American Textile Company recruiter Tatum Mercer was eager to invite potential employees to join a legacy nearly a century strong and with offices all over the world, including Tifton, during the chamber's job fair.

TIFTON — Tiftarea residents and businesses came together Tuesday to discuss future employment opportunities during the fourth career fair from the local chamber of commerce.

Job seekers were given the chance to meet and connect with a wide array of businesses, companies, and organizations from the community in the hopes of walking away from the event with a secured callback, interview, or even place of employment.

Participating employers varied in terms of both field of industry and reach, including local businesses and organizations like Southwell and the Tift County Sheriff’s Department and larger companies with branches in the Friendly City or the county like Coca-Cola, Krystal, and the American Textile Company.

Regardless of their size or specialty, they were all eager to meet potential new employees.

“I’ve honestly never had a fair where I’ve met this many people who were passionate and excited about job opportunities,” said Amber Turpen of daily home care service All Ways Caring. “I have a whole list here that I’m very excited to get into later to call and set up interviews.”

Some businesses were offering on-site interviews as well, and tables had been set up around the fair for job seekers to fill out applications.

Melody Cowart, president and CEO of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, reported that attendance for this year’s career fair had been lower than previous runs of the event, attesting that the county’s unemployment rate was also lower and that many businesses in the community had a full workforce at the moment were likely contributing factors.

However, she was nonetheless pleased with the turnout and reception from the community. Applicants had been encouraged to bring physical copies of their resume to the event, and she was satisfied at seeing a large number of them do so.

In addition, she reported witnessing many of Tiftarea’s job seekers come away with an interview under their belt and potentially a second one scheduled.

Cowart expressed an immense interest in hosting the career fair in future years in the hopes of continuing to help connect community members looking for work with a place of employment.