KENNESAW — Cobb County’s unemployment rate rose by 0.6 percentage points in June.

According to preliminary data from the Georgia Department of Labor, the county’s unemployment rate was 8.6 percent in June. There were 32,191 people in Cobb receiving unemployment benefits last month.

Cobb’s unemployment rate remains lower than that of metro Atlanta and the state but higher than the seasonably unadjusted national rate.

For metro Atlanta, unemployment jumped to 9.3 percent, up from 8.6 percent in May. Unemployment increased in all surrounding metro Atlanta counties.

Statewide, the jobless rate increased to 9.6 percent in June, up from 8.8 percent in May. There were 48,879 first-time claims for unemployment benefits in June, up 2,116, or 4.5 percent, from May.

The rate increased in part because 17,526 new job seekers entered the labor force but were unable to find work, according to state Labor Department officials.

“The unemployment rate traditionally inches up in June because new graduates and people hunting summer jobs enter the job market at the same time the private and public schools are laying-off for the summer,” state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said.

“The June job loss is a lot less than we anticipated, based on recent trends and despite the overall loss, we gained 1,500 manufacturing jobs and 900 in construction. This is encouraging.”

Nationally, the seasonably unadjusted unemployment rate is 8.4 percent, up 0.5 percentage points from 7.9 percent in May.

There were 13.2 million Americans receiving unemployment benefits in June, according to the data.

The state Labor Department defines “unemployed” as someone who is not working but is actively seeking employment.

In Cobb, 2,406 residents filed first-time claims in June for state unemployment insurance benefits. That is 2.5 percent less than the 2,467 residents who filed in May, according to the data.

More than 900 people registered to attend a career training expo Thursday night at the KSU Center in Kennesaw, hosted by Kennesaw State University’s College of Continuing and Professional Education. The free, public event showcased professional certificate programs and offered job interview tips.

“At each career training expo, we try to offer a free class that would be helpful to the person who is looking for a job or wants to get promoted in their current position,” spokeswoman Carla Barnes said. “This time it is all about what to do before you go in for the interview and what to do once you are sitting in front of the hiring manager. It takes more and more for the trained professional to stand out in the hiring process.”

Jay Litton, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Roswell-based SA IT Services, presented his signature “Wow! Interview” presentation, based on how to treat an interview like a successful sales call. The key is for candidates to differentiate themselves in interviews, he said.

“Candidates should look for ways to reduce the risk for the hiring manager to choose us,” Litton said. “Hiring managers want to stop interviewing and go back to their real job,”

“However, too many candidates are trying to see if they are a good fit for the job. Instead, I believe we should be presenting — I recommend in writing — how we will contribute to the company starting on day one. The more risk we take reduces the risk for the hiring manager to decide on our behalf.”

Litton leads the Roswell United Methodist Church job networking ministry in Roswell, which meets every second and fourth Monday. For more information, visit www.rumcjobnetworking.com.