Fall 2026 Tampa Job Fairs & Hiring Events: Your Complete Guide
All upcoming job fairs in Tampa
Job Fairs By
Published: | Updated:

Fall 2026 Tampa Job Fairs & Hiring Events: Your Complete Guide

Share:

TAMPA, FL — The fall hiring window in Tampa Bay opened in the middle of September and it was front-loaded this year: a community health system interviewing at the CareerSource center on North Florida Avenue, a staffing firm filling manufacturing and skilled trades roles the same morning across the bay, and the Tampa Bay Times bringing 50-plus employers to the St. Petersburg Coliseum. A CareerSource fair at South University followed at the end of the month, and October opened with USF's biggest all-majors fair of the semester and a Best Hire fair at Westshore. Still ahead are a Better Together church job fair in Brandon on October 20, a veterans job fair at the Tampa Convention Center and Macy's holiday hiring day on October 22, the Tampa Bay Times fair's return to Westshore on November 2, the City of Tampa's Career Glow Up on November 6 and a Saturday church fair in Lutz on November 7.

Twelve events between September 14 and November 7, all free for job seekers; six have already taken place. Here they are in order.

In a hurry? Skip straight to the job links and begin searching now →

📅 Table of Contents

Tampa Bay Job & Career Fair — Monday, September 14

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | St. Petersburg Coliseum, 535 4th Ave N, St. Petersburg

This event has passed.

The biggest general-audience event of the season and the one to build your week around. Produced by the Tampa Bay Times, it puts more than 50 local employers in one room alongside universities and vocational and technical schools, recruiting for the entire Tampa Bay area rather than one county. Admission and parking are both free and there is no pre-registration requirement, so you can simply show up. The organizers ask for business attire and at least 20 printed resumes, which is a fair signal of how many tables you are expected to work. Yes, it is across the bay from Tampa. It is worth the drive over the Howard Frankland.

Tampa Family Health Centers Hiring Event — Tuesday, September 15

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | CareerSource Tampa Bay Tampa Center, 9215 N. Florida Ave.

This event has passed.

A single-employer session with Tampa Family Health Centers, the community health organization that runs clinics across the county. They are recruiting for both clinical and nonclinical openings, which matters: this is not a nurses-only room. Front desk, patient registration, medical records, billing and support staff are all part of a federally qualified health center's payroll. If you have healthcare experience but no license, this is the most useful three hours on the September calendar. Hosted at CareerSource's Tampa Center in the Sulphur Springs corridor, just south of Busch Boulevard.

FrankCrum Staffing Hiring Event — Tuesday, September 15

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | CareerSource Tampa Bay Gulf to Bay Center, 2312 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater

This event has passed.

Same morning, same hours, opposite side of the bay. FrankCrum is a family-owned Clearwater staffing and recruiting company, and this session covers manufacturing, production, skilled trades and operations roles. Staffing-firm events work differently from a single employer's: you are being matched against a book of client openings rather than interviewing for one job, so come ready to talk about shift availability, equipment you have run and any certifications you hold. Note the conflict with the Tampa Family Health Centers event above. You cannot do both, so pick by industry.

Talent Meets Opportunity Hiring Event — Tuesday, September 29

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | South University Tampa Campus, 4401 N. Himes Ave.

This event has passed.

A multi-employer fair run by CareerSource Tampa Bay in partnership with South University for Workforce Development Month. Four hours, a general audience, and a location just off Hillsborough Avenue near Drew Park that is easy to reach from West Tampa and Town 'N' Country.

USF Job & Internship Fair — Wednesday, October 7

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | USF Tampa campus, 4103 USF Cedar Circle

This event has passed.

The broadest fair USF runs in the fall, open to all majors and all industries, covering full-time roles, internships and co-ops. Four hours is a long window by campus-fair standards, which usually means a large employer floor.

Who it was for: USF students and alumni. Check-in and employer registration ran through Handshake, and a USF account was needed to get in. USF also ran narrower fairs earlier in this stretch, including an Engineering, AI & Tech fair on September 29 and a Civil Engineering fair on September 30, both Handshake-gated as well.

Tampa Job Fair — Thursday, October 8

11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore Airport, 700 N. Westshore Blvd.

This event has passed.

