Thousands of job seekers and more than 200 employers packed the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall yesterday hoping to find the perfect match.

With the state's unemployment rate under 3 percent and an abundance of job openings, employers continue to have problems finding workers. Many businesses believe that qualified workers are out there, it's just a matter of finding them.

Yesterday, businesses of all sizes and government agencies set up shop at the Job Quest Job Fair. The event gave employers and about 3,500 who attended the fair an opportunity to meet in one venue.

Thirty-one employers, including several longtime local firms, took part in their first job fair. Finance Factors, which has operated here for 55 years, was one of them.

Tameron Hodges, Finance Factors' vice president of human resources and administration, said the company has had problems filling positions and "needed to do something a little more creative" to find qualified employees.

"It's taking longer to get good applicants than we would like," Hodges said. "We seem to have a steady stream of applicants, but finding somebody that's got the right combination of skills and background is a little more challenging these days. A lot of them are already employed."

Hodges said her company has a wide range of openings, from customer service representatives to information technology manager. She said she hoped the fair would help fill some of these positions.

"If we get a couple of good applicants, I would consider it a successful day," Hodges said.

At Honolulu Fish Co., the business is planning to expand next year and will increase its workforce from about 70 to 85. The company made its first appearance at the job fair, and human resources manager Ahmed Altanahy said he believes there are enough qualified workers to fill the positions.

"There are a lot of employees in need of a job and a lot of places that need employees. We're just missing the match, where to find the right people," he said.

He added that the job fair is a good opportunity for both employer and employee.

"We think the job fair is one of the best ways of recruitment because you meet with people face to face and you can have a very good first impression about the applicant," Altanahy said. "Usually a resume doesn't give you all the information that you need about a person."

One person hoping to make a good first impression was Vince Rojas, a 30-year-old Makakilo resident. Rojas already has a job, but he's looking for something better and hoped to find it at the job fair.

He said he's looking for a management position in the hotel or banking industries.

"I hope to have three or four really good contacts that I can make follow-up appointments with," Rojas said.

He added that he's heard that many companies are scrambling to fill vacancies.

"That's what I'm counting on," Rojas said.

Pearl City resident Chelsea Kelly-Sipe works as a lifeguard at Pearl Harbor but said she wants to put her communications degree to work. The 21-year-old hopes to work with children with disabilities and turned to the job fair for help.

"Sometimes you don't have a lot of stuff on your resume. You're out of college and all I have is class experience. So this is a chance to meet them, kind of show them your personality and show them that you're really serious about getting a job," Kelly-Sipe said.

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.