Wiser Worker Blog

AARP Foundation Bridging the Gap Job Fair AARP Foundation is sponsoring a free job fair on Thursday, October 16, 2008 from 10 – 2 pm.  Employers will be interviewing on the spot.

In addition to employers there will be free workshops on topics such as, “Age Discrimination, is it Real?” Many people over 40 feel they are unable to find work because of age discrimination. Now they will have the opportunity to talk to experts in the field at this workshop. Motivational speaker, Mike Howard will deliver a presentation from his latest book, “From Ordinary to EXTRAordinary: Success begins Within”. Workshops covering resume preparation, and interviewing skills. The job fair finale features an affordable Fashion Show for job seekers on a budget. All workshops are free to the public.

Check WiserWorker.com for all the latest job fair information.

My dear friend Google is 10 years old today!  All grown up and still in my mind; the most valuable resource on the internet!  I can’t believe it’s ONLY been ten years. I can’t remember what life was like before Google, but if you are interested to see what they looking like ten years ago visit here: try a search from our early days.  They have certainly made improvements over the years but remain the most reliable search engine to me.

Admittedly, I am a Google junkie, there are very few decisions I make that I don’t first consult my friend; Google. Over the years Google has helped me find my way to places unknown, with accuracy. Google has served more than once as my vacation planner and what to do on those vacations. Google guides job seeker to WiserWorker.com, in an hour of need to help people find jobs.   Let’s not forget without Google alerts I would be lost.  Google keeps me informed, it’s their job and they do it well.

So thank you Google you are my light in a dim room of questions!

Happy Birthday and here’s to many more years to come

What does $2 trillion dollars look like?  I am having a hard time picturing it, and we miss it, since it disappeared from retirement funds.  When $2 trillion dollars disappears it gets everyone’s attention and FAST.   I just read a story on CNN  and they are reporting that retirement plans suffered a loss of $2 trillion dollars.  To me this is much more of a crisis than a bunch of CEO’s who frankly are probably overpaid losing their jobs.  Still what does $2 trillion dollars look like?  I know it is a enormous amount of money and I worry that what a loss of this magnitude will do the older worker.

What $2 Trillion Dollars will buy?

·         Fully fund the cost of healthcare for the 47 million Americans who have none, thru the year 2020.

·         Fund almost 2 billion full scholarships-that’s 6 times the population of the U.S.

·         Adequately clothe, feed and nurture every child orphaned by war or inflicted by savage cruelty and abuse.

We now know what $2 trillion dollars will buy, but what does a loss of $2 trillion dollars mean to older workers?  That’s right the people who have been WORKING and saving for 20 plus years towards the next phase of their lives? For those people the cost is HUGE and painful. We’re talking about money that they needed to live on in their golden years and guess what there lucrative buyout plan isn’t waiting for them.

What does $2 Trillion Dollars look like to the older worker?

·         More years they have to remain in the workplace.

·         Less trips to see the grandkids.

·         Less money to be able to invest in the golden years.

·         Rising mortgage payments.

·         Increased healthcare costs.

To the older worker $2 trillion dollars is a lot of money and amounts to miss opportunities and empty dreams. They must and will continue to stay in the workforce out of necessity.  $2 trillion dollars is much more money that I thought.

Over the last few weeks I have been doing research on the older worker in general, but specifically on the older worker returning to the workplace. We know that our labor market is shrinking and we need the older job seekers to fill the open positions.   That’s what we know but what I didn’t know was how we can get them hired – or simply put get the older worker in front of the hiring managers.

I set out to learn: What the REAL perception of the recruiting manager of the older worker?  What does the term “older worker” mean to recruiters and the population at large?  How does the average younger co-worker interact with their older co-workers?  What is the perceived value of the older worker to a business?  Lot’s questions, since I had them I would imagine that maybe you do as well. So here is what I found out…

What is an “older worker”?  Of course there is not a simple answer but according to researches Gergen and Gergen found that current American perception is that “those between ages 18 and 35 were considered young; those between 35 and 60 were considered middle aged, and those between 65 and 80 were considered old.” Current generations do not think of themselves as “old” until age 80.   And we know that anyone over 40 is protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and you are eligible for AARP at the ripe young age of 50. 

One could surmise that a worker starts to be older worker at age forty for hiring purposes.     

Play Nice? We have several different generations in the workplace; each generation has different goals and expectations of the workplace. Even with the different values, attitudes and expectations the different generations   have found a common ground in the workplace and work well together. Its phenomenon has left management with the task of muddling through generational differences that different groups have created; it’s nothing more than a process. 

Traditionalists: Born before 1946

Baby Boomer: 1946-1964

Generation X: 1965-1980

Generation Y: Born since 1980

What do older worker bring to the table? Older workers have a good work ethic, and a good attitude toward work. Employers over the last 15 years have the skills of the older workers highly when it comes to loyalty, dependability, experience, and customer relations.

Workers 55 and older…

…can serve as mentors to younger workers.

…adapt well to new technology.

…are eager for training.

…have great loyalty to the company.

…are flexible.

When all is said and done, I think older workers have come a long way in the mind of the recruiters. Business need to realize that older workers are very positive about themselves and the company they work for. They see themselves as more reliable than younger workers, more productive, and as having great loyalty to the company.

Do you live in Richmond, VA and are a working adult over the age of 40?  If you are then you have many options to find employment.  We work with many different programs that benefit your age demographic.

Goodwill of Central Virginia: We can assist you in becoming independent through the power of work through a range of intake and employment services, such as career development assistance, and job placement services.

