The professional staff of the event included motivational speaker Red Katz, who spoke about his past unemployment and divorce.

“I had two kids, a mortgage to pay for, and I got fired. I had a gut-wrenching divorce and lived in my brother’s apartment,” Katz said.

Katz purchased a women’s accessory business by collecting funds from family and friends. “It’s a state of mind, you count your blessings and find your silver lining,” Katz explained.

Michael Rosner, the OU Job Board director agreed that part of the success in landing a job is confidence. “One of the reasons for the job fair is that it’s face to face and people had good conversations. People should never put themselves down. This fair gives them chizuk,” Rosner said, using the Hebrew term for strength.

Employers expressed a strong likelihood of a same-day hire as they were impressed with the quality of applicants. “We did well, we found some 25 leads, but I still can’t believe so many people don’t have jobs,” said Shulamis Adelman of the New Jersey-based Automation Management Systems, which installs fire alarms and home automatic equipment. “This is our opportunity to expand into New York.”

To gauge the success of the job fair, Rosner said that employers are sent questionnaires on how many people they interviewed and how many were hired.

Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind co-sponsored the event. “When I saw this long line, it hit me emotionally. Anyone on that line could be the head of a household,” Hikind said. “This is the ultimate form of tzedaka.”