As a company we selected this statement to represent WiserWorker.com and our older worker program and almost 2 years later I look back and think of all that this statement stands for: Older Workers, Baby Boomers and helping them find jobs.  I remember sitting around the conference table trying to select a statement that truthfully described what we were doing and what we hoped to accomplish in the future and thinking “hmmm I wonder if WiserWorker.com will live up to this”. 

So what are we doing to help you the Older Workers find work?

As company our hope is that through the continue education and awareness process we will help make a change in the recruitment world, because recruiters are the people who are make the hiring choices. Still I think older job seekers have doubts…so our job is not done.  I wrote a blog about benefits and the part time employee. I received feedback asking: “do these companies really in fact hire older workers?”  Well the companies in that particular blog are part of AARP’s national employer team as well as advertisers on our site.  I have in the past worked with them and to the best of my knowledge not only do they hire older workers they make it a practice.  Apply with confidence and know you are the best candidate!

WiserWorker.com: We created an online job board specifically designed for the baby boomers and older worker demographic. We make changes to the site based on feedback we get from job seekers. Our product was designed to be user friendly and for you, so if you would like to see a change email and I will see what I can do.  

Job Fair Series: Along with The AARP Foundation are co-hosting our biggest job fair series ever.  Last year The Employment Guide hosted over 40,000 job seekers in 40 cities nationwide and we are here to top those numbers in 2008.

Helping YOU the job seeker; I implore you to confidently attend job fairs. Contact your local WorkSeach program provided by the AARP Foundation, you will be amaze!  Finally apply for jobs that interest and share your knowledge and experience with others

WiserWorker.com has been online for 6 months and our job fair series is in its second year, while we have scratch the surface of the older worker issue, and sure we have made some strides, I realize that we have a lot to do still.   Our goal is to create a marketplace where older workers can easily find the job of their dreams. We aren’t there yet but we are closer.

So what are YOU going to do when you “Retire”?

There has been a lot of talk in the media about Baby Boomers taking a second look at retirement due to a host of reasons least not being that traditionally these are people who LIKE to work. The media has reported that Baby Boomers are nervous about the economy and yes that probably has something to do with this, however its my opinion that Baby Boomers will remain in the workforce due to the fact they have spent a majority of their adult life in the workplace, and they are comfortable there.  Let’s face it they have something to add to our marketplace and to be frank US businesses need Baby Boomers to stick around.

Wait…….I have research supporting this theory!  The following research by gerontologist and author Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., The New Retirement Survey supports that baby boomers have very different drivers than the typical job seeker.

ü  While 76% of baby boomers intend to keep working and earning in retirement, on average they expect to “retire” from their current job/career at around age 64, and then launch into an entirely new job or career.

ü  Baby Boomers reject a life of either full-time leisure or full-time work. When asked about their ideal work arrangement, the most common choice would be to repeatedly “cycle” between periods of work and leisure (42%), followed by part-time work (16%), start their own business (13%) and full-time work (6%). Only 17% hope to never work for pay again.

ü  Baby Boomers aren’t staying in the workplace for the money! While 37% of the boomer generation indicate that continued earnings is a very important reason to keep working, 67% assert that continued mental stimulation and challenge is what will motivate them to stay in the game.

All this begs the question: What are you going to do in the next phase of your life?

Chances are you probably are going to start by looking for a part time job that has nothing to do with what you are doing now. You will look for a job you can enjoy and has benefit offerings for part time employees. Try searching for companies who value what you the baby boomer bring to the table.  

These are a few companies who stand out in the pack of companies who appreciate baby boomers:

ü  Starbucks benefits package that includes medical insurance, a retirement package and stock options, each “partners” who works 20 or more hours per week at the Seattle-based coffee chain receives a pound of free coffee each week.

ü  UPS nonunion part-timers pay approximately $50 a month for health care. Nonunion part-timers who participate in the 401(k) plan receive an immediately vested 100 percent match on the first 3 percent of compensation contributed, and both union and nonunion part-timers are covered by defined benefit retirement plans.

ü  Home Depot offers part-timers the opportunity to participate in  benefit health plan, a dental plan, term life insurance and short-term disability. 

I know if it were me, I would pick a job where I could interact with the public and help people. Baby boomers offer a lot to companies and customers, it’s our job as employers to tap into the Baby Boomer Resource.  In a recent post I wrote about how there seems to be a lack of knowledge in the world of customer service.  Trust me no matter what type of job you pick you will be appreciated if you can give customer service!

