We have a special announcement: Employment Forward Seniors, a casualty of the pandemic, now finds a new home under the New Directions Career Center as Mature Works. Joining us are experts Kat Yamaguchi and Jami Phillips from New Directions Career Center. With rich backgrounds in nonprofit program development and job seeker support, they share insights on the unique challenges older job seekers face, such as transferable skills communication, navigating online applications, and balancing life responsibilities. We discuss the importance of in-person workshops, and the expansion of services to support older adults, including resume building, social media branding, and tech training through programs like Tech Women of Color. Top Takeaways New Directions, historically focused on career development for women, now extends its services to include men and older adults, marked by community workshops and one-on-one support. Older adults face distinct hurdles like conveying transferable skills, juggling life responsibilities, and adapting to online application processes. The center helps address these challenges. Programs offered include in-person workshops on resume building, social media branding, and entrepreneurship. The center also provides individual career counseling. By partnering with various organizations, New Directions offers free resources for older job seekers, emphasizing the importance of training, reskilling, and upskilling. New Directions builds strong relationships with employers and advocates for older candidates, emphasizing flexibility and mutual benefits in hiring older workers. Key Moments 06:13 Older job seekers have valuable skills. 07:23 Employers should consider part-time and remote work. 13:19 Yearlong process to develop customized programs for seniors. 15:34 Program for job seekers 55+, meet weekly. 25:38 In-person workshops meet job seekers' specific needs. 28:30 Urgent need for training and upskilling. 33:07 Flexibility in work hours benefits both parties. 37:49 Seek client feedback, embrace new work culture. 42:04 Resources for job search across the country. 45:37 Access to programs should not be limited. We would love to hear from you. Give us your feedback, or suggest a topic, by leaving us a voice message. Email us at
[email protected]. Find us on Bluesky and Facebook . Please review our podcast on Google! And of course, everything can be found on our website, Looking Forward Our Way. Recorded in Studio C at 511 Studios . A production of Circle 270 Media® Podcast Consultants . https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/ Copyright 2025 Carol Ventresca and Brett Johnson