Best Hire Career Fairs runs a recurring Tampa event at the same Westshore hotel every time, which makes it easy to plan around. The usual mix covers healthcare and medical offices, finance and insurance, call centers and customer service, hospitality, retail, logistics and administrative employers, with roles running from entry level to management. Past exhibitors have included the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Spectrum and the State of Florida. Admission was free. → See details

Brandon Job Fair at New Hope Church — Tuesday, October 20

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | New Hope Church, 121 N. Knights Ave., Brandon

The first of two Better Together church job fairs still ahead. Better Together is the Florida nonprofit that pairs hiring events with support for families in crisis, and its fairs are built around face-to-face interviews with hiring managers, with second-chance employers invited. The organizer lists 84 Lumber, AdventHealth, HART, RaceTrac, Steak 'n Shake, Kane's Furniture, All Ways Caring Home Care, PCS Civil, Labor Finders and One Touch Direct. Registration is free and required for job seekers on the event page. A short drive for Valrico, Seffner and Riverview. → See details

Tampa Veterans Job Fair — Thursday, October 22

11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Tampa Convention Center, Ballroom C, 333 S. Franklin St.

RecruitMilitary brings its veterans job fair downtown to the Convention Center on the Hillsborough River, next to the Riverwalk, in Ballroom C just inside the Franklin Street entrance. The organizer builds these fairs for veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses, and the City of Tampa's events calendar lists this one as free and open to the public. RecruitMilitary shows 41 exhibitors registered so far but has not named them, and says the list is not final until the day of the event. Parking in the Convention Center garage is free. Register on the organizer's event page ahead of time, bring a resume that translates your service into civilian job titles, and get there early in the four-hour window. → See details

Macy's Holiday Hiring Day — Thursday, October 22

Hours vary by store | Macy's at Westfield Citrus Park, Westfield Brandon, the Shops at Wiregrass, Westfield Countryside and Tyrone Square

Macy's national hiring day for seasonal store jobs, the second of three this fall. You can apply in person at any of the five Bay Area stores, from Citrus Park in northwest Tampa to Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg. Macy's says event times vary by location, so call your store before you go. Tampa Bay is not on the company's list of top hiring markets and no local headcount has been published, so expect steady seasonal hiring rather than a mass recruitment. Same day as the veterans fair: pick by whether you want a holiday job or a career move. A final hiring day follows on Thursday, November 19. → See details

Tampa Bay Job & Career Fair — Monday, November 2

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore Airport, 700 N. Westshore Blvd.

The Tampa Bay Times fair that filled the Coliseum in September comes back, this time on the Tampa side of the bay. Expect more than 50 local employers plus colleges and vocational-technical schools. Admission and parking are free, online pre-registration is optional, and walk-ins are welcome. The November exhibitor list had not been posted as of this update, so check the organizer's expo page the week before. It is held at the same hotel as the October 8 fair but has a different organizer and different exhibitors. → See details

Career Glow Up Job Fair — Friday, November 6

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | City Center at Hanna Avenue, 2555 E. Hanna Ave.

The City of Tampa's own job fair, pitched at young adults and job seekers of all ages, whether it is a first job or a career change. The city promises face-to-face time with hiring managers and on-the-spot interviews, plus help getting your resume and interview ready before you work the room. Lunch is free if you register in advance on the city's form. No employer list has been published for November. → See details

Lutz Job Fair at Heritage Christian Community Baptist — Saturday, November 7

10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Heritage Christian Community Baptist Church, 14801 N. 15th St., Lutz

The last event in this guide and the only Saturday on it, which makes it the pick if you already work weekdays. It is the second remaining Better Together church fair, with the same format: interviews with hiring managers, second-chance employers invited and free online registration required. No employers have been named yet, so check the event page in early November. The church sits east of I-275 on the Lutz edge of North Tampa. → See details

🔎 How to Pick the Right Ones

Six events are still ahead. Sort yourself fast:

  • You want the most employers in one room: November 2 at Westshore. More than 50 employers plus schools, and no registration needed.
  • Veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses: October 22 at the Tampa Convention Center, then November 2 for a second, broader room.
  • You want a holiday job: October 22 at any of the five Bay Area Macy's stores.
  • First job or career change: November 6 at the City of Tampa's Career Glow Up on East Hanna Avenue.
  • People with a record: October 20 in Brandon or November 7 in Lutz, where Better Together invites second-chance employers.
  • East Hillsborough: October 20 at New Hope Church in Brandon.
  • Already working weekdays: Saturday, November 7, in Lutz.
  • You live on the west side of Tampa: November 2 at Westshore, a short drive off I-275.
  • Everyone else, and anyone who missed September or early October: November 2 at Westshore.

