PITTSFIELD -- Not so long ago, Lisa Weese was on the other side.

A human-resource generalist at Global Contact Services' new Pittsfield call center, Weese recalls descending into the basement of the Pittsfield town office for Global Contact's job fair last January.

She was one of hundreds of people who had braved a storm only to stand in line just for a chance to interview for a job at a new call center that, at the time, company officials had not even committed to opening.

"I was a bit surprised," Weese says now. "It was good for (Global Contact) to see that in really poor weather, Maine folks would come out and find out about a job."

And no wonder.

According to the Maine Department of Labor, the statewide unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent in March. Despite a tenth of a percent drop in Somerset County, the unemployment the rate still stood at 8.5 percent.

Unemployment in the Pittsfield labor market, the government-defined area from which laborers are drawn, rose to 8.9 percent in March.

Now one of the people responsible for filling vacancies at Global Contact, Weese will be one of several company representatives hoping to meet their would-be employees at the Pittsfield Regional Job Fair scheduled for 3:30-8 p.m. on Monday, May 19 at the Warsaw Middle School on School Street.

The slumping economy could help swell the number of attendees. SAS Shoe, which announced in January it would lay off all 150 people at its Pittsfield plant, was set to begin laying people off this month, a process that will be completed by the end of the summer.

Organized by the Somerset County Transition Team and the town of Pittsfield, the job fair is being held not just to unite job seekers with company vacancies and connect workers and businesses with resources for improvement, said Town Manager Kathryn Ruth.

Janet Roderick of the Maine Small Business Development Center will host a workshop at 4 p.m. on starting a small business.

"We know in this day and age with so many companies downsizing people are thinking about starting their own business," Ruth said.

Beginning at 5 p.m. Marty Kelley, an advisor with the Maine Educational Opportunity Center, will detail programs of study, financial aid and other education-related topics.

"A lot of people out of work have the opportunity to go back to school," Ruth said.

Global Contact's decision to open a call center in Pittsfield -- two other states were competing for the center -- was due in large part to the turnout at the company's January job fair. That turnout also led to next month's regional fair.

"This will be an opportunity for people that didn't get hired to meet with businesses in the area," Ruth said.

With more than a week left for businesses to register, 14 employers, representing fields from general labor to administration, have signed up for the fair. Businesses will meet with job hunters and some employers will accept resumes and even conduct initial interviews, Ruth said.

Yet, with more than 200 businesses in Pittsfield alone, there are jobs available, Weese said. Global Contact, for instance, is looking for another 100 people to work at its call center, yet many people are not even aware the company has set up shop. Attending the job fair offers another chance to reach out to potential employees.

"We want to make sure our presence is well known," Weese said.

"I talk to people daily who say they didn't know we are here. We want to let folks know it's not all gloom and doom."

Dana Evans, labor economist with the Maine Department of Labor, said even when people are aware of job openings they may not apply because they don't feel they have the necessary skills. Often, however, those skills are transferable. Other companies, such as Cianbro, one of the East Coast's largest civil and heavy industrial construction companies, will even train new employees.

"Most Maine employers are looking for good workers," said Jean Dempster, regional manager of Kennebec and Somerset Counties Women, Work and Community.

"That's what great about our workforce. We have responsible workers who want to turn out a quality product or service."

Craig Crosby -- 487-3288

ccrosby@centralmaine.com