Making a Second Career Out of Helping Others Find Second Careers

By Debra E. Blum

When Roger Forrester learned that many of the residents in his Arizona retirement community

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wanted to work again but didn't know how to go about getting a job, he decided to do something about it.

Mr. Forrester had left the University of Minnesota in 1999 after 34 years in human resources, and was himself getting restless after a few years of playing golf and tennis. He decided to make a second career by establishing an employment agency for adults older than 50.

Since its start in January 2006, the nonprofit Mature Worker Connection has helped place more than 400 people in full-time, part-time, or seasonal jobs around the Tucson area.

"I saw a lot of doubt and insecurity, and people almost too proud to admit that they didn't know how to start a job search, or if they'd be seen as valuable people in the work force," Mr. Forrester says. "These are experienced, competent people with the kind of experience that employers would want, and they just needed a push."

Mature Worker's staff members meet with job seekers, assess their skills and interests, and refer them, as needed, to free training courses, such as one in computer skills. They then ready clients to apply for job openings posted by the roughly 220 local employers who are registered with the organization.

Among the program's participants: the University of Arizona, the City of Tucson, and Wells Fargo Bank.

About 200 job seekers so far have landed positions through the special postings. And another 200 found jobs within a month after connecting with employers at a one-day job fair held last year by Mature Worker. The group plans to hold another such event in December.

Free Services

Mature Worker's services are free to job seekers and employers, though the group is considering charging a small fee to employers when someone is placed through the agency.

Most of its $140,000 annual budget comes from state and local government, and its office space, a suite of four offices with access to training and conference rooms in a Tucson public library, is provided free by the city. Though Mature Worker is an independent organization, it is run under the auspices of the Pima Council on Aging, a county group that oversees advocacy and activities that benefit older residents.

The telecommunications company Qwest and the Women's Foundation of Southern Arizona are among the businesses and grant makers that have supported Mature Worker. The group has not solicited contributions from individuals, though Mr. Forrester says it may start to do so once the organization is more established.

"Our biggest selling point is the work that the older employees do," says Mr. Forrester. "The more we place people, the more we explode the negative myths out there."

Contrary to some popular notions, he says, older workers do not necessarily demand the high salaries they may have received in their former jobs, they need less job training on average, and turnover rates are much lower than expected.

In addition, Mr. Forrester says, small businesses should not worry that having older employees, who may have more medical concerns than younger ones, will drive up health-insurance rates.

"Younger workers have kids, so the fringe-benefit expenses are often pretty close either way," Mr. Forrester says.

As many as a dozen people from Mr. Forrester's retirement community in Marana, a Tucson suburb, have gotten jobs through Mature Worker, including a few who now work part time at the University of Arizona's bookstore. One woman who retired from a career in real estate now does community outreach for a local food bank.

"I don't think the golf courses are less crowded," Mr. Forrester says. "But the people who want to do a little more with their retirement have a new way they can pursue those options."