Our job fair series is officially underway and coming to a city near you. This is the third installment in a series of blogs aimed at getting you ready for the job fair series.  My hope is that we can help you get ready so you enter the job fair and get you hired!  If you need more information regardless of if you need to know how attend as a job seeker or participate as an employer drop me an email or call me (813) 775-6279.  I would love to hear from you!

Once you have researched the companies that are going to be at the job fair. You are probably prepared to look for a job and know which companies are best suited for you. It’s time to start getting your resume together for the big event. It’s a good idea to keep your resume updated at all times.  Before you give it to prospective employers have someone take a look at it to make sure you didn’t miss anything.  Sometimes writers make the worst editors, so get into the habit of having someone edit your resume.  

Follow these simple steps and you are sure to have a winning resume:

1.    Keep it simple and short give a brief history of you in no more than 2 pages.  (1 is even better)

2.    Include content information a phone number and email address. You can get free email at AOL, Yahoo and Google.  

3.    Use a practical font that is easy to read Times New Roman, Tahoma or Arial.

4.    Make sure you include where you worked, dates of employment, job titles, job responsibilities, and accomplishments for each position.

5.    Summary of Qualifications highlight your 5 strong skills.

Remember this is your one shot at a first impression make sure your resume if the best one received.  If you would like a copy of our Mature Worker Survival Guide a guide that goes into more detail on how to write the best resume and cover letter drop me an email and I will mail you a copy.

Good Luck!

Wouldn’t it be great if you could determine what kind of social security benefits that you were going to get when you retired? Well if you said yes, you wouldn’t be alone. So the Social Security Administration now has a Retirement Estimator.  Now the SSA does give a disclaimer that the numbers you get will just be estimates because social security benefits change often, inflation and some other variables that may change what you actually do receive.  But still, it’s nice to have an idea. 

You can use the Retirement Estimator if:  

• You are not currently receiving benefits on your own Social Security record;
• You have enough Social Security credits at this time to qualify for benefits and
• You are not eligible for a Pension Based on Work Not Covered By Social Security.

Eileen Ambrose at the Baltimore Sun wrote up a column about this estimator tool.  She gives a preview on what kind of information you have to give:

You will need to plug in your Social Security number and mother’s maiden name. The agency says the site is secure. And when you print out your information, it won’t include these identifying details.

The calculator will ask when you plan to stop working and your average future earnings. It combines these with your earnings history so far.

With the click of the mouse, you can see what your monthly benefit will likely be at 62 - the earliest year to receive benefits - and at other ages. You can, for instance, calculate the difference in benefits by working one more year, something the annual paper estimates don’t tell you. In my case, retiring at 63 instead of 62 would mean an extra $100 a month.

Read: New tool for those debating retiring, Baltimore Sun

Pretty useful tool, I think.  So definitely worth a try and helpful for financial planning. 

Photo by paul goyette

What kind of customer service should you expect every time you enter a store?  What has happened to servicing the customer? Have you ever entered a store hoping to find answers to your questions only to leave with no answers?  Shouldn’t we expect great customer service as the cost of goods goes up? Unfortunately that’s just not reality as I find it.  This weekend I found myself in a big electronics store attempting to help my parents shop for a big screen television, and I learned firsthand how customer service has gone downhill.  

As I see it, retailers have missed the boat on hiring older mature and finally wiser workers.  The end result is when you enter a store chances are you are going to have a substandard customer service experience. I find myself asking “Why would retailers not want older workers on their side helping their customers?” Maybe you can help me understand.   

After weeks of research my father was finally ready to venture to the store and make a purchase. We entered the store basically ready to purchase the television and the possible accessories and be done. Trust me it wasn’t that easy, the first problem was finding someone to help guide us through this process. We finally found a sales consultant 35 minutes after wandering around the television section and then it was someone who actually knew less than we did about big screen televisions. It seemed that all the associates were under the age of 20 and were defiantly not informed about the selling process or servicing the customer.  Ultimately left the store without a television and more confused as ever.

The point of this blog isn’t that we didn’t buy a television or even that my experience wasn’t up to what I expected. The point is that more retailers need to staff their stores with sales associates that can not only answer but assist in the selling process. They need people who care about their customers. Their sales depend on it, I would imagine that there are more people like myself who leave the store without making a purchase because we were more confused than when they started.   Because the retailer due to lack of qualified sales associated made the decision process overwhelming.

Today I read an article that talked about older worker or baby boomers that are reconsidering retirement to stay in the workplace and that got me thinking. It makes sense to the TODAY big retailers need to get on board with hiring older workers.  How can we as customers make that happen?  Demand it!  When you go to a store and don’t get the experience you deserve tell management.  When your questions go unanswered and you don’t make a purchase let management know.  Makes sure they know: It’s because you don’t care enough about my business to give me the best service.