More than 50 employers attended the Peninsula Job Center at Old Carrs Mall yesterday for the annual Kenai Peninsula Job Fair, hosted by Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The job fair was free and open to the public and participants were asked to bring their resumé and dress for potential interviews. In the past, the event has drawn upward of 700 people, said Rachel O’Brien, regional manager of Job Center operations.

“If this morning is any indiction, I think we’re going to be on the high side of that this year,” O’Brien said.

The job fair gives employers and job seekers an opportunity for human interaction, which is lacking in online applications, she said.

“The largest benefit to job seekers is having a lot of employers in one place, so a one-stop shop, in order to talk to employers.”

The list of employers included Tesoro, Kachemak Electric Co., Kenai Parks and Recreation and the Alaska Division of Forestry.

Several of the employers were looking to fill full-time, permanent positions including Kachemak Electric Co., which is looking for a project manager who is able to read electrical maps and submit bids, according to their representative Gina Keith.

Carlile Transportation was also in attendance. The trucking company is gearing up for a project they are starting on the peninsula that will require Class A CDL Licenses, according to Robyn Moe, Carlile’s HR generalist.

Other employers were also hiring for seasonal positions, including Pacific Star Seafoods, the Kenai Parks and Recreation Department and the Alaska Division of Forestry.

“We have a few different positions that we are hiring for, we’re trying to gear up for summer like a lot of the places here,” Dottie Herrick of Frontier Community Services said. “We’re looking for someone that has a passion for helping people, because we help people with disabilities.”

The Kenai Parks and Recreation Department is also looking for temporary, seasonal employees to help with various tasks, including maintenance, said Randy Dodge, operator of the Parks and Recreation Department.

The Alaska Division of Forestry is hiring a variety of short-term positions for the summer months.

“Mostly what we hire are firefighters, drivers and then we hire people to help out in dispatch and administration as well,” Nick Adamson of the Division of Forestry said. “There is no experience necessary, we offer a free firefighting class in the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May and that will get them certified to fight wildfires across the U.S.”

Although the job fair happens just once a year, the Job Center works throughout the year to connect employers and jobseekers, O’Brien said. They also offer mock interviews and assistance in resume writing. For more information, call the Peninsula Job Center at 335-3010.

Kat Sorensen can be reached at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com.