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Staffing for the golden years
After 12 years of working at Oracle Corp., selling business applications for its government division, Jerry Kueny decided to venture out on his own.
On April 2, after two years of research and development – and with help from his wife, Denise, and an advisory board -- Kueny launched his company, Senior Staff (www.seniorstaff.com), an Internet job search site tailored to workers 50 and older.
How did you come up with the idea of SeniorStaff.com?
The inspiration for Senior Staff came while reading an article by Ben Stein about how "work adds shine to the golden years." As I dug deeper into it, the effect of 77 million workers exiting the workforce became clear. If organizations are to remain competitive, they are going to need to rely on older workers, and they’ll need to develop a strategy to recruit them. This revelation sparked the idea, “Why not create an online venue where older workers and companies can find each other?”
What is the importance of having the job employment site be age restrictive?
Senior Staff does not ask for your age. However, the site is intended for job seekers over age 50 -- we call them Senior Staffers.
Older workers get lost in the shuffle of the big online job search sites. These sites emphasize polished resumes and sophisticated keyword search algorithms. Many workers over 50 have a lot of experience but no resume. Others are at a stage in their life where they want to start a new career or adopt a more flexible work schedule. So we built a site that highlights skills and experience, allowing the Senior Staffer to express their work interests.
When did SeniorStaff.com launch? How many prototypes did you go through? What was the thought process in the site structure?
I started doing research and developing the concept in 2006. I spent a lot of time looking at job search Web sites and talking to older workers. I turned my findings into a set of requirements. Then my wife and I built out some very detailed use cases, which became the blueprint for the site.
SeniorStaff.com was finally launched on April 2. With hundreds of Senior Staffers already signed up and less than 10 requests for customer support, our first goal has been reached.
Tell me about the site – features, templates, format for receiving info, search functions, etc.
Specifically designed for older workers, the work profile allows Senior Staffers to select their preferred work schedule and to describe their work interests. User registration follows a very simple step-by-step process. Resumes are optional.
For employers, we created a dashboard where hiring managers can copy job postings, easily change them from open to closed and track candidates.
Employer subscription prices are very economical and include candidate search with every posting. The site is currently free for Senior Staffers.
Are there plans in the future for expanding the service or broadening the scope?
Right now, we are focused on the Mid-Atlantic region, from Philadelphia to Richmond. Our goal is to have employers and job seekers in all 50 states.
Once the Senior Staff brand is established and we have achieved our national coverage goal, we plan to construct a sister site that focuses on nonprofit organizations. Senior Staff will be a one-stop portal for seniors to find work and volunteer opportunities in their community. Needless to say, we can’t wait to deliver that part of our vision.
As we grow the business, I envision adding staff to handle customer support, sales and marketing and administrative operations. It goes without saying that all of these positions will be posted on SeniorStaff.com!
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