ANDERSON — Hundreds of local residents milled around tables filling the center of Mounds Mall, speaking with potential employers and completing job applications during the I-69 Corridor Job Fair on Wednesday afternoon.

Co-sponsored by the Purdue College of Technology at Anderson/Muncie, the job fair gave participants a chance to connect with a variety of local companies looking for employees, said Dave Riegle, student services coordinator at Purdue Anderson/Muncie.

“Some of these companies are looking for people for entry-level positions, and some of them are looking to fill positions that require professional level degrees, like a master’s,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for a variety of people to find a variety of work.”

Reigle said that Purdue Anderson/Muncie advertised the job fair in the newspaper and on the radio, and approximately 38 companies participated in the job fair this year, including Red Gold, Target, Manpower, Indiana Business College, Center for Mental Health and the Indiana Army National Guard.

This year’s job fair is the second one that Purdue Anderson/Muncie has co-sponsored, and according to Riegle, the event saw much growth and success compared to the previous year.

“We had no idea what to expect last year, and it turned out better than we thought,” he said. “This year, we’ve almost doubled the number of vendors that are participating.”

And the companies that participated in both last year’s and this year’s events saw growth, too.

According to Mykael Jackson, who works with Muncie’s Youth Opportunity Center, the YOC had about 40 applicants during last year’s job fair. “This year, we’ve had between 70 and 100 applicants so far,” she said. “It’s been far better than last year.”

Carla Winstead, marketing director for Independent Federal Credit Union, said that the company heard about the job fair through Purdue Anderson/Muncie and decided it would be a good opportunity to connect with local residents. “We thought it would be a good way to get out into the community and reintroduce ourselves,” she said. “We’re looking for part-time help and the response has been huge.”

And for those who attended the job fair, like local resident Debbie Booker, the job fair was a good way to find a job in Anderson — something that’s been hard to do in the last few years, she said.

“A lot of people don’t have jobs,” Booker said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to try and find something that will work for them.”

Booker, who heard about the job fair through the newspaper, said that she found several job opportunities in areas like food service and retail, and that she would definitely come to the job fair again. “It would be great if they could have more companies in the future,” she said.