Despite employer bias, some older workers are beating the system. Job support groups and a fellowship training program helped Mike White, 62, of Newington, Conn., survive 15 months of unemployment.
"I networked as much as I could because at my age almost 90 percent of jobs come through networking," says White, who was downsized in January 2010 after more than two decades in the banking and finance industries. He devoted more than 40 hours a week to online research and job support meetings where he honed interview skills and learned the latest electronic job-hunting techniques.
White was also accepted for a four-month fellowship program with Encore!Hartford, a program through the University of Connecticut that trains corporate executives for new professional positions in the nonprofit sector through classes, job shadowing and two-month unpaid internships.(I have posted information about this program which offers scholarships)
"The fellowship really got my creative juices going when I was beginning to flag," he said. "I learned to recast my r�sum� to appeal to the nonprofit sector, which is more interested in your skills than your age."
Despite his overtures to nonprofits, White was hired as a lending officer in a financial institution in April. "What worked was fine tuning my r�sum� and cover letter for every job," he says. "I used key words from the job description so the computer software would not reject the initial application." In interviews, he was primed to answer any questions with detailed stories of his problem-solving prowess.
by: Elizabeth Pope | from: AARP Bulletin | May 3, 2011
Last edited by Angela J. Shirley; 05/19/11 08:54 PM.
My Blog: 