(Courtesy of Candibots) Now, in our volatile economy, there are extreme shifts in the job market. A total of 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s JOLTS report.

Many people are looking for new opportunities. The difficulty with emailing out resumes to classified ads is that many times companies do not respond in a timely fashion, leaving applicants hanging, wondering if they will receive a response. This lack of communication can leave people anxious and unsettled. In general, searching for a new job can be a stressful experience. All the uncertainties and unknowns can cause people to feel insecure about themselves.

Many job seekers forget that at the other end of the resumes are nice, normal, average employers looking to hire other nice, average people. But when there is a job fair where average people can drop in, shake hands and meet real-life average employers, the intimidation melts away. At job fairs, people find themselves handing out their resumes to ordinary, good people. Think about it. Meeting and chatting with someone who might be your employer or boss takes a lot of anxiety out of the job search. Many job-fair conversations end with “the next step” rather than the “first step.”

The Candibots Jersey Job Fair is hosted by Candibots.com, a premier job-recruiting firm. Candibots works with a large variety of companies, bringing a vast selection of job opportunities to the public. In the past few years, Candibots has hosted many successful job fairs in Lakewood, New Jersey.

“An event like ours brings together ready-to-hire positions with job seekers, instantly taking a heavy percentage of the guesswork out of the process,” said Ben Sofer, a partner at Candibots.

“A resume just presents a candidate in words, but does not offer the opportunity for getting to know the person on a more personal level. At our job fairs, instead of going through a bunch of resumes, employers will be presenting at booths and engaging in face-to-face meetings with candidates. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a meeting is worth 10,000 words. Come join us on May 8. You won’t be disappointed.”

What’s unique about this job fair is that there will be well over 250 open job opportunities “on the floor.” The event will take place on Sunday, May 8, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Eagle Ridge Country Club, 2 Augusta Boulevard in Lakewood. Admission is free and there is no registration. For more information call 732-369-9424 or email [email protected].