More than 5,000 Citrus County residents were unemployed in December 2012, according to Workforce Connection of Citrus, Levy and Marion counties.
Workforce Connection is helping to alleviate the county's unemployment issue by giving job seekers an opportunity to network with employers and apply for open positions.
The company will be hosting its Spring Fling Job Fair at the College of Central Florida's Learning and Conference Center, located at 3800 South Levanto Highway, in Lecanto. The event will be held Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Employers in attendance will include Citrus Memorial Hospital, the Citrus County Chronicle and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office.
Laura Byrnes, communications manager of Workforce Connection of Citrus, Levy and Marion counties, said it is important for job seekers to research the employers they are looking to meet before attending the event.
"You have to consider your skills, abilities and interests," Byrnes said. "Narrow your focus down to those employers you really want to meet and find out about them. Do your due diligence. Find out who who they are and what they do."
Byrnes also said job seekers can consult the Employ Florida Marketplace website for information on job listings.
Workforce Connection will have staff-assisted computer kiosks available for people to apply for jobs on-site.
Byrnes said that a big change in this year's event is its designation as a job fair, rather than a career fair.
She said a career fair is more concerned with people meeting employers to discuss their company and potential job opportunities. However, a job fair only features employers that are seeking applicants for open positions.
"With the career fair you may have some hiring employers, you may not," Byrnes said. "But with the job fair, every single one of these participating businesses have jobs that they want to fill."
While the fair is based in Citrus County, one of its 17 featured employers is the MYcroSchool Gainesville. The Alachua County-based organization is a tuition-free public charter high school.
"This is an opportunity for anyone who's looking for work to get a one-on-one with a hiring manager," Byrnes said.
More information on the event and its featured employers can be found on the Workforce Connection website.
Mike Llerena wrote this story online.