Resources for Hiring Mature Workers
You’re a business owner and you need to hire hard-working, dependable
people. You’ve heard that in your community there is a pool of talented
mature workers who have much to offer. How do you tap into this tremendous
asset?
You could run help wanted ads like everyone else does, but
with an ad you never know who you’re going to get. Surely there must be a
better way.
In many communities, there is! Here is just a sample of
the hiring resources available to employers across the country. It’s likely
that you’ll find something similar in your area.
• Seniors4Hire.org
is a nationwide online career center and a leading Internet resource for
businesses that value a diverse workforce. Business owners and HR executives
can recruit workers fifty and older including retirees and senior citizens
who are looking for a career change.
• The SeniorJobBank is a
nationwide website used by employers to advertise their jobs to the
website’s audience of talented, dedicated people over the age of fifty.
Employers posting with the SeniorJobBank are committed to hiring baby
boomers and mature workers. For a modest fee to the employer the site
provides job postings, as well as job search, resume and job alert
registration for job seekers. Career and education information is provided
too.
• In Washington State, the Mature Workers Alliance of Puget
Sound is an all-volunteer group of private and public organizations
dedicated to empowering over-fifty workers and promoting age and experience
in the workforce. They sponsor workshops and job fairs for mature workers to
help them conduct successful job searches and connect to hiring employers.
They also encourage businesses to recruit and retain mature workers and
benefit from the experience, strong work ethic, and loyalty offered by
mature workers.
• The State of New York has established the Mature
Worker Task Force (MWTF), co-chaired by the New York State Office for the
Aging (NYSOFA) and the New York State Department of Labor (DOL). The MWTF
will make recommendations and coordinate New York State's efforts to assist
older persons who choose to work and remain self-sufficient. The agency is
dedicated to supporting business growth and development across the state in
light of its aging work force, and to combating ageism and stereotypes in
the the recruitment, retention, and training of mature workers.
•
Seniorsforhire.ca is a Canadian website that serves as a meeting place where
employers can advertise their needs and seniors can find places of
employment. The goal of this family-run project is to bring value to the
workplace where the mature and the young work together to reach the high
standards necessary in today's marketplace.
• In Arkansas, Governor
Mike Huckabee recently announced the Arkansas Mature Worker Initiative. A
new workforce development program, the Arkansas Mature Worker Initiative
highlights featured employers who have made a commitment to hire mature
workers. "It's encouraging to see these companies recognize the value of the
countless mature workers we have in Arkansas," said Gov. Huckabee. "I hope
more employers see these workers are known to have essential qualities
needed for today's jobs, including loyalty, dedication, and responsibility."
These are just a few examples of the efforts being made by business,
non-profit, and government groups to connect employers with the talented
pool of mature workers in their community.
Would you like to reprint this article?
You may as long as you include this blurb in its entirety:
Lisa Jordan
is a disability and workforce development expert. Lisa uses her keen ability to
identify challenges and develop solutions so
that workforce development professionals can increase their comfort level,
productivity and effectiveness when working with a diverse clientele. Download
Lisa’s White Paper on 5 Easy Disability Tips to Immediately Increase Agency
Accessibility by visiting
http://www.human-solutions.net.
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