New Nonprofit Gives 'Over-40' Workers Options

As so many others in this economic downturn have discovered, being over 40 and unemployed presents not one but two hurdles to overcome. 

Unemployment is difficult at any phase of your life, but when I became unemployed at the age of 54, I found out that finding new career opportunities at this stage in my life was much more difficult than when I was in my 30s. According to a recent article in the New York Times, older workers have the longest spells of joblessness.

Through my job search I found out help was out there for me and for the many others who are facing the same hurdles. is an organization who’s main objective is to create career opportunities for the “40-and-over” job seeker in the Bay Area. Foster City resident Ron Visconti is the organization’s founder and executive director.

Visconti’s passion was the driving force behind the concept of creating a career development organization specifically focused on the over-40 demographic. Visconti’s 28 years of experience in career development, including the founding and managing a comprehensive nonprofit career center, provided the background needed to take on this venture.  

“I feel this is my best work,” Visconti said.

Visconti wanted the organization to convey a specific message to this fast growing sector of the workforce now facing unemployment—a sector of which I was now a member. 

“It’s not what you’ve lost,” Visconti said. “It’s the possibility of what you can gain or discover.”

At the invitation from a friend, I attended my first Phase2Careers meeting, the Job Search Review. This event provided me feedback on my resume, as well as helpful job search tactics from a panel of Bay Area employers.

It was the face-to-face interaction between employers and the attendees that impressed me the most. I found out that Phase2 offers that same opportunity through another of their monthly events, The Employer Roundtable.

Through these sessions a panel of employers from government agencies, nonprofits, start-ups, institutional employers, educational and a host of other industries come together to educate the job seekers about company cultures as well as their interviewing process. 

Each attendee of these employment roundtable meetings is afforded the opportunity to meet and interact with employers. Sharon Prager, a San Mateo resident and chairwoman of Phase2Careers’s board of directors, feels the roundtable forum is a valuable opportunity for job seekers. 

“We’ve had people get interviews,” she said. “We’ve had people get jobs.”

An organization focused on the older unemployed worker really resonated with Prager, and it was the driving force behind her willingness to volunteer to be a part of creating Phase2Careers. 

“It all starts with a job,” she said.

I couldn’t agree more. But how to find that job is still the job seeker’s greatest challenge. 

As with all challenges, the more support you have the better your chances of overcoming and achieving. Phase2Careers can provide the “40-and-over” job seeker exactly the support needed in today’s world where the younger job seeker seems to be the preferred candidate.

San Carlos resident and Phase2 volunteer intern Bob Giusti says it best. “Phase2 gives me hope,” he said. 

Not only is Phase2Careers a great organization for support, connections and networking for the “40-and-over” job seeker. It’s also a place to come together with others just like you who are dealing with the difficulties associated with finding viable opportunities in today’s job market. 

When you attend your first meeting you realize a substantial fact about your personal situation: You are not alone. And you are armed with that fact you begin to feel a little better about yourself. I know I did.

For more information and upcoming events sponsored by Phase2Careers, visit www.phase2careers.org.

Kimberly Ewertz is a San Bruno resident who is a longtime freelance writer with years of experience in the human resources industry as well. She is also currently taking writing and biology classes at local colleges to keep her skills fresh.