The Patent and Trademark Office is on the lookout for Baby Boomer scientists and engineers to work as patent examiners. They don't just recruit college graduates. The agency needs to fill 1,200 patent examiner positions annually for the next six years to keep up with skyrocketing demand for patents.
Their recruitment efforts have worked. In the past couple of years, the agency has hired nearly 300 Baby Boomer patent examiners. They have found that Baby Boomers looking to begin their second, third or fourth careers are looking for a challenge. We want to continue in our field we’re in, but we want more flexibility. Such flexibilities are key in attracting Baby Boomers. Employees can report to work as late as 11:30 a.m. and even sneak in a golf game before work. We can also adjust our schedules to give ourselves a day off each week.
The Partnership for Public Service, a Washington public service advocacy group, launched an initiative earlier this year to encourage agencies to recruit more Baby Boomers. While federal managers oversee the employees, they are not paid by the federal government and their pay and benefits are handled by a grant organization.
The federal government should be a model employer for the nation in how it recruits and retains Baby Boomers. Keeping us in the work force longer could delay some of the negative effects of our upcoming Baby Boomer retirement wave. With the first of us set to collect Social Security next year, any increase in Baby Boomer income can help keep the economy afloat.
Agencies and other companies interested in skilled and experienced Baby Boomers should use nontraditional recruiting techniques, including partnering with organizations that represent us, offer flexible work situations and adapt jobs to meet the preferences and physical constraints Baby Boomers.
US Department of Commerce Patent and Trademark Office Jobs
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