'A STEADY STREAM OF PEOPLE'

Linda C. Kellaway, a sales operations manager, recently learned that her job was to be outsourced to India and that she had 10 days to find a new position.

So, on Tuesday, the 56-year-old Great Bend resident donned a gray suit jacket and headed to the 2008 Job Fair at the Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St., to start the hunt.

Mrs. Kellaway was among about 1,200 people who visited the fair, which was conducted by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce and the state Department of Labor.

An annual event, the fair this year consisted of 85 vendors and 92 tables, a drop from the 100 vendors last year.

Despite the decrease in companies, Alice M. Draper, a Department of Labor employee overseeing the sign-in table, said there had been a morning rush through the front door.

"We've had very good traffic," she said. "There's been a steady stream of people."

In the back of the event space, one of the most popular tables for visitors was marked by bobbing purple balloons.

In fact, balloons were about the only visible part of the crowded booth for N.E.W. Customer Service Companies Inc.

Steven I. Akers, a N.E.W. customer care manager, had traveled up from New Mexico to man the booth with employees from South Dakota and Florida. He described morning visitors as intelligent, well spoken and very nice.

"I've been very impressed with all the folks I talked to today," he said. "There are a lot of people with call center experience, which is good for us."

The company announced last week that it was looking for 120 home-based workers. An hour into the event, Mr. Akers was standing next to a list of 55 potential employees.

Among those who grabbed job descriptions were Alana J. Dillon, 25, Fredonia, and Brandi A. Kimmett, 24, Adams. The friends said the fair had saved them on gas by giving them the chance to meet with a variety of potential employers.

"I need to get a job," said Ms. Dillon, who had been in the hunt for a month. "It seems like a kind of good time to apply to a lot of different places."

Ms. Dillon, who was looking for a clerical or customer service position, was distributing the 20 resumes she had brought along.

Although his table was in a side room, George E. Gray, chief operations officer with the restaurant division of North Country Hospitality Inc., said he had some 30 visitors in an hour.

"I've had much better attention than previous years," Mr. Gray said. "Especially with my location, I'm very happy with the attention right now."

Mr. Gray, manning the table for Sackets Harbor Brewing Co., said he was looking to fill a range of summer positions.

"By the end of the day, I hope to see at least 100 people," he said. "I'm well on the way to that."

Stopping by to check on a maintenance position, which had been filled, was Troy M. Pierce, 28, Carthage. Mr. Pierce, a former Army specialist, said he had been unsuccessfully trawling the fair for carpentry work.

"There's not a lot of carpentry here," he said. "I'm really looking for anything to support myself and my family."

Job seekers at the Fort Drum Child and Youth Services booth had more success in their quest for work. The Fort Drum program was offering a range of openings, from sports directors and child-care providers to cooks.

Program operations specialist Rebecca L. Morgia said those at the booth had spent the morning accepting resumes and conducting informal interviews. She said some of those people later would be offered jobs.

"We know which ones are qualified," she said. "There will be multiple selections made based on today."

By the end of the fair, Mrs. Kellaway had joined the ranks of those with a possible job. After visiting N.E.W. and other booths, Mrs. Kellaway went to the table of MassMutual Financial Group to ask about a financial services position. She has an interview for the opening next week.