Deidre Waxman:
Helping Seniors
Find Employment
By Susie Davidson
Advocate
Correspondent
A very viable work
force exists outside the usual realm of competitive seekers and ambitious
employers, and Deidre Waxman is seeing to it that they get their fair shake.
Waxman, coordinator
for the Job Opportunities for Brookline Seniors Program of the Brookline
Council on Aging, helps 60+ workers to get the opportunities and, ideally, the
positions they deserve within the modern workforce. In its ninth year, the grant-funded
JOBS program continues to match Brookline residents with area employers, at no
charge to either party, and it’s thriving.
Fields hiring older
workers include office work, teaching, sales, food service, driving,
telemarketing and more. Pay is standard, ranging between $8.00 and $20.00 per
hour. Most seek part time work, though some seniors want the 40-hour deal.
Thus far, civic
participants and positions include Medical Practice Management of Chestnut
Hill, office work, H & R Block of Allston, receptionist, and Northeastern
University, Test Adminstrator.
“Clients seek
work for financial necessity, psychological need or personal enrichment,”
says Waxman, who works out of the new Senior Center on 94 Winchester St.
“Older workers need special attention because of age discrimination in a
competitive job market. Many
clients have not searched for jobs for 20 years, and they need help recognizing
the value of their work and their life experience.”
Born in Westchester
Country and raised in New York City until age 16, when she moved to L.A.,
Waxman has by admission "a serious Jewish background. I am a double
master's graduate of University of Southern California and Hebrew Union
College’s Jewish Institute of
Religion School of Jewish Communal Service in L.A. I am a former Hebrew
School teacher, have sent both kids to Solomon Schecter Day School, am a
current student of Tanach and I could go on and on here.”
Waxman’s base
is, not surprisingly, substantially Jewish. “I do serve a large
percentage of Jewish clients at the BCOA,” she continues, “but my
mandate is, as always, to serve anyone over 60 who lives in the Town of
Brookline. I do have some religious Jewish clients who elect not to work on
Friday afternoons or prefer a Jewish milieu, and there are clients who have
retired from Jewish organizations.”
Some matches are
extremely fruitful at either end. “We have several clients placed at
Boston College in their food service department,” she elaborates.
“They enjoy working directly with college students, serving lunches and
cashiering. We have placed a senior as an administrative assistant at the
Maimonides School. She called to let me know how much she is learning and how
much she enjoys the interaction with students. In addition, we have placed
seniors in office positions around Brookline.”
Where do these
workers fit in the Computer Age? Waxman explains that computer literacy classes
offered at the Senior Center are helping seniors become proficient at the
keyboard. “Computer literacy is a must for all office positions today
and, unfortunately, seniors are still at a disadvantage here,” she says.
But there are also the typewriter or pen and paper stalwarts we all well know.
“There remains,” she laments, “some resistance to computer
training, which leaves some highly qualified clients accepting low paying
positions.”
JOBS is an ongoing
effort. They continually seek and add to their job listings and their applicant
pool. “Savvy employers are looking at older workers,” explains
Waxman, “and liking what they see: proven experience, reliability, and a
work ethic that's hard to match.”
Employers and job
applicants should call Waxman at 730-2767, or email
deidre_Waxman@town.brookline.ma.us.
The Brookline Council
on Aging is pleased to announce that its popular JOBS program (Job
Opportunities for Brookline Seniors), now in its ninth year, continues to
flourish. JOBS is a grant-funded
program that matches Brookline residents (60+) with local employment
opportunities at no charge to either party.
Part-time work is in
great demand, although some seniors are looking for full time employment. JOBS clients have been placed in varied
fields including office work, teaching, sales, food service, driving,
telemarketing and others. Salaries
have ranged from $8.00 to $20.00 per hour.
JOBS continually
seeks new job listings and new job applicants. Savvy employers are looking at older workers and liking what
they see: proven experience, reliability, and a work ethic that's hard to
match. Employers are encouraged to
hire Brookline's competent older workers as a solution to their work force
needs from lunch time coverage to full-time positions.
Just phone in your
job listing and we will endeavor to find an energetic senior to meet your
needs. Employers and job
applicants should call JOBS Coordinator D at 730-2767, or email
deidre_Waxman@town.brookline.ma.us.
I work at the new
senior center 2.5 days per week trying to match employers and prospective
employees.
Clients seek work for
financial necessity, psychological need or personal enrichment. Older workers need special attention
because of age discrimination in a competitive job market. Many clients have not searched for jobs
for 20 years and they need help recognizing the value of their work and their
life experience.
Medical Practice
Management-Office in Chestnut Hill
H&R Block in
Allston-Receptionist
Northeastern
Univ.-Test Administrator
I don't think that
you should offer numbers of placements in the article.
The numbers I sent
are a little misleading as clients
often don't get
back to me about
where they have been offered and accepted jobs. I just
learned that a client
has been working in a particular office for the past
month.
> Well there's an
interesting question. Born in
Westchester Country, Raised in New York City until 16 when I moved To LA.,
Waxman has by admission "a
serious Jewish background. I am a
> double master's
graduate of Univ. of S. CA and Hebrew Union College-Jewish
> Institute
of Religion School of Jewish
Communal Service in LA. I am a
> former Hebrew
School teacher, have sent both kids to Solomon Schecter Day
> School, current
student of Tanach and I could go on and on here.
>
> I do serve a
large percentage of Jewish clients at the BCOA but my mandate is , as
> always, to serve
anyone over 60 who lives in the Town of Brookline. I do
> have some
religious Jewish clients who prefer not to work on Friday
> afternoons or
prefer a Jewish milieu and there are clients who have
> retired from
Jewish Organiztions. I see one interesting man who inspects
> eruv's for
synagogues in Brookline and has some special work interests and
> qualifications
but I don't want these particular details in the JA because
> this will breach
confidentiality. The guy says that
I am only the second
> person in his job
search experience that even knows what an eruv inspector
> is. A cute story but not printable in
detail.
>
We have several
clients placed at Boston College in their food service department. They enjoy working directly with
college students serving lunches and cashiering. We have placed a senior as an administrative assistant at
the Maimonides School. She called
to let me know how much she is learning and how much she enjoys the interaction
with students. In addition we have
placed seniors in office positions around Brookline.
Seniors are becoming
computer savvy with the help of computer literacy classes offered at the Senior
Center. Computer literacy is a
must for all office positions today and, unfortunately, seniors are still at a
disadvantage here.
We are always seeking
additional employers and employees for the program and they can call Deidre
Waxman 617-730-2767 if interested.
computer skills. Some of our clients, while highly
educated and skilled, do not wish to begin computer training. This woul dmake their skills and
experience very desirable. We have
met with considerable success in suggesting computer classes and training at
the Senior Center as well as a program offered by Wynn Management. Nevertheless, there remains resistance to
computer training, which leaves some highly qualified clients accepting low
paying positions.
Goals:
1. Outreach to Senior Citizen participants
using a JOBS posting board as a vehicle for announcements.
2. Job search seminar/workshop for all
interested members of the community.
Deidre Waxman, LICSW
Social Worker-JOBS Coordinator
Brookline Senior Center
93 Winchester Street
Brookline, MA 02446
Deidre_Waxman@town.brookline.ma.us