AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50

Note: (They also have a list for the best Healthcare Employers for those over 50)
http://www.aarp.org/work/employee-benefits/info-09-2009/Best_Healthcare_Employers_2009.html



AARP Best Employers for Workers Over 50
http://www.aarp.org/work/employee-benefits/best_employers/

2009 Winners from: AARP September 2009


1. Cornell University
2. First Horizon National Corporation
3. National Institutes of Health
4. The YMCA of Greater Rochester
5. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
6. S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
8. Stanley Consultants
9. Brevard Public Schools
10. George Mason University
11. City of Glendale, Arizona
12. Securian Financial Group
13. Deptartment of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
14. Nevada Federal Credit Union
15. Pinnacol Assurance
16. Oklahoma City University
17. Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation
18. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
19. DentaQuest
20. Adecco Group North America
21. Manheim
22. Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Executive Branch
23. Lee County Electric Cooperative
24. Virginia Commonwealth University
25. GlaxoSmithKline
26. The Aerospace Corporation
27. ACUITY
28. Harvard University
29. Pepco Holdings, Inc.
30. F.E.G.S. Health and Human Services System
31. San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind
32. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
33. University of Pittsburgh
34. Solix Inc.
35. Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC
36. S&T Bank
37. Michelin North America
38. Pearson
39. Corinthian Colleges,Inc.
40. FCCI Insurance Group
41. Hanson Professional Services Inc.
42. Union Bank
43. MEI Technologies, Inc.
44. Intel Corporation
45. FINRA
46. Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, Inc.
47. Georgia Department of Human Resources
48. Express Employment Professional
49. Prestige Services, Inc
50. University of St. Thomas

What advice would you offer on breaking into the Medical Device Field ... particularly, a sales job?

I get this question at least once every few weeks. Here's my take: If the job seeker is not on Linkedin, s/he should join immediately if not sooner! The second action item I'd suggest is to join relevant "medical devices" and "healthcare" or "health care" groups on Linked in. Many groups have job boards where jobs appear there and no where else. Also, for those in sales, you need to proactively put yourself out there and sell yourself. I realize there's a thin line between promoting oneself and being too aggressive, but someone with good sales skills will find that balance. Selling yourself in this market is likely one of the hardest sales you'll make, but there are jobs out there, and someone has to get them. Why not you?! As for the medical devices field, while I do not want to discourage anyone, I think job seekers should be realistic and remain flexible. It's a bit easier in this market to get an entry level job, but the seasoned ones are going to those with experience, and the market is flooded with qualified and over qualified folks. The timing is not right to break into this field unless it's an entry-level spot. The timing may be better in a year or so. There are a number of companies that have training programs, and that likely will be your best bet other than networking and getting someone to refer you internally. I cannot recall specifically, but there are a few well-publicized websites that you can subscribe to. You can, of course, do a Google search. There's a dedicated industry site: http://www.medicaldevicesalesjob.com/ and another is medrep.com that often lists companies that have training programs in addition to ore seasoned jobs (job seekers can subscribe to this website alert). Check the separate post here on the best Medical Devices/Life Sciences URLs. There are some great links there. Hope this helps. What do others think?