Wiser Worker Blog

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.

The people who have spent their careers being the watchdogs for the older demographic AARP has spoken and the winners are……

1 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
2 Scripps Health San Diego, CA
3 S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. Racine, WI
4 The YMCA of Greater Rochester Rochester, NY
5 Lee Memorial Health System Fort Myers, FL
6 Securian St. Paul, MN
7 First Horizon National Corporation Memphis, TN
8 Stanley Consultants Muscatine, IA
9 Bon Secours Richmond Health System Richmond, VA
10 Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Chicago, IL
11 National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD
12 Central Florida Health Alliance Leesburg, FL
13 Brevard Public Schools Viera, FL
14 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
15 Atlantic Health Morristown, NJ
16 TriHealth, Inc. Cincinnati, OH
17 Mercy Health System Janesville, WI
18 Adecco Group North America Melville, NY
19 Beaumont Hospitals Royal Oak, MI
20 L.L.Bean, Inc. Freeport, ME
21 Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA
22 Jennings Center for Older Adults Garfield Heights, OH
23 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Durham, NC
24 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
25 Pinnacol Assurance Denver, CO
26 Saint Vincent Health System Erie, PA
27 National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association Arlington, VA
28 Centegra Health System Crystal Lake, IL
29 Frankford Candy & Chocolate Co. Philadelphia, PA
30 Nashoba Valley Medical Center Ayer, MA
31 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
32 Wells Fargo & Company San Francisco, CA
33 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Newark, NJ
34 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
35 Northern California Presbyterian
Homes & Services San Francisco, CA
36 Manheim Atlanta, GA
37 ACUITY Sheboygan, WI
38 DentaQuest Charlestown, MA
39 The Aerospace Corporation El Segundo, CA
40 Express Personnel Services Oklahoma City, OK
41 Nevada Federal Credit Union Las Vegas, NV
42 Pepco Holdings Inc. Washington, DC
43 Michelin North America Greenville, SC
44 Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation Huntsville, AL
45 Pearson Upper Saddle River, NJ
46 CTTRANSIT Hartford, CT
47 Vanguard Valley Forge, PA
48 Centers for New Horizons Chicago, IL
49 Hanson Professional Services Inc. Springfield, IL
50 FINRA Washington, DC

The NPD Group, reported recently that Baby Boomers were taking the internet by storm…watch out teenagers your parents are surfing the web. 61% of Baby Boomers have viewed and downloaded video.  Videos give you a big impression in a bite size format and leave you wanting for more. This gets the baby boomer generation thinking and researching for more and that’s more information.  Guess what? The Older Worker Generation is spending 87% of their time surfing the internet, or about 123 minutes online daily.

Not only have that 41% of Baby Boomers been taking in the social networks sites, they are interacting.  That’s right they are taking advantage of the social features and meeting people. You might run into your parents on Facebook so you better be nice! These sites are no longer for the teeny boppers. 

On average the typical Boomer will experience two major life events surrounding career, family, finance or health each year. These events can and will have a major impact on attitudes, life goals and consumer behavior.  You bet they will turn to the internet to find solutions from finding a job to seeking advice and WiserWorker.com will be here to help.

Well great because guess what companies have started to realize your worth and have become enthused about your demographic according to media reports this week. The Employment Guide and WiserWorker.com has further proof that companies are ready to hire older workers.  The events had record turn outs as the National Employ The Older Worker Job Fair Series continues this week. Check out the local coverage:

Phoenix        Las Vegas     Louisville      Kansas City

It’s always exciting when you start to see a message catching on and today it is in the air, companies are and will continue to see the benefit of utilizing the skills and knowledge baby boomers and older workers alike have and we are ready to benefit from it. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the unemployment rate for workers 55 and older was 4.1% in August while the overall workforce unemployment rate is at 6.1%.  Yes that the proof in the numbers you need to know that while times are tough, tough people last and older worker have made it thought tough times before.  They know how to weather the storm and navigate your business

Blog posted by Albert Hagen Las Vegas Advertising Consultant

There is a silver lining to otherwise drab and dreary economic news lately. Today, September 23^rd we held our Wiser Worker Job Fair at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. There was a line of job seekers over 200 strong when the doors opened. Throughout the course of the day we had approximately 1800 job seekers. We had 24 recruiting companies including AARP Foundation providing assistance to the Wiser Workers in attendance. Even the new team came out click here to view…

Job seekers of all ages were very appreciative of the variety of opportunities available and many thanked us for holding such a positive upbeat event with so much opportunity. Recruiters were delighted with the number, variety and quality of Job Seekers. I was hugged by three different clients and kissed on the cheek by one recruiter who had over 250 qualified applications including 10 qualified supervisor candidates. It is amazing to watch The Employment Guide Magic in Action: Quality companies offering people of all walks of life jobs that will improve their lives.

