Wiser Worker Blog

In the May 2008 edition of HR Magazine, the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) monthly publication, Robert J. Grossman speaks to the many benefits of employing “older” workers.  The opening caption states “Older employees — more than one-quarter of the workforce — bring experience to their jobs.   Research proves they are as productive as youth.   And by understanding aging, employers can make them even more productive.”

Indeed, “older” or mature workers, defined as persons age 50 and older, are typically very dependable and reliable, provide exceptional customer service experiences and connect to the general population in ways that younger workers just don’t seem to do.  At The Paradies Shops, our store managers have long since realized the additional value older workers offer.  Today, more than 30% of our total active workforce is comprised of workers 50 and older. 

Consider this.  Older workers have had so many more life experiences to reference when making decisions impacting customer service than a younger worker.  They’ve just lived longer, shopped more and had more opportunities to be on the good end, and bad end of a sales associate.  Those of us who have been the recipient of poor customer service are more likely to try to exceed customer expectations and that’s what it’s all about at Paradies – exceeding expectations. 

Older workers know it’s an instinct and a way of life to be courteous to strangers, to offer assistance when people look troubled and to be genuine and sincere to others.  For example, an older female associate might see a young female traveler negotiating an infant, diaper bag, umbrella stroller, purse and a cell phone and remember the day she was traveling with a small child when no one seemed to care or help.  As a result, she will be more likely reach out to our female customer and offer her assistance.  It’s those types of experiences The Paradies Shops customers commend our associates for delivering.  It’s part of our culture. 

But it’s more than the great institutional courtesy and customer service older workers offer.  Older workers take pride in the Company they represent.  They wear a uniform proudly; respect Company property, tools and equipment.  They respect scheduled start times and end times and know from many, many years of work experience – maybe even as a former manager – that every minute on the clock counts.  They know when you’re one minute late, you’re late and you’ve upset the entire schedule for the day. 

In the “older worker” category, The Paradies Shops employs 941 hourly associates and 95 management associates.  The oldest, Jerry “Coach” Johnson, a spry 90 year old legendary basketball coach from Memphis, Tennessee works 3 to 4 days a week and maintains a minimum of 20 hours per week to keep his status as part-time and enjoy the benefits Paradies offers to its part-timers including paid sick days and health insurance that most retailers typically extended to only full-time workers.  Coach is a natural.  He clocks in at least 5 minutes early for every shift, works a full day, keeps his uniform in order and never lets a customer leave without flashing his best smile and saying “Have a nice day.”  We need a couple hundred more just like him. 

Yes, “older workers” might be considered dinosaurs by some employers, and we thank them for doing so.  Send them to us.  We’re happy to have them help us achieve our mission “to maintain first class standards which exceed the expectations of the customers and business partners we serve.”  The door’s open, we’re hiring. 

First, don’t panic. When you’re faced with the prospect of an unexpected job search, or a planned job search you’ll need to act deliberately — not just fast.

Ramping up to land a new job quickly after a layoff, a downsizing, or company relocation takes thoughtful planning despite the urgency of the task. More professional and middle managers have been laid off since March 2007 than in the previous three years, according to Right Management, an outplacement and career transition consulting firm. “The trick to a successful transition is not to panic,” says Doug Matthews, President and CEO of Right Management. “You don’t want to hit the market in a chaotic fashion,” he says.

Take stock of your finances.

Identify and prioritize your bills and debt. An immediate need for cash flow may require you to take a temporary assignment. “It can give you a sense of productivity and give you some good experience,” says Mr. Matthews who notes that the number of people taking temp work has risen 10% in the last two years.

Create a planned job search strategy.

Despite the need to mobilize a quick job search “you don’t want to send out a bunch of things into the marketplace without any thought behind it,” says Mr. Matthews. Take some time to step back and create a thoughtful and measured approach to your job hunt. Be specific about the position you want and target the companies where you want to work.

If there is an onslaught of professionals in your field who are flooding the market, think creatively about where to apply for your next position — consider a smaller company or another industry that may need your skills.

