7 year itch + social philanthropy = jobs for 50 plussers!

I've got the 7 year itch...that's right...I'm 48 1/2...turning 49 within a few short months. That is an exponential "7". 7 squared. 7 x 7. Am I going to buy a new car? Yup. Try to get into better shape? Yup. Make some exponential changes in my life this year? Yup.

I don't know what it is about 7. This past summer, on July 7, 2007 (7/7/7) more people chose to get married than on any other day in recorded history (on a Saturday, the seventh day of the week and many tried for 7:00 pm.) Lucky 7, tripled -- or even quadrupled!

So, this year, in July, I turn 7 x 7. One year away from the big 5-0 (which I am already celebrating in my advocacy of all things 50 plus).

The big question is where is the itch going to take me? Am I going to uproot myself and family and head to a new city for new adventures? Travel to China, finally? I'm not sure, but I feel the wave.

My most compelling itch lies in my desire and need to give back -- in my case, continuing my social efforts on behalf of Gen Plussers (Boomers and 50 plussers) and their need to find meaningful employment opportunities.

And it turns out I'm not so unusual. A colleague passed along an article that was in last week's Business Week, by Toddi Gunther, an interview with Marc Freedman's efforts through think tank Civic Ventures.

My take-away from the article was that, in Freedman's view, Boomers and 50 plussers are determined to continue to find meaning through their social philanthropy -- i.e. giving back to the community -- whether through the type of work they choose to do, the organizations they are involved in, the continued education they take onboard. Freedman has coined the term "encore" careers, which really means the jobs you take on in your continued stages of career choice/development/necessity (!)

How do you define an encore career?
It's when someone can earn income, find new meaning, and use accumulated experience in ways that have a positive impact on society. At the same time, encore careers fill a set of talent shortages that threaten to compromise our education and health-care systems. They represent the best use of the accumulated experience of the baby-boomer population.
Why do you use the term only in the context of
give-back jobs?
We know from surveys that a significant percentage of boomers is already thinking about working in an area of the social sector. Our challenge is to take all of those people and get them jobs.

This resonates with me is because of the efforts (and strides) Gen Plus has been making in connecting the 50-plus friendly employer with the 50 -plus jobseeker. One case in point is our new and very exciting collaboration with Kelly Services (head to our work site for more details or sign up as a jobseeker to look up the job postings!) Not only is Kelly Educational Services focusing in on substitute teaching positions as a viable option for transition or permanent career choices, but according to their Senior Recruiting Specialist:

We see many mature workers come to us because they want to feel that they are giving back and teaching fulfills that.

You may not realize it but you might already meet most of the qualifications to be a substitute teacher, and from folks I know who take on teaching as a career choice, they find it highly rewarding, both emotionally and financially.

If you live in any of these regions, there are jobs posted that may appeal to you:

Los Angeles
Philadelphia
Washington DC
New York
Denver
Chicago
Orlando
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
San Francisco
New York

We are highly commited to the success of this pilot program and need you to make your voice heard. So go online, register as a jobseeker (all of this is free, by the way) and if you are interested in one of the Kelly Services jobs, make sure to apply. The recruiters are waiting to hear from you.

Al Gore, Nobel, Going Green and Finding Jobs at 50 plus

I was listening to a snippet of Al Gore's acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize. His efforts on advocating for green actions to reduce and/or adapt to global warming are quite exceptional. A few things struck me.

1) He had to reinvent himself after a particularly hard fall. Not much can be more humbling or devastating than to lose a federal election in the way he did.

2) He has dedicated himself to the cause of our global environment.

3) He is 50 plus (he's 59.)

I have an idea just circling around in my head. I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet, but it definitely has to do with connecting 50 plus jobseekers, global warming, and green action to address the planetary crisis we are finding ourselves in.

Just a few thoughts:

• What if 50 plussers who were having trouble finding work focused on jobs that were non-polluting and for the betterment of the planet? Like education. Like customer service. (Kelly Services is working with Gen Plus to post 50 plus friendly jobs...specifically in education.)


