Posted by Boua Xiong.

Hope is probably the last word to come to mind when you walk into the unemployment office. But hope is what Michael Smith sought and found when he walked in two months ago.

"When you go there you feel kind of low. You feel like you don't have many friends," Smith said.

But that all changed as Smith met others who were out of work just like him.

"I never met more positive people that will help you out,” he said.

Nearly 2,000 people visit Duluth’s Workforce Center every month. People like Betsy Hall put on programs like the Monday job club to help people get back on their feet.

Hall remembers Smith at his first few club meetings.

"After a week or two he really got into the swing of things and to be more confident in talking about his job search and what he was looking for, asking for help," Hall said.

Asking for help, led Smith to his brand new job, which he starts on Monday. Smith said to make things even more bittersweet for him as he prepares to go back to work his new position allowed him to hire two others this week.

Experts estimate it usually takes about six to nine months to land a new job. It took Smith two. His advice?

"You don't be shy about losing your job. You don't be embarrassed about losing your job. You actually promote yourself to people that you know cause they know other people that may be able to help you out, which in my case worked for me," Smith said.

Hall said she believes Smith is a great example for the thousands of others who are waiting and searching for their next job.