More than 500 people attended a London job fair in its first hour on Wednesday. The figure is seen as a sign of challenging economic times, but also of the desire for face-to-face contact with employers in the age of AI job screening. The event held at two locations on Horton Street, was organized by Pathways Employment Help Centre (PEHC) and Goodwill Industries. Hundreds of job seekers spoke with representatives from more than 25 companies representing a half-dozen sectors. Jacob Lawlor was among the crowd. He is retraining in security after a career in agriculture. Unlike many, he has had some replies to the hundreds of applications he has sent out. But he is still looking to secure his first role. “It is tough in certain areas. I’ve been struggling a little bit,” he conceded. Employment experts tell CTV News Lawlor is not alone in a job market that filters resumes with AI. “Especially if you’re on the job boards, clicking that ‘Apply Now’ button. You don’t get any feedback. You’re like, is anybody even getting my resume?” said Michelle Moran, an employment specialist at PEHC. And feedback is what job seekers crave, according to Cassy Rose. She has recently retrained in administration after a career in fast food. Rose expressed elation at the change to meet employers face-to-face. “You can get the language off of somebody, so that you can understand where they’re coming from, and you get a better idea of the insight of a person, when it is not online.” While employers are ready to give up AI tools, some agreed job fairs remain beneficial. “We prefer having the in-person interactions with the candidate,” said Tugce Ongel, an HR generalist with Bayshore Home Health, who added, “It further gives the candidate the opportunity to ask any questions and get instant feedback from us, and, as well as for us, we get to have that initial conversation and get to know them.” But Moran said even with face-to-face contact, it can take time to generate leads and hopefully a job in 2026. “You can be doing everything right, and it still can take months to go from where you’re starting to onboarding in a new company.” But Rose believes perseverance can still pay off for positive job seekers. “We’re all after the same goal. We want to get started!”
