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Make your resume appealing

Write a resume that would appeal to you if you were hiring for a job. Would you want to read your resume?  Include areas that you have excelled, your relevant skills, additional skills that you feel are essential to the company, education and volunteer projects you may have participated in.

Tip: Providing as much relevant information in the most concise nature. This will increase the number of interview requests you receive.

Job category title

The title of your career categories is important. It’s the eye catcher part of your resume because it serves as the headline of your skills. It must capture the recruiter’s attention. Your skills title should be compelling, but most importantly, relevant, so that recruiter picks up your resume over others. Choose skills categories that fit you; here are just a few examples: Customer Service Manager, Administrative, and Hospitality.  

Sell your resume opportunity

Give your prospective recruiter a reason to pick you out of all the other job seekers.

Tip: To help you sell your career opportunity, answer these questions: What made you decide to accept the position you’re in now? What attracted you to your position when you first applied?

Senior citizens represent 12%of the U.S. population, but are 35% of all fraud victims.

It’s a fact criminals historically target on the older demographic they report it’s easy to scam older people because they trust everyone. It’s not far but it’s a fact of life. The good news is scams are preventable and you have the power the power to stop yourself from being a victim! Where to start, well a good rule of thumb is this:  if it sounds too good to be true….well it is! Follow your gut, who cares if you upset the apple cart?  If a service provider doesn’t like your reaction then find a new service provider. You’ll be surprised that most service providers will be okay with your cautious nature as everyone has a set of parents.  

Scam Read Flags!

·         A phone caller asking for a donation however won’t tell you exactly how the money will be used and how you can verify the charity and what it does.

o   Legitimate charities are willing to tell consumers who they can check with to confirm that they are legitimate

·         A phone caller you have to take the offer immediately or you’ll miss the opportunity.

o   Legitimate companies don’t pressure people to act without time to look into the deal.

·         The caller asks for your credit card number, bank account number, or other financial information when you aren’t buying anything or paying with those accounts.

o   Legitimate companies only ask for financial information to bill you or debit your account for purchases you’ve agreed to make.

·         Remember, giving money to a fraudulent telemarketer usually means losing it forever.

o   Don’t let a criminal break into your home through your telephone line!

·         Law enforcement agencies don’t ask for payment to try to help consumers get their money back, and it’s illegal for a company to ask for advance payment for such services.

Remember you have to be careful, you have to be cautious and you have to watch out for yourself and your bank account.

Avoid the Travel Rush Hour Usually people travel the day before and the day after the weekend holidays. SO you can avoid the rush and hassle that you will find at the airport and fly in off times. You might also find that you save a little extra cash!

Be Early Make sure that you arrive 2 hours early to give yourself time to get throught the lines and arrive safe and on time at your gate.

Check Connections When booking your flights make sure you leave enough time in your connection city to allow for late flight and connecting flight. 1 hour should be your minimum connection time.

Online Check In Save yourself some time and hassle by checking in online before you leave the house. You can check in up to 24 hours in advance and most airlines allow you to pay for package fees online. This will save you time and aggravation and you will be able to check in at the curb and go right to your gate.

Pack Snacks Carry snacks to hold you over in case you need to need a snack in flight, you can even pack a sack lunch to control what and when you eat. Remember you will not be able to bring liquids but you can purchase a drink past security.

Stay Hydrated It’s important to drink plenty of water during your travels. Drink at least 2 bottles of water per flight.

Plan for Comfort Bring your own travel pillow and or coat, you will save yourself from germs and be able to ensure your comfort.  

Be Prepared to Entertain Bring entertainment a good book, crossword puzzle, Sudoku anything to pass the time.

Travel early or late in the day Airports are least congested at times when normal human beings would rather be at home or even asleep. Delays are far less likely for morning flights, and airports usually unclog as the afternoon and evening peak passes

Really? Yes you heard it here first a company out of London has created and marking a computer made especially for the senior demographic.  The new computer even has a cute name:  SimplicITy designed to help people over the age of 60 who have never before used PCs or the Internet experience the simple pleasures of chatting, social networking, online gaming, online shopping. The computer opens up to an operating screen called “square one” simple version windows and is built on a Linux operating system. Users can replace the SimplicITy desktop with a standard Linux desktop if they feel confident enough to move on.

Hold the phones and put away your credit card, the people over at Geek.com claim that the SimplicITy computer isn’t worth the hassle.  In fact the SimplicITy computer are so widely available now that makes two recently announced SimplicITy  brand computers seem so egregiously cynical and mercenary. The SimplicITy  suite of computers are low-powered, low-performance desktops.

In short it seems you would be better off finding a deal at Best Buy and getting the whole package for your investment.

Happy Shopping.

In honor of Friday the 13^th I thought we could celebrate it by celebrating why older workers will substantially benefit any business.  

