Stephen Howard played in 21 games in his four years on the defensive line at Alcorn State University, experiencing the ups and downs of life in the trenches.

Now a 24-year-old grad with a master’s in biology, he’s playing a little offense for a change — hunting for a job, that is.

“I really want to get into management of some kind,” Howard said, his hands resting on job applications spread out and overlapped in front of him. “I’d like to look everywhere.”

The Atlanta-area native was one of about 1,000 people who applied for jobs with local and national employers Tuesday at the 16th Vicksburg Area Job Fair, put on by the Governor’s Job Fair Network of Mississippi. The total matches last year’s foot traffic and is less than fairs when the Great Recession was at its deepest. Of that, 479 interviews conducted at booths set up by 49 employers at Vicksburg Convention Center produced 357 job offers, with many applicants getting multiple offers in the same line of work, said Adam Todd, director of the state’s jobs initiative.

Howard fit a profile that organizers say has been an emerging trend in this year’s round of similar fairs across the state.

“We’ve seen people not afraid to step outside the realm of what’s comfortable,” said Adam Todd, director of the state’s jobs initiative. “For example, someone who’s been in the medical field and now wants to look for sales jobs.”

Harmony Hudson, 23, of Vicksburg, said her life in retail deserves a reboot.

“I’m looking at casino opportunities and things, but I just want to find another job,” she said while making the rounds of 49 booths set up by employers at Vicksburg Convention Center.

Local casinos maintained a presence at Tuesday’s fair, as did law enforcement agencies ranging from the FBI, on hand to recruit special agents, to the Vicksburg Police Department. Participation from heavier industries wasn’t as heavy this year, but it didn’t keep Armstrong World Industries from casting a net for skilled labor.

“It’s really hard to find boiler operators with electrical experience,” said Anthony Mayhan, human resources manager with the plant at the Port of Vicksburg. “A lot of people have residential electrical experience, but they don’t know how to install wiring for industrial motors, drivers, and things.”

Mayhan said the hourly pay range for what they sought was $15.21 to $16.46, or about $34,000 annually.

Others in the private sector looked to recruit locals to work in Jackson.

“We’re recruiting drivers for the Jackson area,” said Terri Ulmer, human resources director for Delta Industries, a concrete truck operator. “We call them delivery professionals.”