They queued around Southampton’s Guildhall for the chance to speak to employers and get their name down for prized vacancies.

Thousands of job seekers flocked to the Daily Echo’s jobsfair yesterday, to see what was on offer from 23 different exhibitors.

From healthcare to the armed forces, there were plenty of opportunities to take the first step towards embarking on a new career.

Roy Partridge, Recruitment Manager for the Daily Echo, said: “We had 500 people through the door in the first hour. It’s fantastic to see so many people here – hopefully it will set them on the right path for a successful career.

“We’ve got a wide variety of exhibitors so there’s something for everyone.”

A huge range of candidates came to the fair – from teenagers who had just left college, to people who were hoping to find a part-time job in retirement.

Help and advice Those who wanted to polish their CV were offered help and advice from Next Step and Daily Echo staff showed people how to search for jobs on their website.

Leone McDevitt, a mentor at British Gas in Southampton, said: “I would recommend anybody out of work should come to one of the jobfairs because the information you can get from employers is just so readily available.”

Exhibitor Isle Care were inundated with queries about their vacancies.

Leanne McGinty, assistant HR adviser at Isle Care said: “We have been really really busy today - we’ve given out all our application forms already.

“A lot of people are coming up to us that have lost their jobs in another industry - care work is something people are trying as a new career.”

For a wide range of jobs on offer in Southampton and Hampshire, don’t miss our jobs supplement in the Southern Daily Echo every Thursday.