Marilyn overcame age-related barriers and landed employment during a tough job market thanks to the free assistance she received from CareerForce – plus healthy doses of persistence and optimism.
Marilyn, who is in her 60s, lost work in October 2024 after the grant money that funded her position at a government agency ended. She immediately turned to CareerForce for help because of the assistance she received in 2012, after she was laid off after 20 years at another company.
“I’ve gone through other sources for job coaching but what I’ve always found going through CareerForce is that I got more support,” said Marilyn about the career planning and job search assistance she received through CareerForce. “CareerForce is more structured, it gives more practical guidance, and it gives us emotional support – you need to be seen and heard when you are in job search mode, you need to have validation that you have valuable skill sets and that there are opportunities out there.”
Marilyn has utilized a variety of CareerForce services, including engaging in individual appointments, attending online workshops, utilizing Creative Job Search and participating in an online job club.
Marilyn has high praise CareerForce job clubs. “I am impressed with CareerForce professionals, and their knowledge, you can tell they do their research that keeps them updated on the latest trends like ATS (applicant tracking systems), AI, and job trends. We have to be mindful how we come across to recruiters and hiring managers and be mindful there is age discrimination out there.”
Finding work as an older adult can be very challenging. Marilyn notes that while older job seekers can edit their resume, only going back 10 years for job experience and removing information that reveals their age, eventually they will have an interview and then their age may be apparent.
“Going outside of the norm that’s what you have to do. I got the courage to do that and tackle some of the obstacles that are there,” explained Marilyn about how job club helped her step outside her comfort zone, recognize the wealth of skills she brings as an experienced older worker and take steps to find employment. “It was through Jason’s (CareerForce staff person Jason Pangiarella) encouragement and that of the online job club. Many of the people in the job club are older workers, we bring a wealth of knowledge, but we are often overlooked.”
Marilyn says she found work because of this advice to do things differently. She applied for a position with a non-profit employer she was interested in, and she was rejected for that position. But she didn’t give up. She reached out to a contact at that organization via LinkedIn. That outreach eventually led to a contract position and then eventually a full-time permanent position with the organization in November of 2025. It was a long job search: nearly a year from when she was laid off until she landed the permanent position – but she landed in exactly the right place. Marilyn loves what she is doing now and hopes to work there until she retires, closing out her career in a place where she can serve the greater good.
Marilyn reached out to Jason to thank him for the help he offered in her job search, saying: “I've provided your contact information as well as other CareerForce information to multiple people recently, in fact one referral was provided today. Your ability to not let people lose their optimism and faith in their skills, experience, and talents, is truly a gift to many.”
Marilyn says she’ll continue sharing information about CareerForce with people she knows who are out of work. She explains that any way she can encourage someone else is rewarding to her. Marilyn offers this closing thought about why anyone looking for work in Minnesota should consider turning to CareerForce for assistance.
Marilyn says CareerForce staff “instill in us the power to go after what we want. We provide the knowledge, we need to do that, but we also need the empowerment, confidence and courage from others.”
