UT students generally know about job fairs when they take place on campus, since a classmate or friend might dress up in a suit or dress that day and head over to a main gathering place on campus.

But an opportunity for job seekers UT students might not know about is the Job News Knoxville Career Fair, taking place at the Knoxville Expo Center on Aug. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Job News Knoxville sponsors the event. Job News Knoxville is a branch of Job News USA, which has offices in 26 cities and services 95 cities nationally, said Job News Recruitment Consultant John Cylc.

"We're one of the leading recruitment advertisers in the country," Cylc said. "We don't do staffing. We strictly do recruitment."

The fair takes place quarterly. The last one was on May 4, with 41 companies participating and between 1,100 and 1,200 job seekers attending, he said.

"Tougher times make it a lot more popular, so we should do pretty well at the event," he said.

The range for job seekers attending the fairs is between 1,000 and 1,400, he said.

"This is a very generalized event," Cylc said. "It's going to attract all types of different industry, from manufacturing to engineering to retail and everything in between. And a lot of those companies are looking for those straight-out-of-college, those career-type candidates."

The main thing that separates the Knoxville Career Fair from career fairs at UT, he said, was the Knoxville Career Fair's emphasis on national companies, rather than local ones.

The fair has 26 companies signed up right now, but Cylc expects over 30 companies once the day comes.

"There's a few we're just waiting for the registration forms (from)," he said.

Employers that will be at the job fair include places like Captain D's, Home Depot, H&R Block and CVS.

Other employers are Woodmen of the World, an insurance company, and Securewatch, which is looking to hire a sales position in contract sales for security companies.

"It seems like we're really picking up on the construction industry, due to the storms," he said. "We have a few companies coming out who are looking for the construction site workers, project managers, things like that."

To solicit employers to take part, Job News sends out local sales people and contacts everyone it does normal Web and print ads with. Job News also utilizes flyers and social media to get the word out.

He said this year's crop of employers is quite diverse, and he suggests students prepare for the fair.

"Make sure they get their suits pressed or their dress ready," he said. "It's very important to look like you put some effort into this event, and you're not just showing up."

Besides dress, the other point of emphasis for job seekers is the all-important resume. Cylc suggests contacting a professional resume company to lay one out.

"Even if they've only had part-time work through college, any experience would look good to show that you make an effort to get out there and earn your living," he said.

For someone who has never attended the job fair before, Cylc advises to be bold.

"Don't hesitate to go up and speak to someone," he said. "You have to be confident and sure of yourself. ... Find out what the company is about and what type of person they are looking for."

Reggie McElhaney, Job News regional vice president, called the job fair a unique experience.

"It gives the job seeker an opportunity to make a first impression versus just being a resume that is e-mailed over to a company or faxed over," McElhaney said.