SCSEP is a program that ACC manages in Sacramento County to assist low-income seniors with job training and finding employment. We help them discover their strengths, build self-esteem, and become productive members of the workforce.
If you’re an older adult looking for employment, you may have discovered that many things are now done online. Looking at listings and applying for jobs are definitely more technical than in pre-Internet times. Online networking, virtual interviews, and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) that shortlists resumes have created new demands that require more technical skills on your part.
ACC can help you cross the digital divide and learn these technical skills. We offer basic computer classes and one-on-one tech training. Thanks to a new ECMC Go Grant, we’ll also soon have drop-in computer lab times with tutoring.
But there is another, more important way we can help you prepare for the realities of the tech world. It has to do with having the right mindset, without which you will not be able to conquer the technical and other changes that face today’s workers.
Here are important tips that can help to make your job search journey easier and better:
1. Positive Thinking: Focus on becoming one of those people who can land a job regardless of their education, age, gender, and so on. Do not be held back by other people’s preconceived notions of you. If you want to find inspiring examples, connect with SCSEP to hear how our senior job seekers are exiting SCSEP after getting hired full-time by an organization. Being an optimist and believing that you can get a job related to your skills and experience is the most important step in your successful job search journey. Norman Vincent Peale, the author of The Power of Positive Thinking, said, “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
2. Self-Improvement: Find ways to improve and update your skills and knowledge. Some examples of continual self-improvement: get better with job interviews, update your resume and LinkedIn profile frequently, set up informational interviews and attend job fairs, learn new technology skills, read more books, write a journal, and so on. Continual self-improvement and investment in your skills will make you an asset to any employer and show that you are job ready. Working on yourself also means you are adding to your competitiveness in the job market and will give you an advantage. To work on your personal growth, start with reviewing your goals, then determine what you need to do to get there. Zig Ziglar, an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker said, “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”
3. Persistence: Only those who have perseverance will succeed. In our SCSEP program, those who exit for employment and find the job they love are persistent in applying for jobs, doing the training, and improving themselves on a day-to-day basis. Napoleon Hill, an American self-help author, said, “Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.”
I have the pleasure of managing a team that helps seniors re-enter the workforce. SCSEP is more than a program. It’s a community of caring within ACC that helps seniors not only find employment but also find joy and meaning in the journey to this goal.
ACC basic computer skills classes are listed in our Summer Schedule at accsv.org/online.
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