Work in a Tough Economy Means Learning Job-Hunting Skills

Like many workers in this tough economy, Betty Colwell could see the bad news coming.
    
First, her hours were cut. Then her pay was cut. Finally, in December, her administrative job with an Atlanta homeowners association was cut.

Colwell, 62, had been "downsized" before, after three decades at Verizon. But this time it's different. Gone are the days, she said, of walking into an employer's office "with a résumé and a smile" and walking out with a job.

Colwell has paid $200 to have her résumé rewritten so it emphasizes her skills and underplays her years of experience. She networks constantly—with neighbors, church members, former coworkers. She volunteers to stay sharp and keep in touch.

Still, months after being laid off, Colwell hadn't found full-time work.

"It's totally different this time," she said. "Before, I thought of myself as a person in the market looking for a job. Now I focus on the fact that I'm over 50. I don't feel like it. I don't act like it. But the fact is I'm 62. It's frustrating. It taps into your self-esteem."

Colwell isn't alone. For the first time since the 1940s, the national unemployment rate among workers 55 and older has topped 7 percent. For older Hispanic and African American workers, the rate has topped 10 percent.

Even more troubling: It takes older job hunters roughly 11 months to find work—almost three months longer than younger job seekers.

"The risk is if they stay inactive too long, they begin to falsely believe they're not valuable anymore," said Karen Mathews, director of Work Life Services with Atlanta-based WellStar Health System, where 32 percent of the 12,000-person workforce is 50 or older. "They need to stay active while looking for work. Do not go home and sit!"

On Aug. 3, AARP will cosponsor a job fair for those 50 and older with EmploymentGuide.com and WiserWorker.com at Philips Arena in Atlanta. A similar fair at the Fox Theatre in March drew 3,000 people—three times the number expected.

At least two dozen companies with job openings are expected in August. Career counseling will also be available in areas such as résumé writing, networking and using technology to enhance job searches. An Internet cafe will be available to post résumés online.

The fair is part of AARP's "Helping Experience Work@50+" campaign, which is hosting job events for older workers around the country.

"It's not just to provide jobs, but to give them new tools," said Janie Walker, associate state director of community outreach for AARP Georgia. "The goal is for everybody who walks away from the fair to be in a better position moving forward."

WellStar's Mathews offered some tips to help older workers' job searches:

     • Be prepared to take a pay cut from what you earned previously. Getting your foot in the door is more important than negotiating a great salary. "Get inside those four walls, then your opportunities can get huge."
    
     • Network constantly. "Just because you no longer work doesn't mean you can't meet for lunch. But don't just network with people in the same plight as you."

     • Research a potential employer. Pore through the company website, find articles on its management. "Get to know who they are on a cultural level."

There's a new landscape for unemployed older Georgians, Colwell said. "It's not your grandmother's job search. I'm using every tool I have."
    
One tool available on the AARP Foundation's WorkSearch website is an assessment system, which also includes links to training and job openings.
    
 Online registration is available for the Aug. 3 Helping Experience Work@50+ Job Fair at Philips Arena. In addition, tips for job seekers and many more resources can be found on AARP's website.
 
Drew Jubera is a freelance writer living in Atlanta.