Job Hunting Rough Even at Goodwill

Goodwill prides itself in collecting your old clothes and furniture and training people to get back into the job market. The organization even hires people from time to time but they can't keep up with the growing demand.

Dozens stood in line to apply for a handful of jobs Monday. The jobs are simple and not much above minimum wage but if youโ€™re looking for work these days, any job is better than no job.

โ€œIโ€™m capable of doing all these jobs. Truck driver to cashier, thereโ€™s quite a few of them that Iโ€™m willing to do,โ€ said Josh Nelson, one of the hopefuls.

โ€œWe feel naturally for the people coming through the center,โ€ said Sylvia Blansett with Goodwill Employment. โ€œWe hear a lot of stories, people losing their homes, their cars, it makes it tough.โ€

Goodwill interviews applicants twice a month for jobs opening around their various San Diego locations. Those that don't get hired are offered career counseling. People are showing up in record numbers. Nearly 700 people every month are applying for 8 to 10 jobs.

Rosendo Aguayo is one of the lucky ones. Out of work for 9 months, Rosendo joined Goodwill a month ago.

โ€œYes, I was in that room,โ€ said Aguayo. โ€œThere was about 108 people and I was one fortunate to be chosen for one of the positions.โ€

Now he works in customer service helping with donations from his own desk. A desk just minutes away from where people are lining up looking for their own shot at working for Goodwill.

Goodwill does its job pre-Screenings every second and fourth Monday at its Midway location on Rosecrans and every first and third Wednesday at the Goodwill in Oceanside.

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