Wiser Worker Blog

The conversation is the same…..why do Baby Boomers stay in the workforce or why do they go back. Well the most common answer isn’t the real reason MONEY. Believe it or not baby boomer doesn’t return or stay for the all mighty dollar, sure it helps but it isn’t the main motivator.

For the Love of the Game - Yes folks Baby Boomers like what they are doing, and quite often they miss the work environment when they are absent, baby boomers like to be part of the team. It’s often their identity and without it they are lost!

Chance to see and be seen – That’s right often Baby Boomers stay in the work force as a way to socialize and interact with the public at large. It some cases this is the baby boomers only way to be part of a social setting.

A busy mind is a GOOD mind - Baby Boomers often look at the workplace a method of exercising the brain and challenging the mind.  They fear that if they stop their mind will also over time stop.

So what does this all mean?  That Baby Boomers are here to stay at least for the short run, and it’s okay because they lend a helpful hand in the workplace and help the younger generations learn!    

To my readers on the east coast this blog won’t hold the same meaning as us west coast dwellers, you see over the last months we have gotten a new place to gather for a cup of morning Joe. That’s right Dunkin Donuts has taken the west coast by storm; and I for one am VERY EXCITED.

Not that I don’t loved paying for $6.00 coffee; but Dunkin Donuts offers so much more than just coffee….though I have it on good authority that it’s REALLY good. If you are an ice tea drinker stop the presses they offer ice tea…and it’s amazing and comes sweet or unsweetened. Yet the excitement doesn’t stop there they have many nonfat or low fat breakfast options, oh and don’t forget the diet donuts (Munchkins) and they are YUMMY and filling.

In closing Dunkin Donuts provides an alternative to the coffee market giving people choices to gather and just maybe provides jobs for older workers!

My favorite airlines just created a new resource…..

Since the weekly Southwest Click ‘n Save e-mails now focus exclusively on travel deals, they’ve launched a new newsletter “In A Nutshell” to keep air travelers in the loop on the latest Southwest scoop; if you would like to sign up for this newsletter click here.

This monthly e-mail will feature exciting announcements such as new city openings and new routes, as well as information on upcoming promotions, events, contests, new products, and partner offers!

Happy Trails

Have you heard of this program?  I have driving down the Florida express way was the first time I heard of such a program and it seems that they are trying to make it nationwide not just state to state. In case you DON’T know what the Silver Alert program stands: developed to provide vital information to authorities to assist in the search and safe recovery of these individuals, and quickly reunite them with their loved ones and/or caregivers; primarily in cases of missing Alzheimer suffers. The premise is not much different than the amber alert as a matter of fact it’s modeled after this program.  

Similar to the Amber Alert, a Silver Alert is an emergency notification system that broadcasts regional or statewide alerts for missing seniors and/or other adults with Alzheimer’s or other cognitive disorders. A growing number of states are enacting laws that call for the development of the Silver Alert program and some have implemented their own notification systems. Activation criteria varies from state to state, see list below for information on the Silver Alert program in your state.

Quick Facts

• Approximately 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.
• Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older people.
• Seniors are more vulnerable to crimes such as purse snatching, mugging and fraud.
• People age 80 and over, especially women, are at the greatest risk of experiencing elder abuse.
• 10 percent of consumers who reported that they were victims of identity theft are age 60 and older.
• About 52 percent of identity theft victims over 60 years of age reported that either new credit card accounts were opened in their name or that someone took over an existing account.
• Seniors, the largest consumers of medication, are at the highest risk for medication errors.

November is National Family Care giving month.  With the population living longer, the odds are that you may find yourself in a situation where you are caring for an elderly parent or family member.  When you combine this with the stress of taking care of your own family and the demands of a full time job, this task can seem daunting.

The good news is that you are not alone. Take comfort in the fact that there are many people in your shoes and that there are plenty of resources available to help you.

