Center helps boomers re-entering workforce or changing careers
By John Gleason

St. Anthony Hospital’s Health Passport program has just opened an outreach center to help baby boomers as they change careers or re-enter the workforce. Called the Boomer Career Center, services are offered at a fraction of the cost of retail career management. That’s because retired or still-working human resources executives volunteer as coaches, administrators said.

In the metro area almost 30 percent of the population comes from the “boomer generation”—those people born between 1946 and 1964 during the post-World War II baby boom. Boomers have a large impact on the economy, the healthcare system and the workforce at large.

Jane Barnes is the manager of senior programs at St. Anthony Hospital. She said the Boomer Career Center will be a “boon to boomers.”

“We’re excited about it,” she said. “As people near retirement and retirement looms longer in front of them, many will look at reentering the workforce. (Some) have time on their hands, others are looking at a change of career and then there are those who just want to know what they can do to make a difference.”

The Boomer Career Center offers career transition, career management and exploration for members interested in discovering the endless possibilities of “growing up,” said Barnes. That can include entry into a new industry, full-time to part-time work, starting a business, franchising, consulting or telecommuting.

“We offer a four-week class on career skills that covers resume writing, the interviewing process and how the world has kind of changed since the last time they looked for a job,” she said. “One of the big things is computer skills—everything is online now. You search for jobs online then apply for a job online. Those who’ve been out of the market for awhile might find it all confusing.”
Boomers can find assistance in negotiation, networking, self-marketing, correspondence and dealing with search firms. Career counselors offer a full range of coaching services in addition to group seminars and workshops. The counselors are senior human resource executives who have worked for career consulting firms around the world.

“We have morning and afternoon classes,” Barnes said. “There is a time for everyone.”
Jo Guerra, 53, has run her successful online jewelry business, jojewelry.com, for 15 years. Recently, her father was ill and in the time that she took to care for him, her business suffered. She decided that this was the time to look at the possibility of doing something more with her life while still running her jewelry business.

“I didn’t want to give it up completely,” she said. “But I didn’t want to go to the trade shows like I’d been doing.”

Guerra found out about the Boomer Career Center almost by accident when she went to the hospital to do some volunteer work. After examining all the things that the center offered, she decided to opt for one-on-one counseling with a career coach.

“I thought about the four-week class program,” she said, “but thought that I’d get more out of working with one person.”

Although she wasn’t definite as to where she wanted to work, Guerra thought she’d like to try something in the non-profit sector. So she and her coach Michael Glassco began to look at her strengths and interests, followed by an inventory of her educational background and past business experiences.

“We’ve been working on my resume and next we’re going to devise a marketing plan that I can present to agencies,” Guerra said. “We’re going to be targeting these organizations rather than just doing a search online. My challenge is to convince these agencies that my business skills will translate well into their operation.”

Guerra praised the Boomer Career Center as a valuable resource.

“It’s given me more tools in my job search that I otherwise wouldn’t have had,” she said.
The next session of classes will begin in October and cost $50 to Health Passport members (membership is free and can be done online).

For more information about the Boomer Career Center, call 303-629-4921 or visit online at myhealthpassport.org.