To help offer more employment opportunities for Boston-area residents looking to start careers or move to new ones, Northeastern University on Wednesday hosted its third annual Community Vendor Job Fair.

More than 20 employers and training organizations packed the Curry Student Center Ballroom, including Home Depot and Eddie Bauer. And more than 200 people attended the fair, which was sponsored by Northeastern’s Business Services and the Human Resources Management department.

Asheley Williams, a Roxbury resident and Quincy College student, attended the fair to start laying the groundwork for a career in accounting, which she hopes to pursue after graduating. “I am very happy to be able to start making connections for the types of jobs I am looking for,” Williams said.

She attended the fair with Alaina Kinds, a Mattapan resident and recent Dean College graduate who is looking to start her career.

Keith McCarthy, a staffing consultant for KNF&T, said representatives from the Financial District-based staffing resources company try to attend a community job fair at Northeastern at least once a year. “This type of event allows us to meet with people who may not be familiar with what staffing agencies do,” McCarthy explained.

For Acella Construction Managers, attending the community job fair is an extension of the relationship the company has built with Northeastern, having worked on numerous laboratory renovations on campus. “This is one way we like to give back to the community,” said Jessica Reichert, who was running the Acella table.

In the weeks leading up to the fair, Northeastern hosted three career fair-related workshops that were open to the public, including resume building and interview prep seminars.

“We wanted to give people the necessary tools they would need before they came to the job fair,” said Patty Conde, a senior human resources consultant at Northeastern.