Goodwill Assisting Record Number Of Job Seekers

By CityTownInfo.com Staff
August 24, 2009

Goodwill, a North American nonprofit which is well-known for its thrift stores, is providing career help to a significant number of people this year.

"We're seeing people who haven't updated their resumes in five years," said Lisa Wilham, a vice president with Goodwill in Arizona, who was quoted in The Arizona Republic. Nine Goodwill Career Centers throughout the state expect to see more than 100,000 visitors by the end of the year--up from 66,000 last year.

Goodwill offers job training in clerical, financial or customer services, and teaches interviewing techniques and resume writing. It also prepares youth for future employment and helps retrain and place older workers. According to the organization's Web site, local Goodwills provided employment and training services to more than 1.5 million people last year.

"It's really been helping me because I don't have Internet access," said Adriana Santiago, who has been using the career center for help with her job search since she moved from Tucson to Phoenix. "It's worse here because there are so many people looking for jobs."

Meanwhile, in Augusta, Georgia, Goodwill is sponsoring a free three-day event this week to assist people in securing employment. NBC in Augusta reports that participants will be able to participate in workshops that cover conducting a job search, effective resume writing techniques, interviewing tips, dressing for success, and meeting employers' expectations. The workshops will be followed by a career fair.

"Combining all job openings, from entry level to professional, attending employers have 196 jobs to fill," said Elsa Bustamante, career services coordinator. "We hope our neighbors. . .will turn out for this event and take advantage of this opportunity to find employment through the services of Goodwill."

In San Diego, 10News reports that Goodwill's five community employment centers throughout the county are providing valuable assistance for job hunters.

"They can help you with your resume, help you fill out job applications, show you how to post your information online and search jobs online," said Sharon Corrigan, marketing development director at the Chula Vista center. Nearly 1,000 job seekers in the area have found work through Goodwill.

"Some days it gets frustrating," said Regina Stich, who is looking for a job as a medical assistant through the Chula Vista center. "But once the calls start coming in I realize there's hope out there."

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