What to Bring to Any of Them

  • Printed resumes, more than you think you need. Plan on about 20 for the big Tampa Bay Times fair.
  • Photo ID, and any registration confirmation on your phone
  • License and certification numbers if you work in a credentialed field
  • Employment dates, addresses and references, since some employers have you apply on the spot
  • A short self-introduction you have actually said out loud
  • Your real availability, stated plainly. Shift flexibility closes more of these conversations than anything on your resume.
  • A notebook for names, so you can follow up inside 48 hours

💵 Your Pay Floor Changed on September 30

Worth knowing before you negotiate anything this fall: Florida's minimum wage rose from $14.00 to $15.00 an hour on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, and the tipped cash wage went from $10.98 to $11.98. That was the last scheduled step of the increase Florida voters approved in 2020. From here, the rate adjusts for inflation each September 30 rather than by a fixed dollar amount.

Two practical consequences. First, Florida preempts local minimum wage ordinances, so there is no separate Tampa, Hillsborough or Pinellas rate to look up. The address where you do the work does not change the floor anywhere in this state, which is not true in California or Illinois. Second, "$15 an hour" is no longer a selling point. It is the legal minimum. If you are looking at an offer or a posting advertising $15, you are being offered the floor. Ask what sits above it.

What It Means for Job Seekers

Fall is Tampa Bay's heaviest hiring stretch. Hotels and attractions build crews ahead of the winter visitor season, distribution centers along the I-4 and I-75 corridors staff up for peak, health systems backfill after summer turnover, and anything opening before the holidays finishes its team now. The next six weeks are when those decisions actually get made.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Tampa job fairs free?

Every event on this list is free for job seekers. The November 2 Tampa Bay Job & Career Fair also has free parking and no pre-registration requirement, and the City of Tampa lists the October 22 veterans fair as free. The Better Together church fairs ask you to register online first, and the Career Glow Up's free lunch goes to people who register ahead.

Which fall job fair has the most employers?

The Tampa Bay Job & Career Fair, with more than 50 employers plus colleges and technical schools. Its September 14 date at the St. Petersburg Coliseum has passed, and it returns November 2 at the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore Airport. The USF Job & Internship Fair on October 7 was the largest campus event, restricted to USF students and alumni, and it has passed.

Do I have to be a student to attend?

Only the October 7 USF fair required a USF Handshake account, and it has passed. Everything else on this list is open to the public, including the September 29 event that was held on the South University campus.

Are all of these actually in Tampa?

Most are. The September 14 fair was at the St. Petersburg Coliseum and the September 15 FrankCrum session was in Clearwater. Of the events still ahead, the two church fairs are in Brandon and Lutz, just outside city limits in Hillsborough County, and Macy's hiring day runs at five stores around the bay. The rest are in Tampa.

What should I wear?

Business or business casual everywhere on this list.

Will more events be added?

Yes. CareerSource Tampa Bay posts hiring events roughly four to six weeks out, and employers announce walk-in events with a week or two of notice. We update this guide as new dates are confirmed.

Don't Rely on Showing Up

A job fair is one channel, not a search. Create a free LocalJobPage account and set alerts so new Tampa openings reach you between events. Then work through the Career Center for role-by-role guides, and keep an eye on everything currently posted in Tampa.

Employers: a table at a fair reaches the people who happened to show up that day. Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach Tampa job seekers every day of the season.

Bookmark this one. Six chances left between now and November 7, from Knights Avenue in Brandon to Franklin Street downtown, East Hanna Avenue and Westshore Boulevard, and the jobs go to the people who walked in with resumes in hand.

Updated October 17, 2026: added the Better Together church job fairs in Brandon on Oct. 20 and Lutz on Nov. 7, Macy's holiday hiring day on Oct. 22, and the City of Tampa's Career Glow Up on Nov. 6. The Oct. 22 veterans fair is in Ballroom C, and 41 exhibitors have registered so far. Updated October 10, 2026: added the Tampa Veterans Job Fair on Oct. 22 at the Tampa Convention Center. Updated September 25, 2026: added the Tampa Bay Job & Career Fair on Nov. 2 at the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore Airport.

Related Posts

Back to Job News