They were all there for a veterans' job fair, and while many were young, Mr. De Francis was 61. He left the military in 1972, after a tour of duty in Vietnam, before many of his fellow job seekers were born. He became a New York City police officer, worked in construction until jobs dried up last year, and spent the past eight months e-mailing his résumé to recruiters who never wrote back.

Which is how Mr. De Francis found himself at the New Yorker Hotel, his tie neatly knotted by his daughter, his shoes polished to a high shine. While thousands of active sailors and Marines in town for Fleet Week were enjoying the city's tourist attractions, Mr. De Francis and hundreds of fellow veterans were starting from scratch, hoping their military service would afford them a foothold in an unforgiving employment market.

The job fair was organized by RecruitMilitary, a 12-year-old company founded by a former Marine that produces about 70 such expos a year. The recession has hurt veterans and nonveterans almost equally: the most recent Department of Labor figures show that the jobless rate for both hovers just above 9 percent.

Veterans tend to have qualities that can at once help and hinder them in their search for employment. Recruiters at the expo said veterans tend to be more organized and driven, and to feel drawn to a higher calling. But for newer veterans especially, figuring out what kind of civilian work best suits them can be daunting, even paralyzing.

"When I ask them what they want to do, a lot of them say, 'Anything,' " said Arthur Bass, an employment coordinator with the New York office of the Department of Veterans Affairs, who was at the expo.

By the time it opened at 11 a.m., veterans were waiting by the dozens in the carpeted hallway outside the door, folders thick with résumés tucked under their arms. The women, vastly outnumbered, were largely dressed in blazers and skirts; most of the men wore crisp suits, with American flags or aviation wings pinned to their lapels. Inside, 40 or so exhibitors stood beside tables lined with key chains, pamphlets, bags of chips and pens.

There were recruiters from Citigroup, and from a New Jersey cemetery maintenance company — "We're recession-proof," a company executive said — and from a midsize mattress and pillow company in Connecticut that has hired about 15 veterans in the last year. "They're ethical, they're trained, they work with diligence and respect," said the pillow company's human resources manager.

The most popular stop was the Federal Bureau of Investigation's table, where an agent told veterans to apply online. Representatives were also there from assorted colleges and the French Culinary Institute, which offers new veterans, who can use G.I. Bill benefits, a 15 percent discount on tuition.

Into the bustle stepped two friends, Vincent Perez, 24, and Luis Garcia, 23, who met two years ago while building a forward operating base in southern Iraq, and who later learned that they were both from New Jersey. Their tour ended last June, and their transition back into civilian life has been a little rocky.

After five years in the Army, Mr. Garcia, who was a cavalry scout, is studying criminal justice at Middlesex County College in Edison, N.J. He finds school so difficult, he said, he sometimes feels as if his head will explode. "I was used to simple things, like weapons," he said.

Mr. Perez, who was a signal support system specialist, struggles with deeper demons — flashbacks of being under mortar fire that still jolt him awake at night. "I'm trying to be calm, not let little things bother me," he said. An active reservist, he learned last month that he will be deploying to Afghanistan in the fall. But he is still looking for work in the meantime, and wore his camouflage uniform, hoping that it would give him an edge.

By the time the fair ended at 3 p.m., 468 veterans had streamed through the doors. Among them was Jason Brandle, 31, a newlywed from Long Island who flew Black Hawk helicopters over Iraq before returning home last summer. Mr. Brandle left the job fair 45 minutes before it closed. He had meant to stay longer, he said, but his body was aflame with pain.

In Iraq, the weight of body armor had ruined his back, he said, and working the heavy helicopter pedals injured his knees. He said he was looking for a decent-paying job in human resources because he and his wife wanted to start a family. He hoped one of the companies would call him back, he said; after being an officer and a battle captain, he was used to managing people.

"There's not a whole lot of jobs for helicopter pilots," he said as he walked away, his freshly polished shoes ("An Army thing," he explained) moving quickly across the carpeted floor.