Tesla Motors announced Saturday that it had to cancel its job fair in Fremont due to maximum capacity and traffic safety.
"Given the very high level of interest and after speaking with local law enforcement, out of consideration for the job seekers, the local community and motorists, Tesla decided to close today’s job fair," Tesla said in a statement to NBC Bay Area.
Hundreds of job seekers could be seen queuing up outside the Tesla factory in Fremont earlier Saturday morning. The job fair was originally scheduled to go on from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but Tesla said in a tweet around 10 a.m. that it was closed down for the day.
According to a tweet from the Fremont Police Department, the "overwhelming reponse" to Tesla's job fair resulted in a major backup on I-880. Fremont police asked drivers to avoid the area of Tesla Motors at 45500 Fremont Blvd. due to heavy traffic.
A number of job seekers who showed up early morning for the fair but didn't get a chance to interview said they were disappointed.
"I came here around 8 or 9 a.m., but they told me it was already over," said Fremont resident Alex Chang who was laid off from his last job. "I was kinda disappointed because we couldn't go inside to meet the people. I don't think that's fair for everybody."
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Another job seeker, Michelle Edmundson, said she had hoped she would be able to speak to someone at the fair.
"I was basically told they got what they needed and I can email my resume to their website," she said. "I was a little disappointed - I was hoping to give my resume and tell a little bit about myself to them. It was an opportunity, you don't want to miss anything like that."
Tesla urged those who were unable to interview to apply online on the Tesla careers site.
"Our priority is to ensure that everyone who wants to apply has an equal opportunity to do so, regardless of if they attended the job fair or not," Tesla said in its statement.
Tesla’s job fair is closed for today. We urge those who we were unable to interview to go to http://t.co/UB8g96DOE6 and apply online. — Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) May 3, 2014
We want to thank all of the job seekers for their incredible interest in pursuing a career at Tesla. — Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) May 3, 2014
The overwhelming response to Tesla's job faire resulted in a major backup on 880. Event ended early due to traffic safety and max capacity. — Fremont Police Dept (@FremontPD) May 3, 2014
Please avoid the area of Tesla Motors on Fremont Bl./Grimmer Bl. due to heavy vehicle traffic. Telsa's Job Faire has been canceled. — Fremont Police Dept (@FremontPD) May 3, 2014
