BOOMERS!  WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
By Myles Golden

Boomers!  What were you thinking 30 to 40 years ago when you started your career?  Were you thinking, as I did, that you would have a rewarding career which would lead to an early retirement and live happily ever after?  Oops!  What happened?  Here you are, 50, 55, and 60 years old, in the midst of an economic downturn, and the value of your nest egg down substantially from a few years ago.  Corporate America’s downsizing, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, etc., are causing people to lose their jobs.  Looks like retirement might have to wait a few more years.

Correct!  Maybe it’s time to think about an “encore career.”  That’s Greenville News business writer, Jenny Munro’s take on our situation.  Recently she included some of my remarks in an article titled “Boomers seek Encore Careers.”  She mentions that the share of the workforce, aged 55 and older, currently is 17 percent, according to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and is projected to be nearly 24 percent by 2020.  As she quoted me in her article, maybe it’s time to think about re-inventing yourself.  You ask, “How might I do that?  I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.”  Have you caught yourself thinking that?  I hear it three to four times a week when I meet with prospects considering our career transition services. In fact, I have such discussions with many who are currently in careers that are not working for them, which is estimated to be 65% of the workforce.  Many see the handwriting on the wall.  At the water cooler, they hear words like restructuring, downsizing, and mergers.  If so, my advice is - it’s time for Plan B.  Start preparing for a possible transition by making yourself more marketable. Consider what your options are, such as:  Enrolling in a certification course such as Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, Project Management Certification, Dale Carnegie Training, The Sadler Sales Institute, Furman University’s Liberal Arts Executive Program to mention just a few.  In addition, many programs are available on-line or via teleconferencing classes. For myself, I chose a corporate business coach course from Corporate Coach University.

Get more involved with the community and ramp up your networking.  Create your own marketing team by consulting with people you trust and respect.  Take assessments that indicate where your interests are and what leadership skills you have.  Check out some of the latest books on career transition and development such as:  “Knock’Em Dead” by Martin Yate, “Six Figure Salary Negotiation” by Michael Zwell, and for networking skills, “Work the Pond” by Darcy Rezac or the latest trend, “The Heart and Art of NetWeaving” by Robert Littell.

Last, but certainly not least, consider career coaching.  Golden Career Strategies provides an assortment of services from career transition to career development.  Coaching provides structure and accountability that will get you there much faster than just trying the shotgun approach.  Remember, the popular definition of insanity:  Continuing with the same behavior, expecting different results.

Why Use Outplacement?
by Myles Golden

Outplacement helps the displaced employee reduce the emotional confusion associated with job loss through counseling, training and redirecting their focus toward the future. Our coaches provide intense career transition coaching, administer and interpret career assessments, develop a strong marketing campaign and make strong contacts through smart networking.

What is Outplacement?

Outplacement is an employer-sponsored benefit provided to help displaced employees make a smooth, timely career transition. Outplacement is offered by companies interested in giving their displaced employees the support, counseling, tools, discipline and motivation to find new careers. Outplacement is a valuable service to assist a client firm in managing organizational change.

When should outplacement be used?

Today’s business environment is wrought with changes: mergers, acquisitions, consolidations,downsizing, off shoring, relocation, retirement, and ever changing market pressures. Most work force displacements are largely a result of these changes. They can be traumatic and often unpleasant for both employer and employee. Outplacement services allow these changes to be made in a professional and structured manner.

Benefits to the Employer

Outplacement can make the termination action easier to implement. It assists companies in improving post-employment relations, which can reduce the possibility of litigation, the disclosure of proprietary information and adverse publicity. In addition, using these services helps alleviate negative feelings and potential for theft or violence; and it improves the morale of the remaining staff.

"In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves.  The process never ends until we die.  And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility."
Eleanor Roosevelt