Monster job fair comes to Raleigh Tuesday

RALEIGH, N.C. — Career fairs get a lot of attention these days, but do the companies involved really have jobs to offer?

Monster.com will host its "Keep America Working" tour from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Hilton North Raleigh on Wake Forest Road.

The event sounds impressive, but at a similar event in Charlotte last week, some participants had only a handful of jobs to offer.

Monster's Web site lists about two dozen companies -- from recruiters to retail to insurance -- which will participate in Raleigh. Fewer than half of those have jobs listed. The rest simply list company information. One company even says, "no current job opportunities." Of those that list openings, half have three or fewer.

A Monster spokeswoman said job fair participants must "have jobs they are ready to fill" but would not say how many.

Is it worth it? Career consultant David Pinkley says, if you need a job -- yes!

"I think its worth their time," he said. "I think you never know. If you're looking for a job, you have to take every opportunity to get out there. It's a lot better in a public space where you can interact with a lot of people than it is to be in front of a computer looking at your resume."

Job-seekers can pre-register for the job fair and upload a resume on the Monster.com site.