Determine your market worth.

Conduct research with several executive recruiters, career coaches and others in similar positions to the one you’re seeking to determine what salary and benefits you can request. If you happen to be in an industry that is in general contraction, make a checklist of your skills and identify those that are transferable to other industries that are in a growth mode.

Practice your pitch.

No matter how quickly you need to land a job, make sure you take at least 72 hours to process your emotional reaction to job loss. You don’t want to jump in immediately, but rather practice your pitch until it is devoid of as much anxiety and negative emotion as possible. Try it on friends or family, then a trusted colleague or mentor. A successful job search is partly about how you present yourself. “You’ve got to be out there telling people about yourself,” says John A. Challenge, president of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Polish and post your resume.

A resume is your window and calling card to the world of work. Make sure it highlights the position you want, your key accomplishments and measurable results of those accomplishments. Post your resume on the Internet at general and industry specific job boards as well as social networking sites like LinkedIn. Make sure it gets in the hands of executive recruiters as well. “You don’t want to leave any stone unturned,” says Mr. Challenger.

Network, network, network.

An estimated 42% of people found their job through a networking contact, according to a Right Management survey. To that end, make a list of contacts from your college or university and former companies, to charities and volunteer organizations. Reach out and tell them what kind of position you would like, but “never ask anyone for a job,” says Mr. Matthews. “Instead ask them for information and referrals.” Find a contact who can introduce you to a decision maker at companies where you want to work. And take heart, nearly two-thirds of the 21,000 professionals that Right Management serves annually end up finding a job within 90 days.

(This post was written by Joe Rinaldi, the General Sales Manager of the Houston and San Antonio Employment Guides. Joe can be reached at joe.rinaldi@employmentguide.com for questions and comments regarding this article.)

Picture courtesy of http://inveraray.ning.com/

So how long have you had to wait to hear from various and sundry employers regarding jobs that you have applied for?  Two days?  Two weeks? Two months?!

You are not alone.

It definitely is a Hurry-Up-And-Wait game in the job search world.

What the game board looks like:

The employer advertises that there is a job opening in their business. You put your game piece into place and start your moves around the board.  You get the application, fill it in, write a cover letter, and take them back to the business or send them in, submit a resume if requested, contact your references to let them know they may be called by this employer….and wait.  And wait.  And WAIT!

By this time your game piece has already moved six or seven times on the board.  If you are a lucky player, you were able to jump two or three spaces ahead for various reasons.  You may have landed on the

“If you had a resume already prepared, move ahead three spaces.”

Or you may get to move ahead two places and jump five other applicants if

“You personally know the employer or one of your references knows the employer”.

Other extra moves may come if you land on the space that that says,

“Timing is everything. You turned in your application early so move ahead three spaces.”

Your goal is to get around the board as quickly as possible, and not have to go back any spaces because you forgot to sign the application, or you didn’t fill in every box on the application, you wore sweat pants and a T-shirt, or shorts and flip-flops when you took your application back.  There are so many things that one can do to have to move backwards on the Hurry Up and Wait game board.  But the clever, motivated and patient job search players have the advantage, they are always moving forward – not back.

Two moves that can help reduce the anxiety:

1. Ask the employer at the beginning of the process when they expect to make a decision of who gets interviewed
2. Call after a week if you have not heard anything and ask if there has been a decision made on when the employer will be interviewing applicants.

Of course the player/applicant would not ask if they specifically have been chosen to be interviewed - just when.

Patience is very important

Employers are very busy and things do come up that interfere with the interview process.  For every job that is advertised, unless it is a highly technical job, there are 30-60 applicants.  It takes time to review each application, to read each resume, to check references (some employers check references BEFORE they decide to interview which is why you never want to say “references upon request”), to find a time to interview 5-10 people and double check with their current employees to see if they want to move up or across and take the job.  Just remember that for the employer it is also a Hurry Up And Wait process. They are not being rude. It is not personal.  Just do your part and play your game well. Make the smart moves.  And then of course…wait.

