DAVIE (CBSMiami) – Resumes in hand, smiles on their faces, job seekers lined up at a pair of career fairs on Wednesday.

At the Signature Grand in Davie, CBS4’s Gary Nelson said he saw optimism despite the tough times we are in. He said that those showed up looking to land a job exuded hope. More than 40 companies represented in the facility’s ballroom were looking to fill approximately 500 positions.

“We are looking for a variety of positions, everything from sales to inventory, freight positions, anything you can think of we have a position available,” said Patty Reska from Home Depot.

Some say with so many companies in attendance looking to hire, it’s a solid indicator that business is getting better.

“We’re growing, we’re expanding, we’re seeing our market shares go up so we are always looking to bring in new people,” said Reska.

Monica Tapia moved here from Connecticut.

“He (Tapia’s husband) actually accepted a position with a different company, so we moved down here for him pretty much,” said Tapia.

One of the companies looking to hire was Gold Coast Beverages which delivers beer to restaurants, stores and clubs. The company has driver positions open; some which pay more than $50,000 per year.

“Full benefits, health, 401K, you name it, we got it,” said Gold Coast Beverages’ Paul Olenick.

While there were more applicants than jobs available at the event, the ‘we’re hiring’ signs were an upbeat note in a down economy.

In Miami-Dade, the Fresh Market held a Career Open House at the Miami Marriott Dadeland Hotel, 9090 S. Dadeland Boulevard. The grocery chain was looking to fill 80-90 positions, from assistant managers and specialists to bakers and meat cutters for their new store in Pinecrest.

Appearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said a reduction in the unemployment rate is “likely to be frustratingly slow.” He told the panel that their forecast shows unemployment still stuck about 7 percent in 2014.