Job seekers were out in full force at Proctors Theatre Wednesday. There was a job fair there with dozens of companies looking for potential employees. As our Megan Cruz found out, it's the opportunity Schenectady residents have been waiting for.

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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- "I had a job for a year-and-a-half, but I've just been laid off," said Schenectady resident Francesco Farmer.

"I did cleaning for 22 years, but now I want to try something different," said Sharon Nicholson, also from Schenectady.

"My daughter being a breast-fed baby, I didn't have another option. I needed to stay home until she would take a bottle or drink from a cup," said Jamaica Miles from Schenectady.

Whatever the reason, the unemployed were on the hunt for a job Wednesday and they knew just the place to go: Proctors Theatre for a job fair. The Capital Job Development Group rounded up 30 companies eager for new employees.

"We have health care, we have Citizen's Bank, we have Time Warner Cable, Sears, Macy's" said Capital Job Development Group President Peter Jones.

"Everyone's right here. I don't have to search around to see who's hiring, I don't have to fiddle around online all day," said Farmer. "I just come here and I know they're hiring, they're hiring, they're hiring."

"And it gives you an opportunity for that one on one face with someone in a general location so you can apply for multiple jobs all in one day," said Miles.

Having hosted job fairs in Saratoga, this is the non-profit organization's first in Schenectady. They say an opportunity like this has been lacking for this area.

"Albany has two job fairs and Rensselaer County has Hudson Valley's job fair in the spring," said Jones. "Schenectady has not had a job fair that they can count on to happen twice a year. Now they will."

What Sharon Nicholson likes about this fair? That most of the available jobs are local. Like her, many people here don't have a car.

"I used to go to Albany every day. So that was two buses, a difficult commute," said Nicholson.

For single mom Jamaica Miles, she's grateful for the resume critiques.

"Knowing that there are so many people looking for jobs and there are so few jobs people are vying for, I want to know I've got the most pertinent information on my resume and that it stands out," she said.

Jones hopes the fair makes a difference.

"We hope we'll be able to help you find the job you want," he said.