This guest post was written by Ginger Campbell. She has worked for the AARP Foundation for 32 years and was a Project Director for the Senior Employment program that helped over 5,500 mature job seekers in Humboldt and Sonoma Counties in. Northern CA. She is now the National Program Coordinator/WorkSearch SCSEP.

I was fortunate to grow up with parents who taught me to be polite and respectful. Those qualities have been extremely beneficial in my life and career. In fact my father used to say to me:

“You know, son, if you weren’t respectful I would still love you, but I would miss you.”

He had many, many sayings like this that always made his point very clear. There was one particular saying that he began using on me when I was a teenager. This particular quip always stopped me dead in my tracks. I had no argument. It went something like this:

Dad: “Are you smarter today than when you were 10 years ago?”

Me: “Yes Dad”

Dad: “Are you smarter today than you were 5 years ago?”

Me: “Yes Dad”

Dad: “Well imagine how smart you are going to be when you are MY age!”

Whenever my brother or I would disagree with our father’s decision, he would say this, and we could do nothing but agree with him. You know what? He was right all along. Now that I am 30 years old, I look back and think about how much I have learned since my teenage years.

What Did I Learn

I’m much wiser, I’m a better listener, I’m a harder worker, I’m more punctual, I’m more focused, and I make better decisions. Well guess what, in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and further, I plan on being even better.

OK, so where am I going with this?

Older = More Experienced

Older = More Loyal

Older = Wiser

With all of this information right in your face and with anti-discrimination laws in place, there are still companies who are hesitant to hire the older workforce. WHY? Why would any company make a decision to ignore what is potentially the MOST qualified pool of candidates available? I believe that in some cases, younger hiring managers are intimidated by the older workforce and tend to hire peers or people younger than them. Let me be the first to say that I would not want to work for a company with that type of poor decision making.

While it wasn’t intentional, every one of my employees is older than I am, and I couldn’t be happier about that. I have the opportunity everyday to learn from and work with experienced, wise, and dedicated people. Even though I would never base a hiring decision on age, I have found the qualities that I am looking for in my current older staff. And for that I would like to thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me the lessons that are so valuable to me now.

Giving Thanks to Mom and Dad

Thank you for teaching me that with age comes wisdom.

Thank you for teaching me to be polite and respect my elders.

And above all, thank you for giving me the tools to teach the same to the next generation.

This article was written by Joe Fagan, the General Sales Manager of the Boston / Providence Employment Guide. To contact Joe regarding this article or for general questions, please send him an email at joe.fagan@employmentguide.com.

At the time of this article, we are paying $4.79/gallon for gas in California.  By tomorrow morning I suspect that the price will be history and $4.79 will look strangely appealing.  Therefore, now is definitely the time to start developing the good habit of planning ahead each time the key hits the ignition.

Compared to most of the world, truly we are a spoiled country.  We have become accustomed to the luxury of “running down to the store”, “dropping off the children at practice”, or announcing, “I’ll be right back” as we drive to get a cup of coffee, a soda, a sandwich or whatever. Unless you are wealthy, now the time has come to beat the pump and become a gas-buster.  A few of my suggestions are not new but a reminder:  expand your one or two errands in to several errands at a time, buy enough food for the week-not the day, if you need something specific then use the telephone for verifying that the desired item/product is available, use the bus or other public transportation, bicycle, walk more often, car pool, ask family and/or friends to share the price of the gas if you are transporting them, and do offer to help pay for their gas if they are transporting you, ask others what they do to conserve gas. Personally, I am thinking of asking for a tank of gas for my birthday! 

Most importantly, do adopt the practice of planning ahead, especially in your job search activities.  Make a list of potential employers, check out the employers’ websites and their addresses, and if there is not an  on-line application process, actually map out the shortest route to drop off your resumes in an organized fashion.  This is the most effective and efficient gas conserving way to proceed. UPS even has taken this a step farther and they require all routes to be mapped out to take right turns only to save gas and time!  Choose one full morning, one full afternoon, or one entire day to apply for jobs to avoid the piece-meal approach of the “one-here-one-there” method.  Call first to find out the business hours where you want to apply, and ask if it is permissible to drop off a resume or to fill out an application, or double check to see if they have an on-line application process – no need to waste a trip.  Always keep several up to date and clean resumes in a folder just in case, while on your errand day, you come across an opportunity to apply for a job.

