Wiser Worker Blog

Growing up, I loved reading Dr. Seuss books.  Green Eggs and Ham was my all-time favorite.  I also liked the stories about the Zax and Sneetches.  Even now as an adult, I like giving Dr. Seuss books to my friends who are having kids.

What I am realizing as an adult is how influential those books have been in my life. The lessons in them that were transparent to me as a child are now a reminder of the things I try to be and do.

Green Eggs and Ham is still one of my favorite children’s books.  I love the persistence of Sam I Am and how hard he tries to get the green eggs and ham eaten.  Sam I Am has taught all of us to not be afraid to try new things.

Another one of my favorite stories was bout the North Going Zax and the South Going Zax.  They came to a point where they both faced each other and refused to move.  They were so set in their ways, that a whole city built up around them.  I learned that is it not always ok to be stubborn.

Then there is the story about the Sneetches.  One set had stars on their bellies and the others did not.  The ones without stars on their bellies wanted to get stars to be considered cool and equal to the star belly Sneetches.  After a bunch of adding and removing of stars, the Sneetches forgot who originally had a star on their belly and who did not.  They realize that as long as they were Sneetches, it didn’t matter what was on their belly.

All of these lessons were great to learn as a kid and stuck with me as I was growing up.  Now that I am an adult, these lessons are just as applicable.

In a new or current job or in life in general, it pays to be willing to try new things, being flexible and be true to who you are.

Thank you Dr. Seuss.

What things that you learned as a child still help you today?

Growing up I can remember watching I Love Lucy everyday during lunch, mom would make us sandwiches and we would sit in from of the black and white television in the kitchen.  It was our ritual to spend the lunchtime watching Lucy solver her latest dilemma.  Today I was struck with a particular show memory where Lucy had spent too much money on a dress and was forced to get a job, and of course she took Ethel along where they interviewed and were hired at a candy factory.

I recently hosted job fair classes on “Navigating through today’s job search”, and it brought me back to this memory of this I Love Lucy episode. While it’s certainly true that finding a job in today’s job market is difficult it will never be as difficult as Lucy and Ethel made it.

I hit on three specific points during these training sessions:

1.     Forget what you used to do, it’s different out there and you need to try something new.

2.    Create a resume that profile’s what you can do for a company not what you have done in the past.

3.    Do it in ONE page, recruiters only have time to hit on the highlights. You can tell your story on one page if it’s effectively written.

 While you probably won’t be looking for a job at a candy factory in the quality control area and consuming all the eating; you can certainly learn that while job search is difficult but you have tools that Lucy and Ethel didn’t have and you have the ability to reach out and get help when you need it, visit wiserworker.com and I will strive to make your job search a little less of a hassle.

2009 marks the 50^th anniversary of Alaska and Hawai’i being admitted to the union.  That just blows my mind.  It is hard to imagine only 48 stars on the flag, yet that is what baby boomers grew up knowing.  I will admit, I find American history very interesting, so the process of states being admitted to the union is fascinating to me.

What seems normal and commonplace to us now will seem strange to the next generation.  Just as my generation has always known a country with 50 states, searching for a job on the internet and networking through social media sites will be normal for the next generation.

Gone are the days when you could pick up a paper and flip to the help wanted section to find a job.  That is where WiserWorker.com can help.  We have job postings that contain companies looking to hire the mature worker.

Soon we will be making changes to the site to improve the job seeking experience.  Some changes will be cosmetic (bigger font, more audio features).  Some will be more substantial like making it easier to navigate the site.

Like they always say “Times they are a changing”

What changes would you like to see made to our site.  Take our survey and let us know what you think. http://www.wiserworker.com/survey. 

And that folks is why we not only NEED National Employ Older Workers but why I look forward to this event all year. National Employ Older Workers Week showcases as well as honors the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), which provides on-the-job skills training to individuals 55 or older with limited financial resources. Over the years, SCSEP has helped over one million older Americans enter the workforce.

WiserWorker.com honors older workers by hosting a job fairs series that operates in markets all across the United States. Our theme this year is Putting American’s Back to Work our goal is to hold events where employers are hiring job seekers NOW!

So do yourself a favor is you come across an older worker do one of 2 things thank them for their service or better still HIRE THEM!!

September 22, 2009

What’s so special about September 22^nd?

Actually this is actually a lot of note worthy events that fall or begin on this day. First and foremost…can I get a drum roll …… National Employ Older Workers Week started yesterday will be recognized all week.  There’s lots of did you knows that correlate with this celebration such as:

Did you know that there are 16 million Americans over 55 who are either working or seeking work?

Did you know that by 2015 the number of employees over 55 will nearly double?

Did you know that by 2010 there will be a severe labor shortage as the older Baby Boomers begin to retire?

