Job Shop: A Job Fair Success Story

MARLTON, N.J. - The crowds at the Job Shop career fair proved just how many people are fighting for just a few positions. So, how do you stand out in a crowd?

Fox 29 Consumer Reporter Michelle Buckman talked to one guy who was able to do just that.

"You start second-guessing yourself after a while in an economy like this," said

Out of work for a year-and-a-half, Ron Paoline was hoping to avoid another day of job hunting online. Then, his wife called.

"My wife called me and said, 'There's a job fair at the Wachovia Center. Would you go?' And I said, 'Yeah, I will.'"

He described what he found at the fair by saying, "I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that were looking for work and the diversity of those people ’ 50-year-old with resumes with twice the experience of me."

But with 20 years' sales experience in the financial and mortgage business, Paoline needed something recession-proof.

"Financially, we were getting close to the end of our resources," Paoline said.

Working the crowded halls at the Wachovia Center, he ran into Mary Beth Mesi.

"These are the resumes that I collected in the 45 minutes I was at the job fair. You know, I had some people begging me for a job."

But Mesi had only one open position, a sales manager job for Sign-A-Rama in Summerdale, N.J.

And in the crowd of contenders, Paoline stood out.

"He was very interested in what I had to say. He actually listened to me. He didn't just shove his resume in my face and walk away," she said.

Two days after the fair, Mesi offered him a position. He started two days after that.

"I wanted to give him a chance," she said. "I really would have liked to have hired someone from the job fair."

"I was ecstatic, and you can ask Mary Beth ’ I was even a little emotional," Paoline said.

"I just felt like, all of those people, if I could just give one of them a job, then I could help," Mesi said.

How did he get the job? He came to the job fair dressed in a suit and tie, looked professional, acted professional, waited his turn until he could talk to Mary Beth and then, when he did, he was polite and professional. Then, when he handed her his resume, it wasn't just a piece of paper. He gave it to her in a folder, also with references. She said it was the only one that looked like that.

It stood out, she remembered him, and now he's got the job.

If you've got a job shop success story, make sure you share it with Buckman by e-mailing her.