Morning show helps viewers find jobs

NEW YORK -- People began lining up at midnight, five hours before the doors opened, when ABC's "Good Morning America" sponsored a job fair last month in Chicago.

It spoke not only about the troubled economy but to public response to the morning show's effort to help viewers looking for work. Because of the turnout, "Good Morning America" is having another job fair today near Miami.

"We have every intention of serving the audience as well as we can under the circumstances," said Jim Murphy, executive producer of the show. "What matters more to the American people than about what is going on with their economic life and their economic future?"

The job fairs were organized by Tory Johnson, the show's workplace contributor and founder and chief executive officer of Women For Hire, which conducts job recruitment drives and offers advice to women seeking work.

Johnson has been filing reports for "GMA" for four years, telling stories about women balancing work and family, returning to the work force after raising children or building businesses online. With the economy souring, "Good Morning America" is turning to her more often.

Now she's addressing questions about job security, coping with layoffs and finding work through the Internet.

Johnson instructs women who have never used the Internet to hunt for jobs, but also stresses the need for personal contact and networking. She and "Good Morning America" are helping people set up job-hunting clubs, modeled after book clubs, where job seekers get together to share experiences.

"Hiring has not come to a halt," she said. "It's important to sift through the headlines ... and realize that opportunities still exist."