From the print edition of STLJobWatch, published in Friday’s Post-Dispatch:

As these things go, the “Putting America Back to Work” job fair Wednesday at the Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center was fairly low-key.
Unlike many fairs I’ve attended recently, this one didn’t have a long line of applicants winding around the building, anxiously waiting to get in the door. Perhaps it’s a sign that the economy is indeed inching its way back. More likely, it was the heat.
The scene inside was standard job fair layout: Approximately 40 businesses, governmental agencies, educational institutions and career consultants positioned behind a gantlet of tables circling the room.

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As the folks at the Internal Revenue Service table busied themselves with curious job-seekers, a representative of a school bus service seated nearby literally twiddled his thumbs.
Typical of these events, the would-be employees showed up in an array of clothing options that ranged from business suits to skimpy tank tops.
I’ll admit to knowing little about fashion, but I suspect a bare midriff may be considered poor form in an opportunity to make a positive first impression…

Read the rest of the column here.