2700+ attend Eyewitness News Job Fair

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) - The 4th Annual Eyewitness News Job Fair is helping Rhode Islanders get back to work. With more than 10 percent of Rhode Islanders out of work, there are some great opportunities to start a new career.

The statewide job fair was free, open to the public and showcased 96 hiring companies, local colleges, technical schools and career assistance.

• Click here for a list of hiring companies

Nearly 2,700 people attended the event which was held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, located at 801 Greenwich Avenue in Warwick.

Satellite parking was available at Warwick Mall, next to Firestone Tire, with shuttle buses running all day.

View A Photo Gallery of the 4th Annual Eyewitness News Jobfair .

Job seekers pushing for new livelihoods

Hundreds of people swarmed the Crowne Plaza for the job fair Tuesday. Many job seekers told us finding prospects is no easy task.

Lisa McCracken of Warwick said she was laid off "back in 2008, and finally found a job back in April, and it was a temporary job at a wonderful company, but it ended," and that brought her to the fair.

"The competition out there is relentless... You really have to make yourself stand out from the crowd," she said."

The efforts to stand out can be overwhelming, said Don McCormick of Glocester. He's already had two negative responses, he said, to resumes he sent out. Still, "Maybe it's just the end of the year, end of the budget... Maybe there's something coming in January, February. I'm optimistic about that."

The 96 companies represented at Tuesday's fair high tech, finance, medical and other fields.

Dan Macias from CarMax and Trudy Coxe from Preservation Society of Newport County joined The Rhode Show on WPRI 12 to talk more about opportunities with their companies before the job fair opened.