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Older job hunters in bind

Posted on 18. Nov, 2005 by Bill in Employment News

Older job hunters in bind

Christina Laurel’s confidence took a hit months after she moved to Rochester in the fall of 2004.

Laurel, 58, couldn’t find a job. She wanted part-time communications-related work, but had no luck, despite networking, resume mailings and job interviews.

It wasn’t until the Brighton resident participated in a program specifically for older job hunters that her luck changed. At the program, she got schooled on the biases that recruitment managers might have against older workers and learned how to pitch herself to counter such perceptions, among other help.

Laurel’s plight reflects the problems older workers can face in snagging employment, especially in a stagnant job market. The older a person is, the longer it typically takes him or her to find a job at the same or higher salary, studies have shown.

Not helping the job-hunting situation is the area’s mixed economic picture, again mirrored in the October unemployment figures released Thursday.

While the five-county area’s jobless rate fell to 4.2 percent — the lowest mark since August 2001 — the number of people with jobs remained unchanged from October 2004 at 503,200, according to the state Department of Labor.

The labor force — defined as people with jobs plus those seeking employment — also continued to shrink, dropping by 2,400 people to 525,200 in Monroe, Orleans, Livingston, Ontario and Wayne counties.

Experts say that’s likely because poor local employment prospects are prompting job seekers to retire early, return to school or leave the area for opportunities elsewhere.

Job growth in areas such as education and health care were again overshadowed by downsizing at Eastman Kodak Co. Between October 2004 and October 2005, the number of manufacturing jobs shrunk by 4.2 percent, or 3,200 people. None of this is good news for older workers, who have their own job-hunt challenges.

There’s a misperception that older workers’ skills are out-of-date or that they will leave a job for a better or higher-paying one. Younger managers also may be less willing to hire a more experienced subordinate, experts say.

But in reality, retaining and hiring older workers has been suggested as a way to protect companies from a future worker shortage that could result when baby boomers retire, according to a recent AARP report.

Older workers are more likely to stay at a company longer than their more mobile, younger counterparts. So more companies could offer more flexible, part-time hours for older workers who want to transition into retirement, the report said.

At least two programs have cropped up locally to help older employees get such work.

Jobs for Seniors, an initiative by Monroe County Republican Legislator Dave Malta, links older workers to short-term or part-time work in Webster, where he lives.

“Retirees, especially those who retired early, found themselves after a year or two very bored,” Malta said. “Or they needed supplemental income because they were just barely making ends meet.

“Then, there were the small businesses who said they need more help, but don’t have time for training.” he added. “So I figured it was a great time to get these people together.”

Lifespan’s Bridge Employment Services, a partnership with RochesterWorks, helps workers who are 50 or older. Officials network to find clients jobs and make employers aware of older workers’ advantages.

“We want to get the message to employers that they have a great experienced work force to tap into when there are shortages,” said JoAnne Sims, a Bridge coordinator. Older workers must appear energized and passionate, she said. They should trumpet their training, knowledge and maturity to counter biases against them.

Laurel used the Lifespan program after moving from South Carolina to be closer to her son who is in college here.

At Lifespan, she learned it wasn’t necessary to put on her resume, “everything I did all the way back to being a teenager.” The Bridge seminars gave her renewed confidence, and she learned to focus during the interview on three strengths.

One day, Bridge officials got a call from the Rochester Grantmakers Forum, looking for a part-time communications director as it transitions into the Grantmakers Forum of New York. The opening was forwarded to Laurel, who was interviewed on the spot as she dropped off her resume.

She got the job.

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Tags: Employment News