PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - After the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many South Mississippians said they need work just as much as employers need workers.

“I’m looking for a job,” Moss Point resident Jamie Rhodes said. “For several months, I’ve been looking for a job just going down the phonebook of different places, submitting my resume. "

To make things easier and quicker, the Governor’s Job Fair Network of Mississippi set up the Re-Entry Job Fair and the Jackson County Fairgrounds. 15 vendors set up tables, tents and chairs as potential employees drove past them one-by-one.

“This is just a step up,” Rhodes said. “Just seeing what everybody has to offer and maybe what you can offer to potential employers.”

Vendors and job seekers were able to safely meet face-to-face and see if they were a match.

“We have a little bit of everything,” said Adam Todd, Director of the Governor’s Job Fair Network of Mississippi. “You can come, drive through and see a multitude of different opportunities at one time.”

From casinos to restaurants, companies were eager to fill positions after the health and financial struggles of COVID-19.

“It’s good to see some hopeful people coming through our line today who hopefully can get a new start,” said Walter Brown, program director for Magic 93.7.

While organizers and employers said the event was mainly about getting people employed, it was also about giving them a second chance.

“Those individuals who may have been prior incarcerated and trying to get back into the workforce, that’s who we’re here for,” Todd said.

Organizers said employment is a key to a better and productive life after people serve their time.

“We can create the environment where those individuals can meet these companies and hopefully good things will happen as a result,” Todd said.

And vendors said they are happy to give fresh starts to those who need it most.

“How many times have we not made mistakes in our lives and other people have given us second chances,” Brown said.

For more information about how you can get involved in a job fair, visit here.

https://www.wlox.com/2021/04/07/re-entry-job-fair-offers-second-chance-unemployed/