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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Melinda Gray was walking through the Times Leader Career Fair on Tuesday hoping to find a job she could do and enjoy at the same time.</p><p>Gray, 59, of Wilkes-Barre, said she is currently unemployed and has been searching the Internet to find open positions that she could apply for. But so far, she hasn&#8217;t had much luck.</p><p>She was hoping that would change at the fair, staged at the Best Western Plus Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center. Nearly 500 job seekers turned out to meet the 33 employers who were offering prospective hires information and applications.</p><p>Gray stopped to talk to Sheena Weiss of the Institute of Human Resources and Services, located in Kingston, to discuss opportunities with the company. The Institute has existed since 1975, serving people with intellectual disabilities. It has approximately 78 clients.</p><p>Gray said attending events like the career fair offers her many more opportunities than searching for a job online.</p><p>&#8220;This makes it easy for us to know there are open positions available and where,&#8221; Gray said. &#8220;This event tells us there are jobs &#8212; real jobs &#8212; available now.&#8221;</p><p>Gray took an application to fill out and return to Weiss.</p><p>&#8220;This is much more personal,&#8221; Gray said.</p><p>Over at the FedEx table, Jared Kostelnick, manager of dock operations, and Sherry Peletsky, talent acquisition coordinator, were talking to a group of students from the Luzerne Intermediate Unit&#8217;s vocational transition program. Millard Galat, the LIU program&#8217;s teacher, said he brought seven students to give them an opportunity to experience what job searching is all about.</p><p>&#8220;We want them to know what to expect when the time comes for them to begin looking for employment,&#8221; Galat said. &#8220;They each have a list of questions to ask.&#8221;</p><p>Peletsky said she and Kostelnick were hoping to find candidates to fill some part-time jobs at FedEx that could lead to full-time employment. FedEx is hiring people for parcel assistance and package handling, they said.</p><p>&#8220;This is an excellent way for us to see what&#8217;s out there,&#8221; noted Peletsky. &#8220;And we also learn what people are looking for in a job.&#8221;</p><p>Vito Karpeshove, a recruiter for DNA &#8212; Dedicated Nursing Associates of Lewisburg &#8212; said the company has about 45 employees in Northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>&#8220;We have many open positions,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That&#8217;s why we like coming to these events.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Susan Simms of the State Civil Service Commission talks with prospective employees at the Times Leader Career Fair on Tuesday at the Best Western Plus Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL092017JobFair1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Susan Simms of the State Civil Service Commission talks with prospective employees at the Times Leader Career Fair on Tuesday at the Best Western Plus Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL092017JobFair2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Staff Sgt. Tracie Slempa of the Pennsylvania National Guard&#8217;s recruiting office talks with students at the Times Leader Career Fair on Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL092017JobFair2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Staff Sgt. Tracie Slempa of the Pennsylvania National Guard&#8217;s recruiting office talks with students at the Times Leader Career Fair on Tuesday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL092017JobFair3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Manuel Valle and Manuel Tlatelpa look at available jobs Tuesday at the Lowe&#8217;s Distribution Center table as Elizabeth Stone and John Cave answer questions at the Times Leader Career Fair. The fair, which attracted nearly 500 job seekers, was held at the Best Western Plus Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/web1_TTL092017JobFair3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Manuel Valle and Manuel Tlatelpa look at available jobs Tuesday at the Lowe&#8217;s Distribution Center table as Elizabeth Stone and John Cave answer questions at the Times Leader Career Fair. The fair, which attracted nearly 500 job seekers, was held at the Best Western Plus Genetti Hotel &amp; Conference Center. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Times Leader Career Fair attracts hundreds of job seekers