Over 600 applicants from D.C., Virginia and Maryland trooped to the Asian Fortune Diversity Job Fair, held last June 13 at the Elks Lodge in Fairfax, Virginia.

Close to 30 federal, state and local government agencies, as well as private companies, took part in the event, held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Applicants came from all groups. They also included minorities, represented a wide age range, and came with all types of skills.

“This is the best Job Fair we’ve had so far,” said Asian Fortune publisher Jay Chen. “There was a constant flow of jobseekers, and long lines at several booths. I noticed that the two recruiters from the National Security Agency didn’t even have time for lunch breaks. The same thing with recruiters from the Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, and Asset Management Group: They left with empty stomachs but lots of resumes.”

Megan Keller of the Defense Intelligence Agency remarked about the Job Fair, “It was a great opportunity to meet with applicants. We found it very successful.”

She said they received about 85 resumes. Her agency had vacancies for all occupational categories, including Intelligence Analysts, IT Specialists, Engineers, and scientists.

Patricia Richie Folks, Business Manager at Asian Fortune, said: “We’re very happy that we were able to do our part, even in a small way, in these tough economic times. Job recruiters met a lot of applicants in the area. Those who are currently employed also came, looking for better job opportunities.”

. An on-site survey of 300 jobseekers showed nearly half of them–four out of ten, or 40 per cent–learned about the Diversity Job Fair from Asian Fortune, including its online edition (www.asianfortune.com). The monthly Asian Fortune is the area’s only newspaper in English covering the Pan-Asian American community for nearly 20 years now.

Publisher Chen thanked community volunteers for helping make the Diversity Job Fair successful. They include Rita Shan and Jane Pan from OCAW-VA, and Mr. and Mrs. Choi from Fairfax Chinese Dance Troupe.

Applicants said other news sources included Craig’s list (38), friends (29), The Washington Post (10), D.C. Express (7), Northern Virginia Daily and Montgomery Sentinel (5), D.C. Examiner and Washington Informer (2), El Tiempo, and community organizations and employment agencies.