Some job seekers highlight life skills

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Nearly a quarter of a million people are without work in Indiana. Many were laid off in industries hit hard by the bad economy. The recently unemployed are having to reinvent themselves to find a new job.

Sixty-eight-year-old Jaqueline Diamond, a retired hairstylist, is a good example.

"I have to re-enter, I'm along with thousands and thousands of other people at my age that have to," said Diamond.

Terry Allen works for Goodwill Industries on the city's near west side. He said people have to dig deeper now. They need to look beyond what they were doing before and discover their passions, strengths and weaknesses.

"What were you doing? Was it work in the community? Was it running a household -- because you do have to have skills to run a household. So we try to find those skills and personal talents that they have," said Allen.

Think it's impossible? Consider this: One woman who was laid off from her legal assistant job looked for work for a year and a half. She's now working in a completely different field.

"Through our training program that we provided, she actually found a position in healthcare that had some of the same related skills, same transferable skills, from the legal area and she was able to find placement in healthcare," said Allen.

Experts say one popular misconception is that we have limited skills or none at all. They say that's simply not true.

For more information on how Goodwill can help you create a resume and cover letter, and look for jobs, call 524-4313.