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BANGOR, Maine — Rick Cherne worked for about a decade in finance and general sales for an automotive company in New Hampshire. By all accounts, he did well.

Then his wife got sick. Cancer. First in her esophagus, then her brain.

“I left my job, we sold our house and just traveled around the country, enjoying life,” he recalled Thursday.

Cherne’s wife began to recover from her bout with cancer, which was a blessing for his family. Now he’s looking to re-enter the work force and perhaps take the opportunity to switch gears. Cherne drove from New Hampshire to Bangor early Thursday to attend the 12th annual Spring Job Fair sponsored by the Bangor Career-Center and the Bangor Daily News.

“We’ve always talked about relocating,” Cherne, 45, said inside the Bangor Civic Center while browsing the employers’ tables. “My wife is actually from [Brunswick] Maine.”

Cherne was among hundreds who attended the job fair, which provided them an opportunity to talk to potential employers, fill out applications and even get help with resumes and interview skills.

“We’ll see what happens,” the 45-year-old Cherne said after meeting with a handful of companies.

Paul Ruggiero with the CareerCenter said 48 employers participated in Thursday’s job fair and as many as 900 people came through the doors.

“The goal for us is to bring employers together with job-seekers, to put them in the same room,” he said. “Given the economy right now, there is a large spectrum of people, from professionals to laborers.”

Indeed, the mix of people who milled about Thursday morning was diverse.

A.J. Hardy, 18, of Glenburn was part of a group of Brewer High School students who attended the job fair.

“I’m looking to get into landscaping,” he said. “I’ll pretty much do anything.”

Hardy, who now works seasonally at Hermon Meadow Golf Course, said he briefly considered college but doesn’t think that would be a good fit.

“[School] kind of went downhill for me,” he said. “But I know I can work.”

For those considering college, many area education institutions and technical schools were well represented at the job fair, Ruggiero said.

“Because so many schools take advantage, it’s good to provide options,” he said.

With Maine’s unemployment rate hovering near 9 percent — and even higher in counties in northern and eastern Maine — the crowd of prospective employees featured more than just young people.

Norm Iverson, 68, of Newburgh attended looking for a part-time job.

“I’m a little old, I know,” he said. “But this seemed easier than going to dozens of different places.”

Iverson didn’t find anything that suited him, but said he was glad he came.

While the job fair was going on, about 600 people filled the adjoining Bangor Auditorium to watch the Get Motivated seminar, with Tamara Lowe as host and featuring former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, billionaire Steve Forbes, motivational speaker Hilary Hinton, “Zig” Ziglar and others.

The seminar actually took place at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland but was available by satellite in Bangor.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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