Today I had the opportunity to cover a booth while a recruiter took lunch and I met two people who made an impact on me. A jobseeker who is ex-Marine who wanted to see the country (he has seen the world) and loved the idea of living and working in a National Park as a cook or a waiter and a 60 Plus year old man from Vietnam who was so excited at the opportunity of working in Zion National Park he thanked me over and over, it would be his dream job for any of the positions available. The recruiter from Xanterra, David Johnson was pleased with the event and both of these applicants. He will probably offer them jobs this week.

This is what we do at The Employment Guide, We bring opportunity to the workers for free and deliver workers to quality companies so they can grow and offer more opportunities.

This is a great time to be a part of Employment Guide!

In a time when nearly every news story has to do with the economy I stumbled upon a story today that made me giggle and I thought maybe just maybe you might like a break from the doom and gloom of our economy. So here goes:  today I read that the U.S. Mint will be releasing new pennies depicting the life of our 16^th president Abraham Lincoln. The coins will pay tribute to President Lincoln and I would assume serve as a collector’s item some day.

Enjoy our job fair series as it was designed for you and is our tribute to America’s older worker.

If you need more information drop me an email or call me (813) 775-6279.  

What was your experience?  Did you get hired?

Next week is the BIG week, the job fair series designed - just for you the older worker!  Visit WiserWorker.com for an event in your city. Are you ready for the job fair series?  Over the last few weeks WiserWorker.com has provided you will all the tips and tricks on how to get prepared for YOUR big day.  You have all the tools to make this day the day you found a job.

When you arrive at the job fair you will be ready because you took the time to do all the research we talked about in: Advanced Preparation for the Job Fair.  You wll be confident because you learned what type of questions you should ask employers when meet them: Job Interview Questions For the Employer. Let’s not even talk about how ready your resume is because you took the time to read Is Your Resume Job Fair Ready? Finally you are sure to the best dressed because you know what to wear to a job fair.

What’s left to get ready for the job fair?  You got it all! Go with confidence…you are prepared review the informationm put your best foot forward. Rememeber employers are eager to talk to you because you are the best candidate for their open positions.

My hope is that I gave you the information you needed to be ready, but if you need more information drop me an email or call me (813) 775-6279.   After the event let me know what happened: Did you get hired?

Good Luck…..You won’t need it you took the time to prepare.   

Our job fair series banner week is NEXT week, and it just for you the older worker! Visit WiserWorker.com for an event in your city. Are you ready for the job fair series?    My hope is that we can help you get ready so when you get to the job fair you are ready to get hired!  If you need more information drop me an email or call me (813) 775-6279.  I would love to hear from you!

Annually The Employment Guide holds hundreds of job fairs and our most common issue at job fairs is job seekers not knowing what to wear to a job fair.  Usually before we hold an event it is not uncommon to get many calls from job seekers asking that “what should I wear”?  I always answer the question the same: Dress like you would if you were going to an interview.  Because you are, job fairs are a place where you can and will talk to possible future employers in an interview setting.

Let’s face it—first impressions stick. Studies conclude that people form an impression of someone within the first 15-30 seconds. Given this time frame, your outward appearance makes up a majority of a potential employer’s first impression. Follow these simple rules to ensure you are dressing the part.

Standard Interview Dress: Men

Wear slacks

Wear a dress shirt or nice colored shirt

Wear dark dress shoes in good condition

Wear socks that match

Wear a belt that matches your shoes

Have well-groomed hair and nails

Standard Interview Dress: Women

Dress conservatively (preferably dark colors)

Wear a pantsuit, jacket and skirt, dress

Wear dark dress shoes with 1-3 inch heel in good condition

Wear hosiery that matches your outfit  

Have well-groomed hair and nails

As with a job interview, first impressions at a job fair are important. How you represent yourself sends an immediate message to employers about how serious you are in your job search. It isn’t always necessary to wear a suit to a job fair. However, you should leave the jeans and T-shirt at home. Business casual is usually the most appropriate — slacks and a collared shirt for men, and slacks or a skirt and a blouse for women. Make sure your clothes are clean and pressed.

Check WiserWorker.com blog for the latest tips on how to get the best experience at a job fair.

Best of Luck!