By Howard Wilkinson
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Hope in uncertain economic times was a plentiful commodity Saturday at the Urban League's Professional Job Fair and Employer Showcase.

Hundreds of out-of-work Cincinnatians - some of them young people fresh out of school and others experienced workers who have been victims of corporate downsizing - came armed with resumes and references from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in hopes of landing with one of the 23 employers who set up booths at the Urban League's Avondale office.

Brian Lewis, 20, of Colerain Township came with his friend, 20-year-old Shameka Wynn, in hopes of making an initial contact with a future employer.

He was looking for a job in sales or customer service; Ms. Wynn hoped to make her training in clerical work pay off.

"It's a hard time to be looking for work, but this helps a lot,'' Mr. Lewis said.

"It's better than going all over town. It would take forever to contact this many companies," Ms. Wynn said.

IF YOU GO

The Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency will hold a job fair 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at its office, 1501 Madison Road, Fourth floor, East Walnut Hills.   Available positions include administrative assistant, teachers, teachers' assistants, bus drivers and monitors, family service workers and a home weatherization technician. Job seekers should bring a resume.   Information: Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Committee, (513) 751-2624, Ext. 31

Sharron Miller, the Urban League's vice president for workforce development, said the organization holds two job fairs per year. This one, she said, focused on professional jobs and people with prior experience, but she said the companies involved were looking for entry-level employees as well.

"We're still seeing the effects of 9-11 in the economy, I think,'' Ms. Miller said. "The economy is still sluggish. Companies are still laying people off. But there are jobs out there. This event can help connect the people with those jobs.''

National unemployment figures confirm that now is a difficult time to be looking for a job. U.S. Labor Department figures show the unemployment rate jumped to 5.7 percent in October, with weakness in everything from auto sales to manufacturing.

But the national numbers have shown gains in businesses such as mortgage banking, finance, insurance and real estate - which may explain why several financial institutions were among the businesses at Saturday's Job Fair.

When the doors at the Urban League office opened at 10 a.m., about a hundred people were in line, clutching registration cards, notebooks and copies of resumes.

Companies setting up booths ranged from government agencies like the Internal Revenue Service and the State of Ohio to retail stores such as Kroger and Old Navy, and some of Cincinnati's biggest financial institutions, such as Fifth Third Bank, Provident Bank and Cincinnati Financial Corp.

Mr. Lewis went from table to table, talking to as many of the representatives as possible.

"I just hope that I at least hear back from these companies, even if I don't get a job,'' Mr. Lewis said. "I can understand being turned down, but I at least want to have them acknowledge that I applied and that they looked at my qualifications.''

Major Davis, a 19-year-old Aiken High School graduate from Bond Hill, came Saturday in search of a computer-related job.

"I've been real busy; been out there pounding the pavement,'' Mr. Davis said. "I am an outgoing person and I love to talk to people. The more people I talk to today, the better my chances will be.''

E-mail hwilkinson@enquirer.com