Stanley Brown needed a job. At 57, the West Hollywood-based documentary film producer and writer found himself laid off. He was out of work for almost two years when he stumbled upon a flyer for Jewish Vocational Service's WorkSource Center. There, he met Program Manager David Kruskall.
Kruskall heads the center currently located at 5757 Wilshire Blvd. WorkSource, which will soon be housed in the Wells Fargo Career Development Center at the new , offers a diverse array of services to employees and job seekers.
“So may people are unemployed and we do everything we can to provide job seekers with the tools they need to find work,” said Kruskall. “Often, the most important thing is to keep folks motivated and provide emotional support and encouragement.”
Brown never gave up, never missed a meeting, and became an inspiration to others, Kruskall told Patch. Making sure to stay in touch with his former employer, Brown’s efforts paid off. They needed his help and rehired him.
“David and his co-worker Teri kept me going,” said Brown. “There were times when I was really down, depressed and frustrated, but they continued to boost my spirits.”
Also geared at older adults is a four-week workshop series called MaturAbility, which was created in 2006 to assist mature job seekers in navigating the new work place.
Supported in part by Northrop Grumman and The Robertson Family Foundation, the program covers everything from exploring career preferences and coping with change to networking strategies and detecting myth versus reality.
“One of the myths is that older people can’t learn," said Bobbi Yanko, a JVS career development specialist. "The reality is that they can, but they learn differently, more sequentially and more hands on.”
There are workshops on boosting confidence and writing "age-proof" resumes. JVS career specialists recommend not listing jobs from 10 to 15 years ago and using modern day verbiage, such as replacing the word "secretary" with "administrative assistant."
“You really have to stay at it,” said Brown. “No matter how hard it gets, you have to make a call, send an email, talk to others. Without the help of JVS, I’m not sure I could have done that.”
For more information about JVS/WHEST call 323-944-0473 or email dkruskall@jvsla.org. For the MaturAbility program, call 818-464-3222 or email slutter@jvsla.org.
