to see it is different than reading about it," Mr. Thurmond said.