At wiserworker.com we choose to celebrate the event by helping older workers get back to work. We are hosting a nationwide job series in many states over the course of the month. Please visit our website for an event near you.

Oh! You better get a move on there are only 100 days remaining until the end of the year. Wow where did the year go?  I am having so much fun the time is FLYING!  

Have you been thinking about going back to school and finishing your degree?  Are you considering a career change?  Do you need new skills to advance in your current job?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, then going back to school is probably in your future.  With so many colleges and universities offering online courses and degrees; how do you know if it is right for you?

Here are some questions you should ask yourself before choosing online courses.

• Are you self disciplined?  Going to school online saves you the trouble of having to drive to the school.  Are you disciplined enough to do the work at home?
• How are the courses taught?  Do you have to log in at a specific time to listen to a “live chat” with a professor or can you log in and get the lecture anytime you want?
• How do you contact the professor if you need additional help?
• Can you switch to a traditional classroom setting if the online courses are not working for you?
• Is your computer capable of downloading / viewing the necessary course material?

Whether you choose online classes or the more traditional bricks and mortar setting, the most important thing is that you select the option that will work best for you.

Have you already taken classes online?

Do you have any tips / suggestions for someone considering taken classes online?

Recently, pancreatic cancer has been in the news.  Patrick Swayze’s death has brought to light this deadly killer.  He is not alone.  Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Ruth Bader-Ginsburg have also been diagnosed with this disease.

What makes this type of cancer so dangerous is that there are usually no early warning signs.  By the time people begin to show symptoms, the cancer has already metastasized.  Below is a list of the most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer.

·         Pain in upper abdomen and back

·         Jaundice

·         Nausea

·         Loss of appetite

·         Weight loss

·         Fatigue

·         Depression

I watched my best friend’s father deal with this disease for 4 ½ years.  He survived with the disease longer than most people.  The average 5 year survival rate is 5%.

I believe what helped him survive as long as he did was a combination of early detection and his positive attitude.  Jack was one of the lucky ones who was diagnosed early and was able to have surgery to remove most of the tumor.  It was really tough watching him go through his battle, but seeing the way he bravely fought the disease was an encouragement to those around him.

Jack has been gone for 2 ½ years.  One of the things I learned as a result of his struggle was to gather as much information as you can handle and face the situation head on with the best attitude possible.  That is something we can all use, regardless of the battle we are facing.

How do you cope with a difficult situation?

By now, most of us have seen or at least heard about South Carolina Republican House of Representative Joe Wilson’s outburst during President Obama’s speech last night.  No matter what your political beliefs are or where you stand on the health care reform issue, we can all agree that his outburst was inappropriate.

It seems like lately that adults have forgotten how to disagree.  Whether in sports, politics or every day life, the new attitude seems to be “it is my way or the highway”. This “if I can’t get my way, I am going to take my toys and go home” attitude may be cute when you are 6 years old, but any older than that, it is just immature.

Everybody has disagreements.  It is inevitable. How you handle them says just as much about you as the opinion you are defending.  Being respectful of the other person or group, keeping the ultimate goal in mind, and a willingness to compromise will go a long way in resolving many issues.

Now, I concede that I may be looking at the world through rose colored glasses, but I have to believe that it can’t hurt to be more respectful to everyone around us.

Sunday is National GRANDparents Day. This little-known holiday is really starting to gain momentum, because there are so many Great Grandparent’s out there!  In celebration of this National GRANDparents Day, Grand Magazine has a gift that I hope you will help us to pass along to your friends, family members, clients. We are giving away FREE subscriptions to GRAND ($9.99 value) throughout the month of September. This offer is also on the GRAND website www.grandmagazine.com.

LINK FOR FREE SUBSCRIPTION

If you haven’t seen the September issue yet please visit their site as the winner and finalists of our 4^th annual GRANDParent of the Year Award are featured:  http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/200909_v3/   

Grandparent’s Day is Sunday, September 13^th.  While some may view this as “just another greeting card holiday”, I prefer to see it as another day I can tell my Grandma how much she means to me.

I consider myself very lucky.  We recently celebrated Grandma’s 90^th birthday.  She still has her memory and she gets around pretty well. I LOVE to brag about her, just ask my co-workers.

The best thing about my Grandma is the smile she brings to my face.  We enjoy going out to lunch.  We have been doing that since I was 9 years old and it is just as much fun now as it was back then.  Growing up with 3 younger brothers, it was nice to get away and go to lunch with Grandma.  We would be gone for hours having lunch and shopping. Those are some of my favorite memories. No matter where we went or what we did, we always had fun.

I still try to go up and visit her when I can, although it is not as often as either one of us would like.  We sit and talk, and yes, still go out to lunch.

So, this Sunday, reach out to the special people in your life, even if you have to buy a greeting card.