Groton — Desperation and experience mingled Monday at the Mystic Marriott as more than 500 people gathered for the 2016 Fall Job Fair sponsored by The Day in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut.

"I'm looking at everything since I lost my job," said Jessica Douglass of Norwich, who found out about the four-hour job fair Sunday from a friend and had not pre-registered for the event.

Douglass, just laid off from a job at a New London bar, said she had to pay the rent and was looking for something immediately.

"It's pretty bad out there," she said.

It was a steady stream of people at the job fair, held in the Mystic Ballroom at the hotel and including about three dozen businesses or nonprofits. About 300 people pre-registered for the event, and Richard Zesk, an advertising manager for The Day, showed off another stack of perhaps 150 people who showed up at the door — and this was an hour and a half before it ended.

"It has not stopped since 10 o'clock," said Ralph Watson, human resources manager at Collins & Jewell Co. in Bozrah, who said he already had more than 20 resumes in hand, most for entry-level jobs.

"It's a phenomenal success," said Mark Carbonaro, assistant general manager of a company bringing a Chick-fil-A fast food-restaurant to the Mohegan Sun next month. "We've had steady traffic all afternoon."

Carbonaro said he has filled 68 of 70 part-time positions, but he wants to have plenty of resumes on hand in case people bail out before the opening. He said he had already set up interviews with 12 people at the job fair.

Sheri Cote, vice president of the regional chamber, said she was impressed with the quality of the candidates for a sales job her organization was looking to fill. She also said job seekers, many of whom had a job and were looking for part-time work, appeared well prepared.

"They all walk up to the table and say, 'Hi, my name is ...' and shake your hand," she said. "A lot already had experience ... they were good applicants."

The Chamber booth, also manned by Tracy Tremblay and Megan Cronin, was nearby the Electric Boat line, which had about 15 people stacked up waiting to talk to representatives for the submarine manufacturer that is looking to add thousands to its payroll over the next few years.

"That's the smallest it's been all day," Cote said of the line.

Two people in the line, Margaret Malia and Robert Spellman, said they had applied for jobs at the company before but thought by putting a face to the name they might have a better chance of getting in.

"They're a good employer with good benefits," said Malia, newly graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a degree in design. "I know people who work at EB, and they love it."

Malia said her grandfather once worked at EB, but he's long retired. She would like to get her foot in the door with just about any job, she said, whether marketing, advertising or desk work.

"It's just really hard to find jobs in Connecticut," she said.

Amy Ramsdell, employee services representative for the Big Y supermarket chain, acknowledged that people these days sometimes find it discouraging to constantly fill out employment forms online only to hear nothing back. She said hiring decisions are usually based on the online questions that Big Y asks, plus the experience that potential employees bring to the table.

She suggested, however, that job candidates always follow up with a hiring manager to make sure they have seen their applications.

l.howard@theday.com