A helping hand to find a job

TRENTON, N.J. - November 7, 2008 - (WPVI) -- Nadine Celesetin of Ewing is one of 240,000 people who lost their jobs last month.

The mother of two was working for a non-profit, and is now losing her health insurance and living off her savings. "Bills still have to be paid, and kids still have to eat, so it's a little difficult," Celesetin

Celesetin is one of many Action News found at the Mercer County One Stop Career Center in Trenton, where you can file for unemployment and look for new work all under one roof.

Centers like this around the state can place the unemployed in free training programs and help those who may not know how to go about looking for a job.

"How to create cover letters, resumes, and simply how to do a job search," said Employment Specialist Cynthia Grier.

Bruce Dubrow of Bensalem lost his job at a Jersey car dealer after the economy crashed. He's worried that at 54, he'll have a hard time finding a new job.

"As a younger adult, it would maybe be easier to find employment," Dubrow said.

These days you can file for unemployment online or on the phone, but many choose to come in person. People who don't have computers at home can use the ones at the center, where lately it's been very busy.

"Filling out a lot of applications, but nobody's hiring," said Bruce Ashley of Lawrenceville, New Jersey. "I'd take anything, actually."

The sagging job market is frustrating for many of the clients here. But then there are others like Melvin Kelly of Trenton. He took a course through the career center to update his training as a draftsman and he's determined to find something.

"I'm anticipating becoming employed. I don't care how many people get laid off, I'm looking for work and I'm going to find something," Kelly said.

These career centers are funded with a combination of state and federal money.

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