Age 55+ Employment Resource Center

Paul Valenti, Mayors Office for Senior Citizens

Resource Center helps clients find work, gain self-esteem

You gave me back my life you gave me a reason to keep living, Gloria R. told me when we first met to discuss her story. Gloria was one of the many clients I met while trying to evaluate how well the Mayors Office for Senior Citizens Age 55-Plus Employment Resource Center was serving clients.

The Age 55-Plus Employment Resource Center offers a wide range of services to mature workers, as well as specialized employment and training assistance to low-income unemployed senior citizens who qualify for federal assistance. A little over two-and-half years ago, 60-year-old Gloria struggled with an obesity problem compounded by a stroke. Out of work and feeling as though her life was over, Glorias self-esteem was so low that, even after undergoing successful surgery and losing 165 pounds, she felt isolated and useless. A friend told Gloria about the Age 55-Plus Employment Resource Center. Gloria says the employment counselors in the Age 55-Plus program offered help and support from the heart. My counselor encouraged me and helped me get the computer training I needed, Gloria said. She never gave up on me or let me give up on myself. After almost three years, I began to believe in myself again. 

Glorias self-confidence must have been obvious to employers, because she was interviewed and hired the same day. Gloria now works as the activities assistant on the dementia floor at a retirement community. You cannot imagine how wonderful it feels to want to go to work every day, she says. I cannot thank the folks in the Mayors Office for Senior Citizens enough.

When Chris L. called the Mayors Office for Senior Citizens one morning last month, she was at wits end. She told the employment counselor who took her call that she was so discouraged that she didnt want to live any longer. Despite a long and successful career in medical services, after an eight-month job search, Chris had been unable to get an interview. She had begun to think of herself as unemployable. 

The Age 55-Plus Employment Resource Center counselor invited Chris to come into the office the next day. After their meeting, Chris attended a resume-writing workshop, where she learned new strategies for marketing her skills and gained a new perspective about herself.

After revising her resume and gaining a better understanding of how to write cover letters, Chris remarked, It seemed like I was a new person, with a whole new approach to looking for work. A short time later, Chris found a well-paying part-time job at a local hospital, and has since received four additional job offers.

You made me feel good about myself again, and realize that I had a lot to offer an employer, Chris said. Today, she is doing something she loves and does very well and is not shy about crediting the attention and support provided by the staff at the Mayors Office for Senior Citizens for helping her to regain her self-esteem.

The Age 55-Plus Employment Resource Center helps clients rethink their skills and present their experience in a positive and productive way when applying for work. Clients learn effective job search strategies, develop effective resumes and cover letters, upgrade computer skills, and access job banks and hotlines. Clients say they appreciate the fact that every employment counselor has been through the same difficulties and knows first-hand how it feels when self-worth diminishes with failure to get interviews, especially when it appears that failure is due to ageism.

The Mayors Office for Senior Citizens supports healthy aging, independent living and social and civic engagement for older people. As a member of the Mature Workers Alliance, they will present the Hire Experience: 50-Plus Job Fair on September 14, 2005 at Seattle Center an event specifically designed to connect employers who recognize the value of older, experienced workers with mature people looking for work. For more information, call (206) 684-0500.