May 14--The jobless showed up in droves at Conseco Fieldhouse on Wednesday to attend a job fair put on by the Indiana Fever.

They had resumes, cover letters and their best clothes.

But they also needed $5.

In what is considered a rare move in the world of job recruiting and human resources, the Fever charged more than 600 attendees admission for access to 25 employers -- ranging from Clarian Health and Best Buy to Steak n Shake and FedEx. The fee also covered resume help at the afternoon event.

"I'm shocked. I've never ever heard of (charging for a job fair) before," said Mark McNulty, president of HR Dimensions, a human resources consulting company. "I'd heard about the fair. I didn't dream there was a charge for it."

The Fever defended the fee, saying attendees received a club-level ticket to an upcoming Fever game worth $14.

"Bottom line is, we are giving you great value that is absolutely consistent with other job fairs at Conseco," said Kevin Messenger, spokesman for the Fever and Conseco Fieldhouse events. "I can't speak to others. I don't know how ours is different. But this is not unusual or unheard of for us."

In fact, he said, the Indiana Pacers hold two job fairs a year and admission is $35.

"The $5 charge is absolutely minimal," Messenger said.

A search of other job fairs run by professional sports teams found at least one other also charges admission. In January, the Chicago Bulls' fair at United Center cost $30.

So where will the $3,000 admission money from Wednesday's fair go?

"I couldn't answer that," Messenger said. "I couldn't tell you where it goes."

-- Call Star reporter Dana Hunsinger at (317) 444-6012.

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