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NORTON - Bill Lippincott has been there before - without a job, feeling unanchored without the work world and weighted down with a range of emotions and confusion without a clear direction to go next.

Each time, he's gotten help from people to regain his footing. Now, he and a group of other volunteers at Trinitarian Congregational Church in Norton are trying to do the same for others.

Lippincott, with the support of the church, has started the Employment Support Group of Norton, open to area residents who are seeking support after losing a job.

Meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. every Tuesday, the group is intended as a resource for people who are recently unemployed or seeking better employment.

"If you've never been laid off before, it's daunting," said Lippincott, a business insurance agent and member of the church. He said while held at the church, the group is not a church recruitment effort. The church is providing the facility for the group and anyone from the area is welcome, and that includes employers as well as people seeking employment.

Services offered include tips on resume writing and pointing people to available resources and networking, as well as passing along "who's hiring and who's not," Lippincott said.

The first session this past Tuesday, drew four people. One of them, he said, had been looking for a job in the jewelry industry for a year.

Lippincott said the man asked him to review his resume whose stated goal was to get a job in the jewelry industry.

"Instead of thinking of your goal, you have to find out what the industry's goal is," Lippincott said, adding that people need to determine their strengths and try to match them with what an employer is looking for.

"What are you good at? You need to open up your resume," he said.

The group, which was first formed in 1992, aided about 10 people at that time, Lippincott said.

He approached church leaders earlier this year to renew the program "because a lot of people need support right now."

Lippincott said another volunteer with the group is in human resources and a third works for a large engineering company, and has supplied its job openings list.

"It's a little coaching and a little hand-holding," especially for people who have lost a job for the first time, he said. "Your job is to get a job" and it takes discipline, getting up and out every morning, Lippincott said, noting that is part of the reason for the early morning sessions.

People are free to attend as many sessions as they want. He is also hopes that people can help others, like passing along a job lead that may not suit them, but might suit another person looking for work.

Lippincott is looking for others to volunteer their services as word gets out about the program.

He spoke before selectmen on Thursday and has contacted State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, in seeking additional job resources for the unemployed.

Lippincott said there is currently no time frame for the program.

"There would be nothing better for us than to have nobody show up because they have jobs," but given the current economy, he said, the group plans to continue for as long as needed.