Older Worker at 45

Phyllis Barnett is only 61 years old, but as she explains it, she was already considered a senior in the eyes of the job market years ago.

“I have discovered as I’ve gotten older,” she says, “that once you hit 45, you’re considered an older worker.”

An accounting professional with a master’s degree in business administration, Barnett had been self-employed for most of her adult life, but she found herself in a difficult situation after losing some of her clients to their own old age. Some died and others went into residential care facilities, she says, and she found herself worrying if she would be able to make ends meet.

That’s when she turned to Jewish Family Service and its Jewish Employment Network (JEN), whose services she had actually utilized when her business was thriving, but whose help she now needed to remarket herself in the face of the changing job market and her own advancing age. So she “made the rounds again,” attending workshops on resume writing, interviewing and job searching, all of which are offered free of charge to community members, Jewish or not, through JFS.

As a Jewish jobseeker, Barnett was entitled to utilize the intensive JEN services, including a one-on-one meeting with an employment case manager, which led directly to a temporary administrative and accounting position.

“Sometimes you get to thinking you are the only person [going through this], and [say to yourself] ‘what’s wrong with me,’ and ‘why can’t I get employed?,’” Barnett says of the job search woes faced by many older adults in her position.

In fact, JFS has seen an influx of older workers at JEN information events, including one held in February at one of its older adult centers, entitled “How to Re-Enter the Workforce and Overcome Barriers to Employment.” About 80 jobseekers aged 40-90 years old attended the event, which featured an older worker panel with experts in the Mature and Aging field, and opportunities for networking…

Source:

Read More @ The Older Jobseeker | San Diego Jewish Journal.