Second Chance Tucson Re-Entry Job Fair: Free Hiring Event Sept 10 at the TCC
Published: September 3, 2026 | By TucsonHIRED Team
TUCSON, AZ — One of the most practical hiring events on the Old Pueblo's fall calendar lands downtown next week. Second Chance Tucson hosts its 2026 Re-Entry Job and Resource Fair on Thursday, September 10 at the Tucson Convention Center, putting justice-impacted job seekers face to face with employers who hire based on what you can do, not just what's on a background check.
Free to attend, free to park, and built around actually getting hired.
In a hurry? Skip straight to the job links and begin searching now →
📍 Event at a Glance
| Event | Second Chance Tucson Re-Entry Job & Resource Fair |
| Date | Thursday, September 10, 2026 |
| Job Fair | 1:00 – 4:00 PM |
| Resource Fair | 12:00 – 4:00 PM |
| Location | Tucson Convention Center, Grand Lobby and Ballroom, 260 S. Church Ave. |
| Parking | Free in Lot B, off Granada Avenue |
| Cost | Free |
What Makes This Fair Different
Plenty of career fairs come through Tucson every month. This one is built for a specific and often overlooked group of job seekers: people with a record who are ready to work and keep running into the same wall at the application stage.
Second Chance Tucson recruits employers who are explicitly open to hiring people with diverse backgrounds, which changes the whole tone of the room. You aren't hoping a recruiter overlooks something. The employers at these tables already know who they came to meet.
The fair also runs alongside a community resource fair from noon to 4:00 PM, where service providers cover the practical pieces that make holding a job possible in the first place: housing help, behavioral health and substance treatment referrals, legal aid, rights restoration, food and clothing assistance, and veterans and women's reentry support.
A Workshop Before You Walk In
Here's the detail worth planning around. Job seekers attend a brief "How to Navigate a Job Fair" workshop before entering the job fair floor, and those run every half hour from 12:00 to 2:00 PM.
Translation: get there by 12:30 or 1:00 at the latest. Show up at 3:00 and you've cut your own time on the floor short. The workshop is short, genuinely useful, and covers how to work a room of recruiters, what to lead with, and how to handle the background question if it comes up.
Who's Backing the Event
The fair is free thanks to a deep bench of local sponsors and partners, including Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, Dismas Charities, Intermountain Centers (marking 50 years this year), Banner University Family Care, the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Tanque Verde Ranch, Oops! Laser Tattoo Removal, the Episcopal Church of the Apostles in Oro Valley, and Tucson City Councilmember Paul Cunningham's Ward 2 office.
That mix tells you something about the room: workforce agencies, healthcare, hospitality, and reentry service providers all in one place.
💼 What It Means for Job Seekers
Second Chance Tucson has not published a full employer roster ahead of the fair, so treat specific companies as unconfirmed until you're on the floor. That said, background-friendly hiring in Tucson tends to concentrate in a handful of sectors. Come ready to talk about:
- Warehouse and distribution jobs
- Construction and skilled trades
- Landscaping and grounds maintenance
- Custodial and facilities roles
- Manufacturing and production
- Food service and kitchen positions
- Peer support and community health work
Bring 10 to 15 copies of your resume and dress professionally. The flyer says it plainly, and it matters. A clean shirt and a stack of resumes puts you ahead of half the room.
🔎 Search Tucson Jobs Now
Don't wait until the 10th to start. Get your search running this week so you walk in with a short list of employers you already want to talk to:
- Second chance and background-friendly jobs in Tucson
- Entry-level jobs in Tucson
- Full-time openings across Tucson
Create a free TucsonHIRED account to save searches and get new Tucson openings sent to you as they post.
📢 For Tucson Employers
If your team hires from this talent pool, Second Chance Tucson is the room to be in. Table registration for the September 10 fair closed in late August, so reach out through secondchancetucson.org to ask about remaining availability or to get on the list for future events.
In the meantime, post your open roles on TucsonHIRED and put them in front of local job seekers searching every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Second Chance Tucson job fair free?
Yes. The job fair, the resource fair, the workshops, and parking in Lot B are all free for job seekers.
Do I have to have a record to attend?
No. The fair is designed for justice-impacted job seekers, but it's open to the public and the employers on the floor are hiring broadly.
What time should I get there?
Aim for noon to 1:00 PM. You'll attend a short workshop before entering the job fair, and those only run until 2:00 PM.
Where do I park at the Tucson Convention Center?
Lot B, off Granada Avenue. Parking is free for attendees.
What should I bring?
Ten to fifteen resume copies, a pen and notepad, your ID, and a short pitch about what kind of work you're looking for.
Will there be help beyond hiring?
Yes. The resource fair runs from noon to 4:00 PM with community providers covering housing, health, legal aid, and reentry support.
Downtown Tucson has hosted a lot of hiring events over the years, but few of them are aimed this squarely at people who just need one employer to say yes. On September 10, there's a ballroom full of them.