Save money, save gas. Take the time and plan ahead.  You definitely can do this. Become a GAS BUSTER!!

Ginger Campbell has worked for the AARP Foundation for 32 years. She was a Project Director for the Senior Employment program for 30 years and helped over 5,500 mature job seekers in Humboldt and Sonoma Counties in. Northern CA. She is now the National Program Coordinator/WorkSearch SCSEP.

That’s the title of a book by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners.  She is interviewed in an article from the Battle Creek Enquirer.  The book aims to help individuals prepare to plan for the future and leverage the opportunities that you have maybe instead of the traditional retirement. 

The article was pretty interesting and presented a future of possibilities for the 50+ crowd. 

Findings from AARP research suggests the number of workers age 50 and older is only going to increase. It is estimated that in 2012, nearly 20 percent of the workforce will be age 55 and older, an increase from 13 percent in 2000. Also, 68 percent of workers over the age of 50, who have not yet retired, say they plan to work in some capacity into their retirement years or not retire at all.

“Certain careers in Michigan, especially the healthcare and emerging technologies industries, are going to be experiencing a void, and we can help fill that gap with our 50 + workers,” Thomas E. Kimble, Executive Council Volunteer for Economic Security and Work for AARP Michigan, said. “It’s our job to prepare these workers for those career opportunities.”

… A rapidly growing number of people over 50 are thinking of retirement not as a time to quit work entirely, but as a chance to switch to work that better suits them and is more fulfilling. Many of them crave work that allows them to share their accumulated wisdom and stay engaged while paying some bills.

Read: Work at 50-Plus: New age of possibility and purpose, Battle Creek Enquirer

And really it’s not just the older workers who are shifting towards this idea of going back to a community college or school to relearn skills or to learn an entirely new set of skills.  With the economy changing, there are plenty of people questioning whether their career choice was the right one.

The great thing about the 40+ worker is that you’ll have some of your retirement savings to support you and might be more able (due to finances, family situation, etc.)  to go back and really consider a job that you just enjoy.  Then again, maybe not everyone will be so fortunate. The point is that this is a time in your life to view as an opportunity and to really find out what new possibilities await you. 

photo by sirwiseowl

When I attended my younger sister’s graduation a few years back, I was instantly struck when the speaker informed the entire graduating class to go out into the workforce with high expectations, but to be aware that they would be the first generation that would not be more successful than their parents.

I thought this was an odd comment, and struck me as very different then any motivational speech I had ever heard before. I was waiting for feedback from the audience, but no one said anything. After the ceremony I started talking to my parents about how strange this was, and why anyone would ever make such a non-motivating point at a college graduation. As we discussed the point further, I realized he was right.

My sister & I would never have the ability to buy a house, raise a family in that house and then sell it for a 2000% increase 20 years later. We would most likely never have a job that offered us a pension plan at a mandatory retirement age, and we would see more job changes in 10 years than our parents saw during their entire career.

Unfortunately, the last point is not holding up as well for some of our parents these days. The economy is changing and companies have become efficient at “right sizing” their organizations with the advancement of technology. One of the biggest demographics affected by these changes is older workers.

According to an article by Barbara Rose,

…older workers are typically more susceptible to layoffs because of their higher pay. Employers have been able to justify layoffs of older workers because it is a cost reduction and not discrimination. Unfortunately it can become very difficult to find a new job that is equal in responsibility and pay because companies can now hire younger workers for a lot less money.

