SPRINGVALE — Where can you find 89 employers, all in one spot, looking for workers?

At the largest job fair in Maine – York County Job Fair, set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday at Nasson Community Center at 457 Main St.

Ben Neveux, an employment and training specialist with the Maine Department of Labor and chairman of the job fair steering committee, said the jobs available with the 87 private and public employers and representatives of two military branches have “hundreds” of immediate open positions.

So, he advised attendees: Do your homework, dress the part and come prepared for an interview.

Not every employer will be offering on-the-spot interviews, but some do, he said.

The list of companies taking part covers a wide area of southern Maine from Biddeford north to Bath, to Berwick and Saco to Sanford, and Kennebunk to Kittery.

“Companies are recruiting to fill a myriad of full-time and part-time positions in all segments of Maine’s economy,” said Neveux.

He said the employers are recruiting to fill jobs in health care, aerospace, defense, law enforcement and corrections, manufacturing and production, education, social services, construction, sales, seafood, retail, hospitality, tourism and more.

Sanford Springvale Chamber of Commerce president Richard Stanley pointed out that the job fair, begun five years ago, has grown steadily. That first year, 45 to 50 employers were represented. In 2014, there were 80 representatives of business and industry at the fair looking for workers.

In addition to large employers, like Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, and Pratt & Whitney and Hussey Seating in North Berwick, Bath Iron Works in Bath and Cianbro in various Maine locations, there are others as well, like Corning Life Sciences in Kennebunk, Poland Spring in Hollis, Home Depot, Hannaford and an array of smaller companies.

Stanley said several staffing agencies will be on hand. He pointed out that obtaining work through a staffing agency gives both an employer and employee a chance to determine if the work relationship is a good fit.

The fair was originally founded as part of a grant through Coastal County Workforce Development, Stanley said. Over the years, the sponsors ”“ which include the Maine Department of Labor Career Center, York County Maine Military Community Network, Sanford Regional Technical Center, York County Community College and Goodwill Workforce Solutions ”“ have seen it grow.

Neveux said job seekers should look at participant websites in advance if possible and apply for a job online. Then when they attend the job fair, they should introduce themselves to the prospective employer. He advised job seekers to dress professionally for the job they’re seeking, shake hands, make good eye contact, ask what recruiters look for in a good candidate, ask the next step in the process, thank folks for their time, network with others, and don’t ask about pay and time off.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.