Hospira Hosts Job Fair In Rocky Mount

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WNCT) – It’s a county that has notoriously had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

Hundreds of people are still without jobs in Edgecombe County but today some of those people may have gotten a break.

Hospira hosted a job fair at the Imperial Center in Rocky Mount. The pharmaceutical company wants to fill close to 100 jobs.

In the midst of an incredibly long line stands Leslie Gobble. It will be close to two hours before Gobble can even meet with a representative from Hospira but she says it’s worth it.

"It's worth it to have a shot, explain my case, tell them I'm a good worker, I'm a hard worker,” said Gobble.

We first met Gobble at the Employment Security Commission in Rocky Mount in December. She and her husband have been barely getting by ever since they both lost their jobs last year.

"It just seems like every time we see that light and get a little closer, something just rips it out from under us,” said Gobble.

She says she feels her appearance is keeping her from getting a job.

"My mom gave me some money to get my teeth fixed and we had to use that money to kind of just pay a little here, a little there to keep us where we're at. And keep the lights on. Which, they're not on right now,” said Gobble.

It can be hard sometimes to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"I'm usually more cheerful and upbeat and lately he’s been propping me up and encouraging me,” said Gobble.

But even though Gobble and her husband are still unemployed, they’re hopeful this time around at least one of them will get lucky.

Hospira is looking for candidates for a variety of positions – ranging from manufacturing to biological sciences. However, some people we talked with say that can actually work against them.

"It's going to be a hard sell because they look at what I've done and they say well you're not qualified. I've had that happen a lot actually. Where you'll be so, you know, you're so specialized in one field that they can't make the jump to the next field,” said Brent Shypulefski.

Shypulefski has been out of work for close to a year and a half. And he’s not alone. Edgecombe County has notoriously had one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

"It's a tough industry right now. I was in the banking industry. Banking and brokerage and that is brutal right now,” said Shypulefski.

Even people who already have jobs say it’s an opportunity to do something they love.

"I think a lot of people have a strong desire to work in this area, rocky mount we have really strong ethics and we like to work. So I think it's positive and I think it's going to get better real soon,” said Jonathan Fox.