• What if 50 plussers only purchased hybrids, electrics or alternative vehicles for their next car?


• What if 50 plussers got involved with solar and alternative energy companies, became advocates for reducing greenhouse gases?


• What if?

There is a connection here. I've got my antennae up.

Blogging Boomers Carnival #49

Contemporary Retirement is this week's unretiring host for the Blogging Boomer's Carnival. Hop on over for some of the most interesting boomer snippets being posted on the web in the past week.

The Air Car

I've been looking for the right car for me for the past year. I drive a luxury mini-van that happens to be fairly fuel-efficient and would love to move to an electric, hybrid or some sort of vehicle that is more "green" and also gives me the versatility I'm looking for in a mini-van.

I've found it. Not here yet, but MDI in France has developed The Air Car...a car that runs on compressed air under 30 mph and switches to fuel for higher speed driving. It is cute as a button AND comes in a "van" style (pictured above left is the Mini-Cat -- the tiny city version) similar to the SMART car (above right, which I fell in love with in Italy), although I like the MDI family version of the car, too (pictured below). 2, 4 and 6 cylinder version and at a sweet, sweet price -- well under $20K for the fully loaded versions. Coming out in summer 2008 in France and India. I'm on the wait list for the US.

Welcome Kelly Services -- Hello Jobs for 50 Plussers!

After several months of communication and discussion, Kelly Services is piloting a partner program with Gen Plus (www.genplususa.com) to target the 50 plus jobseeker. Over the next few months we'll be trying to match up job openings that are decidedly 50 plus favorable with jobseeker needs and help get you back into the market faster.

One area of particular interest is that of substitute teaching. You'll start to notice more and more postings cropping up on the Gen Plus site and you'll also be surprised at how easy it is to become a substitute teacher in many states.

Kelly Recruiters also engage in passive search and this morning, in our conference call, one of the questions came up about how to access resumes of our jobseekers. So head's up. If you haven't signed up (free) as a jobseeker on Gen Plus, please do so asap (www.genplususa.com/work.aspx). As well, if you have not posted your resume, please do so asap. Every minute you are not making yourself available is another minute wasted in your job search.

Kelly is looking for you. Don't disappoint them (or me!) Get online and start applying to the jobs posted on Gen Plus this week. I'll be posting on specific opportunities as they come up.

It is VERY hard to find employers who will open their doors to the 50 plus market. Kelly has a division dedicated specifically to the mature worker and they get a big vote from me for proactively helping to get this program together with Gen Plus.

Chaa...ching. Money talk, for women

I was unable to take part in a blogger news conference last week on the Pax World Women’s Equity Fund with Sujatha Avutu and Julie Fox Gorte. However I was delighted to get a few of my questions asked in my absense and here is the link for any of you who would like to get some top notch education first-hand (or should that be "cyber"hand?) The purpose of the news conference was to brief bloggers on issues surrounding investing strategies for women, making policy-aware investments and the nature of a mutual fund committed not only to the financial bottom line but to the ethical one as well.

For those of you who do not stay on top of what goes on in the financial world, this is a must-listen. This is a lively discussion and filled with fantastic information on social investing, sustainability, micro-investing and on and on. This is named a women's fund because their is a service focus on the gender needs of the client and the type of information that women must be aware of as they invest, however, the fund is open to all. I love these types of e-conferences. Bloggers really offer an exciting form of new media (vs. traditional media) -- they are not beholden to anyone other than their own personal mission or direction -- and as such they are determined to source the best information they can get for their readers. This conference is no exception.

Chappy Chanukah!

A very happy Chanukah to those of you who celebrate this sweet holiday and the lighting of the menorah.  Sadly, I'm allergic to white potato starch...but this year...it will be SWEET potato latkes (no allergy!) I'm very excited.  Check out this recipe.  Yum.  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/105919