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Local Job Campaign Finds 500 Area Jobs

The Carson City JobConnect actually exceeded its goal of finding new job listings.

The agency contacted 1,200 businesses hoping to find as many job openings as possible.

20 members of JobConnect swept through three counties, digging for any openings as part of 'Job Quest.'

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Edwin Fernando has been out of work for a month and a half and he says finding a job has been hard. "Most of the time they talk to you but a lot of times, they want you to hold off and most of the time they don't call you back."

So, he came to JobConnect hoping they can match his skills with those that employers are looking for. "Since I was unemployed before, I knew where most of the resources were."

And he may be in luck.

Because of the Job Quest campaign, in just five days, this agency has found 521 job openings throughout Carson City, Lyon and Douglas counties.

And that number is still growing. "With JobQuest, we went door-to-door to employers, all over this area. Every county, tried to hit them one-on-one, talk to them about what job openings they had and explain the programs we have here," says Kyle Casci.

Girish Pandit adds, "These are the targeted areas. These are bedroom communities and these communities have taken the biggest hit."

Around Carson City, you might see the occasional 'help wanted' sign posted. But that doesn't happen at all businesses, and the competition is tough. "For every opening that you have, there is 15 to 20 qualified applicants per opening," says Casci.

That's why the people at JobConnect say the job opportunities they've found are so important.

It could put over 500 people back to work in anything from retail and hospitality -- to banking or transportation.

And they say the timing couldn't be any better. "Employers want to hire them. So, they can help their families get back on their feet and probably help out in the holiday season," says Pandit.

As for Fernando, he says he's optimistic he'll have something extra to be thankful for, too. "There's lots of jobs out there. You've just got to be able to hit it on time.

Other than going door-to-door, the campaign was also responsible for sending almost 400 letters out to potential employers.

By the way, the 521 job openings found were 116% of their target.

To apply go head to their location at 1929 north Carson Street.