In her article How Older Workers Can Rebound From A Job Loss, Eve Tahmincioglu, a contributor for MSNBC, suggests other reasons that older workers may find job hunting difficult:

Employers fear lower productivity due to health complications

Older workers typically have a specific skill set developed after years on the job versus a wide range of skill sets developed by multiple career changes

But all is not lost…Thanks to organizations like the AARP & the Department of Elder Affairs, as well as niche job boards like wiserworker.com, there are more resources than ever before to help experienced workers find the perfect job opportunities. Here are some interesting ideas for older workers as they begin looking for a new job or starting a new career.

1. Start Looking Before You Get Laid Off: No matter what age you are it is always easier to present yourself as the right solution for an employer’s needs when you are currently working. Sometimes lay offs may be unexpected, but if there is any indication that a downsizing may be coming at least start putting “feelers” out in the market. And never quit a job before you have something else lined up…it’s not going to be near as catastrophic to your employer as you think and the only one who gets hurt is you.
2. Do Some Soul Searching: If you have been laid off, now is your time to step back from the craziness of every day life and figure out what you really want to be doing not what you think you need to be doing. Follow that direction…most of us don’t get that chance too often.
3. Dumb Down Your Resume: Unfortunately your 30 years of experience may scare off potential employers because they may assume you require more than the job can pay. If they are looking for 10 years of experience, then adjust your resume to include 10-15 years of employment experience. The interview process is the time for both employers and jobseekers to figure out if the fit is right, so use the age old sales trick and save some of your best qualities for the interview to help set yourself apart.
4. Put Personal Networking First: 30 years in the business world has earned you much more than a company watch, it has earned you a lifetime worth of contacts. Use these contacts to help secure your new position.
5. Target Companies Where the Leadership Skews Older: If the company’s execs tend to be older you may actually have an advantage. It may be difficult to sell yourself as a future leader of an organization to a 30 year old who just received 10 million dollars to start an Internet company.
6. Be Patient: remember this is your opportunity to find the perfect job for you.
7. Use Technology: Use the internet to search for jobs on sites like www.wiserworker.com or begin social networks on sites like www.LinkedIn.com. Technology can help you connect with people much faster than you were able to even just a few years ago.

So, for older workers that have been laid off and are looking for a new job…Good Luck! And remember you have an advantage that younger workers will never be able to compete with…Experience.

(This article was written by Patrick O’Brien. Patrick is the General Sales Manager of the Orlando Employment Guide. For questions regarding this article or for general questions please send Patrick an email at orlandojobs@employmentguide.com.)

“As the world redefines what it means to turn 50, so does AARP. This year we’re celebrating 50 years of service to America.”

People around the globe recognize what AARP is and you probably would find it difficult to find a person over the age of 30 who doesn’t know who they are, but how many people know how they started or who their founder was?  They are such a large organization that I would guess that people forget  the details that make AARP who it is.  Details as significant as who and why they started and it’s a pretty fascinating story.   Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus a school teacher originally formed AARP because she was surprised to discover that retired educators had no health insurance and inadequate pensions. Dr. Andrus created National Retired Teachers Association in 1947 to give the teachers the help they needed and deserved. Her program became so popular that in 1958 Dr. Andrus established AARP available to anyone who was over the age of 65.

“To Serve, Not to Be Served” was Dr. Andrus’s motto and that still remains AARP’s motto today. Today they operated under the same motto and practices that Dr. Andrus founded in part to honor her but mostly to serve the better population of people over 65.  Their overall goal is to change lives and leave the world a better place, and through their programs and services they achieve that goal. AARP has so many programs that enrich the lives almost too many to mention I invite you to visit their website to explore all they have to offer.  

WiserWorker.com  proudly collaborates with the AARP Foundation’s  SCSEP Program (Senior Community Service Employment Program) they operate in many states they offer mature adults assistance finding jobs that fit into their active lifestyle.  Their Grand Parenting Program works with grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and need assistance. They even have a program that can help you ensure that you are not paying too much for your health insurance.

Today is a big milestone for AARP…..they are FINALLY old enough to be members.   All jokes aside today is a big day for a organization and I am very happy to send warm regards and here’s to another 50!