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Senior citizens are a hot commodity in the Northern Virginia
job market. Just ask Sue Allan, executive director of Annandale-based
Senior Employment Resources (SER). The SER is a private, nonprofit
organization that matches seniors age 50 and older with a host
of full-time and part-time jobs throughout the Washington area.
"We have more jobs than people right now," Allan
said. "I have about 200 unfilled positions. What's happening,
over about the past year and a half, is that because of the low
unemployment in Northern Virginia-it's about 1 percent-a lot
of businesses that never thought of hiring seniors before are
looking for alternative candidates."
Since 1983, when SER first opened its doors, the organization
has placed 7,700 seniors in full-time and part-time positions,
with about 600 to 700 businesses each year requesting employees
through the organization.
Not bad considering that SER has only one full-time staffer
(Allan) and three part-timers, plus "a shoestring budget."
Allan admitted, "You definitely do this kind of work for
the love of the job!" A roster of some 20 volunteers helps
fill other critical needs at the SER offices. Many of the volunteers
also have found jobs through the agency, Allan said.
In finding job placements for its clients, "Mostly we work
with small businesses- businesses with less than 50 employees.
Seniors can be a great fit for small businesses." Allan
continued, "They have a lot of experience, some are willing
and even eager to work part-time, and sometimes they really don't
need benefits. They bring tremendous expertise at a reasonable
rate.
"We also work with larger companies: nonprofits, associations,
and in just about any kind of business, even doctors' and law
offices," Allan said.
SER maintains lists of available jobs in its offices as well
as an online job bank (www.seniorjobs.org) that will be updated
monthly beginning in December. It finds new employers eager to
hire senior workers in part through the 200 letters it sends
out each week to area businesses.
SER's clientele ranges from seniors in their 70s looking to
supplement their income and enjoy the camaraderie of a working
environment to newly "downsized" 50-year-olds.
Seniors can register with SER for free for a three-month period,
and if they have not found a job within that time frame can continue
for $20 per three-month period. "Most people, with the job
market today, find their jobs in three months. Many of them find
one during their very first visit to us," Allan said.
While pay scales vary, the average job through SER pays somewhere
between $9 and $15 an hour.
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Job searches, resumes and counseling at the SER
Janet King, a Falls Church resident who had left government
work to rear her children, decided about two years ago that she
wanted to step back into the job pool, but in a part-time situation
since she still had children at home. Now in her mid-50s, King
was a little uncertain about her job prospects, considering her
age and the time she had spent out of the work force.
SER set King up with a dentist who was looking for an assistant
to train, and she has worked as a dental assistant 24 hours a
week at his office ever since. (She also volunteers at the SER
offices on her days off.)
While in the past most of SER's clientele were seniors in
their 60s and 70s, over the past five years that has changed,
with more and more workers in their 50s coming in, searching
for a job. "We were originally set up just to find little
jobs for people who were retired, to bridge the gap" between
retirement funds and the cost of living, Allan said. "Well,
times are changing, and we're doing a lot of full-time placements,
with people who need benefits. We get a lot of professionals
who are 'downsized.' With a lot of big companies, you turn 50
and you're old, you're out. That is really tough. A lot of them
just don't know where to go from here."
SER offers a resume service for $10, as well as computer training
on basic computer skills. In addition to resume and job-search
services, SER has several volunteer counselors to help ease the
transition, many of whom went through the same thing themselves.
In today's tight job market for seniors, what is the job that
is the hardest to fill? Delivery drivers, Allan said. "It
used to one of the most popular jobs," she explained. "Now
we cannot fill a driver's job. Every retired senior says, 'I
don't want to drive in that traffic.' And they only want a job
that's extremely close to home because of the traffic.
"Traffic is really a big issue," Allan said. "They've
dealt with it for all these years, and now they're saying, 'Enough!'"
Senior Employment Resources is open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, at 4201 John Marr Drive in Annandale.
For more information about its services, call (703) 750-1936.
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