1.    Everything can be improved: Experienced workers take pride in their work.

2.    You get what you expect: Older workers stay on task until it is completed.

3.    Pleasure in the job put perfection in the work: Older workers have a knack for paying attention to detail.

4.    Finally being old pays off: Older workers have many years of experience

5.    Only those who do nothing make no mistakes: Older Workers make excellent mentors and role models

6.    Act the part and you will become the part: The older worker is not afraid to voice his opinions

7.    Concentration is the secret of strength: Less likely to play office politics.

8.    The best vision is insight: They can be left unsupervised more often and get the job done efficiently.

9.    Just go out there and do what you’ve got to do: Willing to stay over and work until the job is completed. 

10. Quality is everyone’s responsibility: Older Workers often know where problems may occur and how to prevent it

11. Only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it: Older employees are able to take things in stride and find workable solutions without “losing it.” 

12. Built in Training Department:  Older workers can easily train younger workers and encourage their progress.

13. We all have ability. The difference is how we use it : Usually they only have to be told once how to do a job.

You have the power to change; Hire an Older Worker!

Today I read an article about how older workers have unrealistic expectations of the job market. I found the article to be extremely misleading; the article was talking about the interview process not about getting a job. Really the job market has changed a whole lot in the last 15 years so it’s hard to have ANY expectations because who knows what to expect. Never fear I a resource for you from our friends over at the AARP Foundation.

In the current economy, it’s all the more important to know what kind of job you are suited for before applying. So before you rush out in a panic to find a job let’s at least find out what type of occupation that’s best suited for YOU that’s where the AARP Foundation WorkSearch Assessment System comes in to rescue YOU.

The assessment’s goal is to help you determine your job interests and work skills so that they can match you with the best possible job.  When you are finished the assessment will give you possible job matches based on where you live. And those job matches come right from WiserWorker.com Pretty Nifty!

It’s a no-brainer no cost solution to helping you create expectations both you and an employer can live with!  Check it out!

Wednesday, November 11 is Veterans Day.  It is a day where we get to show appreciation to our veterans and active military personnel.

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day. It was first celebrated on the anniversary of WWI.  The term was changed to Veterans Day in 1947 to include the soldiers of WWII.

In light of the recent tragedy at Ft. Hood, this Veterans Day takes on a more poignant meaning.  We must never forget those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom here and abroad.

On this Veterans Day, take a moment to give thanks to our soldiers and their families.  If you would like to do more, please contact the USO.

Baby Boomer and Older Workers are surfing the web and STOP the presses they spend more time online than the average teenager. Your grandparents use the internet for more than email cute picture of their grandkids. It’s time we start looking at this demographic as a major player. Let’s face it they’re not going off into retirement and playing golf and sipping on martinis. However they may be using the internet to make reservations at the club for only the best tee time.

So what exactly are they doing?  Well……..everything shopping, communicating and well socializing with their friends! When they’re not surfing the web for the latest information they’re befriending people on Face book, tweeting the latest rage on Twitter and following the latest trends on blogs.

Baby Boomers and Older Workers:

Regularly use email 94%

Look up health and medical information 71%

Keep up to date on the latest news 70%

Are spending your inheritance on online gaming 47% (You better keep working!)

Managing their finances and banking 59%

Hitting the latest sales as they shop online 71% (highest % among any generational group)

Looking for work on WiserWorker.com

So the lesson here is that you better be taking this demographic seriously and learn from them as they want to teach you what they know!

Source: Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM).

Reading exercises your mind and makes your brain more flexible.

Continue to enhance their lives.

Regular readers have a proven ability to focus.

Readers who frequently read have a higher ability to learning and retain knowledge.

Peaceful reading reduces stress levels

You will improve your concentration and focus while enjoying a good book.

People who read often increased their vocabulary

The more you read, the more knowledgeable you become.

Reading gives you the opportunity to learn about other cultures and places of the world

You always have something to talk about and you will be able to share your knowledge with others perhaps you can curl up with a good book and read to a loved one.

And finally the best reason to read more?  I found an excellent deal at Borders AARP members can take advantage of instant discounts when they display their AARP card or if they use the code for AARP members when ordering online. These offers last until November 16, 2009, don’t let this opportunity to explore a good book pass by without you!

This morning I was reading okay watching the news and I came across the following article: “Over 50, and zero job offers”.  Okay that’s just silly; yes the job market is tough I give you that however; you need to remember this:  As an older worker have something that other applicant’s lack…..EXPERIENCE.

Your only obstacle is connecting with employers who are ready and willing to hire YOU. Get started today by creating the right resume, connecting on the social media sites that will get your connected and of course visit WiserWorker.com the only site for older workers!

Functional Resume usually starts with summary of qualifications to put emphasis on skills particular areas of focus. Examples might include: customer service, word processing, computers, accounting, data archiving, office, telephone reception and problem solving. Rather than listing specific details, the job seeker lists responsibilities and achievements under the three main highlighted areas. The employment history is simply listed underneath the functional areas followed by education, training and other complimentary sections.

LinkedIn exists to help you make better use of your professional network or create a network.  Their mission is to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. Jump right in and create a account and make sure you select that you are looking for a job. You will be amazed at how many people seek you out because you are qualified.

WiserWorker.com YOU already know the most valuable resource online helping older workers get back in the workforce. WiserWorker.com is dedicated to providing quality employment opportunities and resources to people just like you.  

Good Luck!