One of the most important things is to remember to take care of yourself.  If you don’t take care of you, it becomes very hard to take care of anyone else.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Friends, family may be willing to help out if you ask them. There are also local resources that can help you as well.

Just trust your instincts and you will be fine.  Taking steps to avoid burnout just may make this time in your lift and your family members life more enjoyable.

Do you Blog?  Do you Tweet?  Are you LinkedIn?  Do you socialize on Facebook?

Have I just overwhelmed YOU? AM I speaking in another tongue? Well it’s okay… if you don’t know these terms today but you need to learn them…at least make yourself familiar with they mean and how they can make your job search helpful and more importantly successful!

Let’s get to the meat and potatoes of the situation, how they can help YOU. Well here it is…. recruiters frequently search sites of these nature to either look for job seekers or to post open jobs because they are all FREE.  If you can join the millions online you can help yourself right into a job! 

The best way to start is to jump in feet first and play around with the sites…you can’t break anything and heck you might have fun!  Enjoy!

Blog: “is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.”

Twitter: is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters displayed on the author’s profile page and delivered to the author’s subscribers who are known as followers.

LinkedIn: The purpose of the site is to allow registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business. The people in the list are called Connections. Users can invite anyone (whether a site user or not) to become a connection.

Facebook: is a global social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc.^[1] Users can add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region.

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is November 1 – 7, 2009.  This week is designed to recognize truck drivers and their importance to our economy.

In honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, CareersinGear.com is giving away a Teletype GPS to one lucky driver.  They are also giving away posting packages, banners and email campaigns to truck driving companies who are hiring drivers.  Check out Twitter for more information.

So I was watching my weekly dose of Law and Order when a peculiar “commercial” came on that caught my attention and stopped me from zapping through the commercials.  (I DO LOVE TIVO) Anyway it was a short message from Anthony Anderson from Law & Order and then a short “movie” about helping others. It caught my attention and held it, I immediately went to the web address and NEEDED to find out more.

What I found was pretty amazing….award-winning SHORT films and a provocative blog, The Liberty Mutual Responsibility Project designed to engages people worldwide in discussions on what it means to do the right thing. Now, NBC & Liberty Mutual have partnered to promote personal responsibility through a series of short films.

Take a moment to visit the site and watch the video, it’s incredible.

No matter where you live Costco will begin to accept food stamps.  This begins as family across the national struggle to put food on the table. Costco made decision to accept food stamps to remain competitive with food chains as nearly 36 million Americans are reportedly now on food stamps.

“Costco joins warehouse-club competitor BJ’s Wholesale Corp., which started taking food stamps last April, and Sam’s Club, which began accepting them in the fall of 2008.” reports msnbc.com Research also proved that people would be willing to pay the $50.00 membership fees if they were able to buy better products at bulk sizes.

Stock up at a warehouse near you….

That’s right folks, the baby boomers are creating a wave in the labor pool big enough that employers are sitting up and taking notice; and it’s about time! Forget about retirement; in a recent survey done by MetLife over ½ of the respondents reported that over the last two years older worker have changed their minds about when they will retire, while many are actually heading back to work.  The job market has changed a little over the last 15 years. 

Don’t worry the basics are still the same, however, gone is the day you waltzed into a business and asked if they were hiring. Technology is KING and the king has changed the game a little.

Research: Take a personal inventory of your skills and abilities.  WiserWorker.com Suggestion: Keep your inventory list close by when you are searching for jobs; match it up against the job requirements.

Online Applications: Companies have gone to online applications; take your time and fill them out as complete as possible. WiserWorker.com Suggestion: Research the job and or company and make sure they are both something you are seeking before you spend the time to fill out the application.

 Job Boards: Visit the right job boards, you will find they have information beyond job search that can help you navigate through your journey.  WiserWorker.com Suggestion: Start with a few job boards - get used to them and then broaden your experience to others.

If you take the time to dedicate to your job search I think you will find the journey rewarding. Start your journey with WiserWorker.com, we are waiting for you!