WiserWorker.com: WiserWorker.com is dedicated to providing quality employment opportunities and resources to the largest demographic group in the country, the Baby Boomers

AARP Foundation: The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a work-training program for low-income job seekers age 55 and older.

There are many programs that can help you the older worker find employment opportunities.  Visit the program website to see how they can help you find employment today!

What a great industry to celebrate – Customer Service. In 1992 congress designated this week National Customer Service Week.  For the last 16 years it has been honored during this week a time when companies honor their front line stars for the service that they lend in taking care of customers all across America.

The theme of this year’s festivities is fitting: One Team - One Goal. The theme speaks to the global need of working together to achieve customer satisfaction through excellent customer service.  

To learn more about how you can honor your customer service team visit http://www.csweek.com/www.csweek.com. To learn about how you can find a customer service position visit WiserWorker.com.

To the professionals who are in the customer service industry hats off to you! 

Thank you for your service. 

Everyday businesses across the United States make decisions, some tough and some are easy. Hiring new employees are one of the most difficult decisions managers have to make. Why? Well if you hire the wrong candidate you run the risk of actual hurting your business.  When you hire someone you are actually hiring people to represent you and your business. Still need convincing?  Here are the obvious outcomes of hiring the wrong candidate:

1. Conflict:  How much of your time is spent trying to get employees to communicate more effectively with you or their co-workers. 

2. Poor Productivity: This is the number one business issue today.  

3. Errors: Some people have the competencies to be trained quickly, continue processing new information and multi-task. Others don’t and create the costly errors that their teammates are forced to solve.

4. Lost Customers & Sales:  You know when you’re business is experiencing conflict, apathy, low motivation and errors. So do your customers; and they won’t put up with it.

If you really care about YOUR customers that keep you in business, stop hiring the wrong people and stop losing clients to your competitors.  The topic at hand is WHY should employers hire older workers?  Today I learned a pretty amazing statistic about the older jobseeker.

The turnover rate for employees under 30 is six times greater than that of employees that are over 50.

Do you need any more proof you need older workers for your business?  Email me I will help you, in your mission to hire older workers.

The older job seeker has been on my mind more than usual over the last few weeks.  It’s nearly impossible to escape the media coverage on the bailout crisis the American economy; I find myself entranced by it for many reasons.  Most of all because it has a direct impact on the American job seeker and I think it has a more direct impact on the older job seeker. The older job seeker the one who have already worked HARD for the last 30 years and has been saving for the time when they could kick it into cruise control and enjoy their lives and what the next phase may bring. What happens to them?  That’s what’s been on my mind over the last few days and leaves me with the question:  “What’s next for the older worker?”   

The only conclusion I can come up with that makes any sense to me is this: Keep moving forward and stay positive - Keep your head to the grindstone.  Companies need to continue to hire qualified employees to keep their business moving forward. American’s need to continue to go to work and spend their paychecks and we will rebound.  Simply put if everyday every Americans move forward a little bit at a time we and our economy will recover.  In the meantime stay tuned to WiserWorker.com for useful hints and skills that will help you get a job. Check often for job opening in your area and we will still have job fairs in markets across the country.

Its business as usual at WiserWorker.com we’re moving forward!

American Specialty Health is the latest company to make a commitment to older workers and join WiserWorker.com in the quest to get older workers hired! I am excited to share what I know about their company and to direct you to their job openings.  They are hiring for lots of different positions from administrative to management, you can check out their job listings online at WiserWorker.com. 

American Specialty Health is one of the nation’s premier personal health improvement organizations, providing specialty benefit programs, fitness programs, health coaching and worksite wellness programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds nationwide. Based in beautiful San Diego; they have over 600 employees and cover more than 13.4 million members in specialty benefit, fitness, and coaching programs.

They have both Full time and part time positions available; excellent benefits for all shifts!  

What makes American Specialty Health such a great place to work? I took a look at their website and they have lots of great employee perks too many to mention.  Just to give you a preview here are a few:

·         Exercise Rewards Program (employees receive cash for working out)

·         Eleven paid holidays plus Floating Holiday

·         From our corporate-casual dress code (Jeans & Tennis shoes Monday-Friday!)

I encourage you to take a company tour on their website via video. Then come back to WiserWorker.com!  Let American Specialty Health know you heard about them here! 

Good Luck!

Have you Googled your name? These days the results that do or don’t come up for your name could very well make or break the decision on whether or not you get the job. So let’s say you search for your name and either nothing comes up or some negative things come up. Now what?

1. Try various versions of your name. Full name with middle initial, nickname (i.e. Steve, vs. Steven) You want to see what information is out there. Usually the name you put on your resume is the name that will be searched in Google. You can avoid or draw attention to certain search results based on what name you use on your resume.

2. Use Current & Create Profiles Online. One way to deal with bad or no press is to bury it with the information you want people to see. Utlize sites like LinkedIn, HiredIn, ZoomInfo, Emurse and other sites that allow you to create professional profiles and include your experience and expertise information. Manage your privacy settings on MySpace or Facebook for less than professional items. You don’t have to remove everything - employers understand that you have a life outside of your day job - but make sure inappropriate material is not available.

3. Start Discussing. How can you distinguish yourself in your industry? You can browse LinkedIn Answers, participate in discussions on a industry-specific forum where you can showcase your expertise, comment on blogs or start your own. These are great ways to boost your search results.

4. Stay On Top of Things. Sign up for Google Alerts to get emails when a new search result shows up with your name in it. Knowing is half the battle, right? So this way you can be prepared and know what is out there.

This post was originally posted at the Atlanta’s Job Spot. Photo credit to sbblackley.