For the unemployed, keeping busy is key

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - The unemployment rate ticked down in Massachusetts last month.  But it's still high if you're the one out of work.

The jobless rate dropped from 6.7% to 6.5% between the months of January and February; with the most people being hired in construction.

“I was working out of Marlborough, Mass. I was commuting from Amherst to Malborough and the job that I was employed at, it was a layoff, a company closure,” said Tim Bowman of Leverett.  

Bowman has been looking for a job in the science industry for almost a year.  On Thursday he took part in a workshop at the Franklin Hampshire Career Center.

“It's been of benefit, today I found a couple of jobs that I'll apply for,” said Bowman in Northampton on Thursday.

Scott Kenfield, of Massiello Employment Services, says being unemployed for a long period of time is not uncommon but keeping busy will work to your advantage.

“Indeed it's quite common, it no longer carry the stigma that it once might have had. It's important to not lie and be able to talk about how you've been filling your time productively. Towards that end, taking classes, volunteer work,” said Kenfield inside his Market Street branch.

Kenfield says you should also be aggressive about promoting your strengths.  Something Devin Norwood has no problem doing as he searches for work in film.  

“I'm trying to understand this market and this location as opposed to anywhere else in the world. I would say this is what I am; this is what I've done in LA or Paris or wherever it happened to be. Is there anything here?,” said Norwood. 

Kenfield says looking for temp work in a company related to your field can help.  He says in some cases, employers will create a full time position out of a temporary assignment.