Sometimes it seems the only way to find a new job is through divine intervention. And a clean suit can't hurt. Both can be found with the help of a local nonprofit called Priority Two, and a dry cleaning service in Pine.

Priority Two, based in North Way Christian Community in Marshall, has been offering moral support and training people to look for work successfully since the recession of 1982.

Brothers Todd and Scott Fennell, of Natrona Heights in Harrison, have operated their Martinizing Dry Cleaning franchise in Pine Tree Shops on Route 19 in Pine since last May, but they have already joined with Priority Two to offer a one-time, free dry cleaning of professional attire for unemployed people facing the all-important job interview.

"A friend of mine had lost his job and I told him if he needed his suit cleaned, I'd do it for free," explained Scott Fennell. This led Mr. Fennell and his brother, Todd, to consider helping others in the same situation.

They heard about Priority Two through customers who belong to North Way, where the group meets. They offered their services to those attending the job search skills classes. "It seemed a great opportunity for us to stay grounded by helping those in our community," Scott Fennell said.

Don Priestley, himself a Priority Two graduate, is the executive director of the program. "Our career marketing strategies focus on finding your gifts," he said. "You've been using them all your life. You do what you do because of who you are and how you work."

Priority was started by a group of people who met to talk about their search for jobs following services at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Sewickley, Mr. Priestley said.

"One thing led to another," he said, and the group was formed with seed money from St. Stephens, North Way and Bakerstown Presbyterian. "A lot of people around the area are graduates of Priority Two," he added.

In fact, 40 of these graduates are among the volunteers who teach the courses. They use their experience and empathy to motivate others who are now in the same place they used to be.

"They got a job because of who knew them -- not who they knew," said Mr. Priestley, who lives in the Perrysville section of Ross. Building relationships is an important component of Priority Two and that networking continues after classes end.

At a recent Monday night meeting, two-dozen job seekers listening to Bill Wolfe explain how to build a network and use that network in their job search.

Mr. Wolfe, of Sewickley, is one of the graduate-volunteers who offer encouragement and sometimes job leads.

"Networking has become part of the business culture. About 80 percent of people in a professional career find a job through networking, Mr. Wolfe told his attentive audience. "Get out and meet people," he said. He advises job seekers to ask for help and advice from people in their lives during the last decade or so. "That is your network.

"I am known as a networker here in Pittsburgh," Mr. Wolfe said during the break between classes. "I meet with people who've been out of work for three, four, five months or longer, who don't even know that Priority Two exists. We've been doing a lot of good work for many, many years," he continued. "We've helped a lot of people find their way."

Priority Two helped Mr. Wolfe find his current job at Marsh USA Inc. nine years ago. He's now a vice president at the Pittsburgh-based insurance firm.

"Priority Two taught me networking and other job search skills that I needed in 2000," he explained. Mr. Wolfe got his job in only three months, but these days, he said, it's been taking people at least twice that long to find work.

During the meeting, the group received articles about keeping the job search blues away and heard practical advice on how to keep their spirits up. "Set goals," Mr. Wolfe told his audience. "Cultivate your connections. You already have a large network," he encouraged.

Don't be focused on one particular company that might end up selecting an internal candidate, he advised. "I've seen people lose three weeks in their job search just because of one disappointment." Keep networking, he said, focusing on the goal.

"Now this [recession] is one of the worst," Mr. Priestley said of current economic conditions, "similar to the one in the early '90s, when corporations started cutting upper-level executives, and events went downhill from there."

Because job searches have become a longer, lonelier road, Priority Two offers encouragement. In addition to camaraderie provided by attending classes, advice from those who've successfully completed job searches helps participants maintain positive attitudes.

There are sessions for people on all steps of the career ladder. For example, a five-week skills course teaches the nuts and bolts of resume writing, networking and interviewing and is held at North Way on Mondays. The cost ranges from $75 for the introductory program to $250 for a seminar aimed at senior executives and professionals.

Graduates of the 27-year-old program convene at alumni dinners held periodically. The most recent was held in January and featured speakers from the Pittsburgh Business-Times and Fragasso Financial Advisors, two of Priority Two's corporate sponsors. But even smaller businesses seem anxious to help.

In addition to the dry cleaning service, some local printers provide low-cost business cards for graduates of the program, Mr. Priestley said, and VistaPrint.com offers 250 business cards to the unemployed for the price of shipping.

Priority Two meets at 5 p.m. Mondays at North Way church Perry Highway, McCandless. For more information, call Mr. Priestley at 724-935-0252 or visit the group's Web site at www.ptwo.org.

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