The Willow Glen Resident

Keep working, and love it

By Marky Stein

Until she became a widow at age 72, Elsie Allen had never held a "real" job, balanced a checkbook or even written a check. Her work with charities, active involvement as a mother, wife and homemaker, and volunteer work as an administrative assistant at a local university had more than occupied the decades when she raised two children and maintained a home for her family.

Now, her husband was gone, leaving her with a moderate pension and a spacious home in Los Gatos. She had social graces, generosity and intelligence, but not enough income to maintain her former lifestyle. She had never driven a car or been on a payroll. Without a résumé, references or letters of recommendation and minus a "solid" job history or a college degree, Allen decided to find a job.

She moved into a mobile home and memorized the city bus schedule. For months, she grieved the loss of her husband and immersed herself in hobbies she hadn't touched since before her first child was born: oil painting, making jewelry and building intricate doll houses. Amid the brush strokes of yellow ochre and forest green, between the red and silver beads strung one by one on her necklaces, and among the tiny shingles she carefully glued to the roofs of hand-painted doll houses, a door opened.

She decided to volunteer at a local crafts store, where within four months she was being paid to assist customers, and her own crafts were put on display. Allen also began to exhibit at benefits, auctions and art fairs, where her work now sells for up to $350 apiece. Allen made her "hobby" her vocation and her vocation a source of substantial income. At 75, she still doesn't write checks, but she does accept Visa and MasterCard.

What can we learn from a retirement-age hero like Elsie Allen, who wouldn't let herself get overwhelmed by the obstacles standing in her way? By using a process that I call vocational exploration, individuals can identify something they would love to do and get a job that suits their natural skills and personality.

1. Aim for something you love to do, even if you have no paid work experience.

2. Think of something you've done in a past job, hobby or volunteer capacity that you can "transfer" to another job.

3. Know that some of the many strengths of being a mature employee are dependability, sound judgment, willingness to learn, wisdom gained through experience and ability to get along with others. Employers value these traits: Use them!

4. Use private, government and nonprofit community agencies or career counselors to choose a new field, learn the latest job search techniques, write a résumé or locate senior job referral sources.

5. Talk to a minister, rabbi or religious adviser about your quest for work.

6. If you have a disability, you are protected under federal law by the American Disabilities Act. You are not required to answer questions about a physical or mental condition. The only exception is if the employer inquires about any physical condition that will prevent you from performing the job for which you are applying. Contact your doctor for advice, if needed.

7. It is often said that looking for work is a full-time job. The most successful job-seekers spend about 25 hours a week on their search. Anyone can learn and use the latest job-search techniques, available through the resources that follow.

Local Job-Search Resources

Career Action Center--10420 Bubb Road, Suite 100 (408/253-3200). Open Mon., Fri., Sat., 9am-5pm, and Tue.-Thu., 9am-9pm. A nonprofit center that serves all ages and experience levels, the center offers a wealth of job listings, workshops and counseling. The center also operates a Web page: www.careeraction.org.

Council on Aging--296-8290. The council makes referrals to other organizations.

Employment Development Department--408/869-3627. The EDD offers more than one might expect for the mature professional job-seeker. A program in the Sunnyvale EDD, Pro Match, offers peer support groups for professionals in search of work to fit their skills.

NOVA Proven People operates out of the Sunnyvale Senior Center; call 730-7368. Clients 55 and over can receive job referral information, assessments and help with filling out job applications.

Mersmen & Smith Vocational Services--408/298-1244. A for-profit business that operates job clubs and offers counseling. Specializes in placing clients who have disabilities.

Senior Staff--408/371-9064. Offers a job information databank.

Reference Books

Job Hunting After 50, by Samuel Ray

100 Best Retirement Businesses, by Lisa Rogak

The Foolproof Job Search Workbook, by Donald Asher

Marky Stein has provided career consultation and job-search training since 1989 and is the owner of Advance Career and Vocational Counseling, with offices in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties (888/460-9040).

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