San Jose Career Fair Dec. 2: Free Sit-Down Interviews at Embassy Suites Santa Clara

SAN JOSE, CA — The 27th Annual San Jose Career Fair is set for Wednesday, December 2, and it skips the folding-table shuffle in favor of sit-down interviews with hiring managers. Diversity Career Group runs the free two-hour fair at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Santa Clara on Lakeside Drive, a short hop up U.S. 101 from downtown San Jose, with recruiters filling sales, health care, IT, finance, government, retail and customer service jobs.

Free, open to entry-level job seekers, new grads and experienced professionals, and built around face-to-face interviews. Professional dress is required, and the organizer wants at least 12 resumes in your bag.

Need work before the holidays? Skip straight to the San Jose job links and start searching now →

📍 At a Glance

Event	27th Annual San Jose Career Fair & Job Fair, hosted by Diversity Career Group
Date	Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Time	11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Location	Embassy Suites Santa Clara, 2885 Lakeside Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054
Cost	Free for job seekers
Format	In person, sit-down interviews with hiring decision makers
Registration	Register ahead through the official event page and print your ticket, or register at the door
Eligibility	Entry-level candidates, recent graduates and experienced professionals

💼 What Kind of Jobs Are on the Table

This is a general professional career fair, not a single-employer recruitment. The organizer describes the room as nationally recognized companies sending people who can actually make hiring decisions, and it lists sales, business and corporate roles alongside finance, health care, government, IT, retail and customer service.

The format is the draw: a real sit-down conversation instead of a 30-second pitch over a brochure table. For anyone working in North San Jose or the Santa Clara office parks, the 11:30 start makes it a lunch-hour errand rather than a day off.

⚠️ Read This Before You Drive to Santa Clara

It is in Santa Clara, not San Jose. The fair carries the San Jose name, but the hotel sits across the city line in Santa Clara. Plug the street address into your map, not the event title.
No employer list has been published. The event page does not name the companies taking part, so you won't know exactly who is hiring until you walk in.
No pay figures have been posted. Sales roles at general fairs often mix base pay with commission. Ask each recruiter how the money works before you say yes to a second interview.
It runs two hours. Show up at 1:15 and the busiest tables may already be packing up.

📅 Can't Wait Until December?

December 2 is five weeks out. If you need a paycheck sooner, the U.S. Postal Service is holding a city carrier job fair on November 3 at the Willow Glen Post Office on Meridian Avenue. Different employer, different day, different requirements: that one is for carrier routes, this one is for office, sales and service careers. Our fall job fair guide tracks the rest of the season.

📋 How to Show Up Ready

The organizer is specific, and professional attire is listed as required, not suggested. Pack the basics:

At least 12 printed copies of your resume
Your printed registration ticket, if you signed up ahead
Interview clothes, even if the job you want is casual day to day
A short list of questions about training, schedules, base pay and commission

🔎 Start Searching San Jose Jobs Before the Fair

Walking in already in a few hiring pipelines gives you more to talk about at the table. New openings post daily from downtown and Berryessa out to Milpitas, Sunnyvale and the Almaden Valley.

Start here:

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the San Jose Career Fair?

Wednesday, December 2, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Santa Clara, 2885 Lakeside Drive, Santa Clara.

Does it cost anything to attend?

No. Admission is free for job seekers.

Do I have to register ahead of time?

Registering through the official event page and printing your ticket is encouraged. The organizer says you can also register at the event.

Which companies will be there?

The organizer has not published an employer list. It describes the recruiters as nationally recognized companies hiring for sales, corporate, finance, health care, government, IT, retail and customer service roles.

Turn One Wednesday Into a Real Job Search

Keep applying around the fair. Create a free LocalJobPage account to save searches and get alerts on new San Jose openings, and browse the Career Center for role-by-role guides.

Employers: hiring in the South Bay? Post your openings on LocalJobPage and reach San Jose job seekers every day of the year, not just one Wednesday in December.