Three years ago, unemployment was at 6.9 percent; but in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported numbers reached 9 percent with nearly 14 million unemployed Americans.
In that same report, the Bureau indicated the unemployment rate has remained in a narrow range from 9 to 9.2 percent since April 2011.
And since the start of this economic downturn, the new face of unemployment has made a surprising shift.
Professionals who spent years padding their education and their credentials under the assumption that their jobs would be lucrative and secure now faced a story experienced by millions of Americans.
At White Memorial Presbyterian Church on Oberlin Road in Raleigh, a doctor, lawyer and three MBAs sat jobless. But they are hoping to buck the trend with the help of the Career Transition Support Group.
"It's hard to say, 'I lost my job,' to admit that the position has collapsed. But until you do that, you're not going to be able to recover," CTSG co-founder Bob Gates said.
Founded in 2008, the group started small with only five people in its first meeting. But with each success, their reputation grows, and a few months ago CTSG celebrated its 100th job placement.
Many of CTSG's job placements are in high-paying, high-profile positions.
"You have to put yourself in the mode of what employers wants," CTSG co-founder Al Rankin explained. "You can't just sit at home on the Internet, you have to get out."
Every week, as many as 90 people meet in a crowded room at White Memorial, and CTSG brings in a different speaker each time -- from recruiters and staffing companies to CEOs.
"Once you get over that hump, and you get out with other people who are in the same situation you're in -- maybe going through the same problems you are -- it helps to have those people to talk to," one job seeker said.
In addition to speakers, CTSG offers job seekers the opportunity to sit through a simulated interview, during which facial expressions are recorded to video. The video is then critiqued along with fellow jobseekers.
Rankin explained, "To see yourself as the person across the desk is seeing you during an interview, I hope that you find that instructive."
Realizing the odds, CTSG helps job seekers stand out in what is an increasingly crowded job market.
"Two hundred applications have been given for one job; you have got to be in the top 5 percent of those resumes that people see. This group helps you do that."
Because employers often conduct Internet searches on job applicants, NBC-17 opted not to include the names of those job seekers looking for assistance so as not to hinder their progress.
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