SAN MARCOS - Clutching resumes and dressed in business attire, more than 2,000 students and community members sought out face time with potential employers Wednesday during a career fair held at Palomar College.

"I'm looking for a summer job," said second-semester Palomar student Alexis Brown, as she walked around the campus clock tower, searching for information on job openings in the sales field. "There's a lot of opportunities here for people of all interests."

Sponsored by the college's Career Center, the job fair featured recruiting booths from more than 100 companies and organizations, including Palomar Pomerado Health, the United States Air Force, North Island Credit Union and the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

"There are all kinds of local job opportunities and this is easy access for our students," said John Dise, director of Career Services at Palomar.

The fair, which is now held biannually, is both a chance for students to explore different career options and a resource for community members looking to make a career change, said Dise.

It also enables students to continue their studies by providing them with opportunities to work flexible, part-time jobs while they're in school, he said, adding that some of the participating employers were offering tuition assistance to Palomar students.

"It's a big plus for the community and the college," said Dise. "It's a win-win situation for everyone."

Throughout the day, fair-goers collected business cards, passed out resumes and made small talk with prospective employers as they walked from booth to booth.

Serena Boyd, human relations assistant representative for SeaWorld San Diego, said she was looking for candidates to fill seasonal positions.

"There are three qualities candidates must possess - a positive attitude, a high level of energy and a commitment to quality," Boyd said, adding that a college campus is a great place to find prospective employees who meet those requirements.

"This is also a chance for us to get our name out there in the community," she said.

Dressed professionally in a black jacket and slacks, 25-year-old Palomar student Maryann Meza chatted with representatives from the Vallecitos Water District. Meza, a human development major, was looking for a steady position, preferably one related to her field of study.

"It's wonderful being able to go face to face with employers," said Meza. "It's different when you fax in your resume, it's not as personal. Face time helps a lot."

Across the way, Mike Kairis of San Marcos, who relocated to the area from New Jersey with his wife, said he felt as though he was moving his job search forward by attending the fair.

"This benefits someone like me, who's having a hard time going through the normal channels - making phone calls, submitting applications online - to find a job," he said. "The more people you can talk to out here, the more prepared you'll be to talk to someone across the table during an interview."

Aside from meeting with employers, students picked up scholarship and admissions information from representatives of four-year universities such as Cal State San Marcos, Chapman University, University of San Diego and the University of Redlands.

"We get a lot of really good students from Palomar transferring to our school," said Walter Pineda, admissions counselor for the University of San Diego. "This is a good way to meet some students and encourage them to pursue a higher degree. We see a lot of interest and good applications here, so it's definitely worth our time."

Pineda, who discussed course and grade-point-average requirements with those who stopped by the booth, said the career fair was a good way to open students up to a broad range of education and career paths that they might not be exposed to otherwise.

"It's very productive," he said.

- Contact staff writer Noelle Ibrahim at (760) 761-4404 or nibrahim@nctimes.com.