City Officials Waiting As Hundreds Show Up To Job-Fair Hoax
(CBS) -- The hoax that claimed the city of Chicago would take applications for 10,000 summer jobs drew hundreds of job seekers to the Thompson Center downtown.
But many found a silver lining.
Job seekers were irate when told there was no fair, and that the jobs promised on Facebook and other social media did not exist. But the city refused to leave it at that.
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," Chicago Department of Family and Support Services spokesman Matt Smith said.
The department asked the state last-minute if it could make space available at the Thompson Center, where the phony fair was supposed to take place. The state did, and the department brought over six laptop computers and a deputy commissioner.
Several hundred people signed up, using the computers, on the same One Summer Chicago Web site anyone can use through May 16 without even having to dress up.
That doesn't mean those who applied are forgiving the hoaxster.
"A lot of people are taking this job stuff very seriously," said Tatiana, who said she took a 45 minute bus ride downtown to get to the Thompson Center. "This is not a joke and it's not something you can just play around with. So, whoever did it is wrong."
One Summer Chicago will make available 22,000 jobs in a variety of areas to teens from Chicago and Cook County.