It can be difficult to stand out in today's job market.

Just ask New Haven's Brandon Moore.

"I've applied for many different positions," Moore says, "From warehouse worker to cook to retail to working traffic control."

Moore attended college in Maryland, but in the years that followed, he says he struggled to find a career that spoke to him.

That was until he moved back to Connecticut and got involved with The WorkPlace's "Platform to Employment Youth" program.

"I've always been in the music field, played drums my entire life," Moore says. "When I came home, I wanted to find a career, something that made me proud to say I do, and I found that with 'Platform to Employment Youth' with music engineering."

Moore was one of 70 honorees recognized at The WorkPlace's 23rd annual awards ceremony at CT State Community College Housatonic in Bridgeport Tuesday night.

The event also recognized people who have turned their lives around, like job seekers who have overcome significant barriers, and individuals who were formerly justice-involved and are now thriving professionally.

"We have put together an organization that collects funding," The WorkPlace CEO Joe Carbone says, "and we use it to close the gaps that people have between their ambitions and their realities."

The organization also helped Stratford's Da'Jaye Cooper launch her career.

"If you need some guidance, some help... there's nothing wrong with that," Cooper says. "As long as you get it from the right people, you'll be perfectly fine."