Jobless look to ‘stand out in the crowd’ at fair

Like lots of people, Jared Riggs wants a job. He doesn't need one, really, not in the way that a single mom with a foreclosure hanging over her head and the prospect of her unemployment benefits running out soon does.

But still.

Riggs is 25. He's working as a parking valet to pay the bills. He's about to graduate from UNLV, into this job market -- 13-plus percent unemployment in Nevada -- with an English degree.

"And there are long lines of unemployed English majors," he said, not laughing. "Seriously."

Which is why he went to UNLV's career fair on Wednesday. The university sponsors the event twice every year, in the fall for December graduates like Riggs, and again in the spring.

Eileen McGarry, the university's director of career services, said attendance by employers is way down this year, from 111 last fall to 78 this time. But, she said, it's much worse in California.

Riggs said he made a few contacts at the event, held at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. He's hoping to find something in the insurance industry. Sales, maybe, claims adjuster. He's looked into the field, and he likes it.

"A lot of people might think it's boring," he said. "But I find it interesting."

McGarry said there are jobs out there for graduates, but they might have to start at lower levels than they have in the past.

Governments are hiring, the energy field looks pretty good, but many other industries are slow, she said.

Student Nic Smith used the career fair to get a jump on things. He's not set to graduate until spring 2011. He's hoping the job market is better by then.

For now, Smith, a mechanical engineering major, wants to line up a nice internship.

"So that when I graduate, I'll have something more on my resume than working at McDonald's," he said.

He's really working at Big 5, the sporting goods store. He believes there'll be jobs when he graduates for people like him, budding engineers who can help make the world work better than it is now.

So, he passed out resumes on Wednesday. He chatted up potential employers. He let them know who he was, hoping they'll remember his name when he fills out the applications later on.

"They've met me, so they'll have something to associate my name with," he said. "Maybe I'll stand out in the crowd."

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.