We talked about what a webinar is and how you can use it in your job search. The concept is pretty neat. You can learn on a whole range of topics that you need to know about and you can learn without needing to get in your car. Pretty handy! I just learned about a webinar that AARP is offering on June 17^th from 2-3 p.m. EST. I also learned that  AARP is offering webinars throughout 2010 to help you succeed in your job search. Each webinar offers practical tools and resources tailored to the needs of 50+ workers.

This particular webinar Refresh Your Resume for Today’s Job Market is FREE and will focus on how to better craft a resume to help you get a job!

Click on this link to register for this valuable webinar

The webinar is scheduled for 2:00-3:00 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). This means it will be held at 1:00-2:00 Central Daylight Time, 12:00-1:00 Mountain Daylight Time, and 11:00-12:00 Pacific Daylight Time.

To participate in the webinar, you must have a computer with Internet access and audio capability (internal or external speakers). An audio bridge will be provided for Mac users. Not able to attend on June 17?  A recording of the webinar will be posted on the AARP website for you to view at your convenience. Check back at AARP.org after the webinar.

Can you imagine sitting in the comfort of your own home and learning from an expert how to write a better resume?    Well your dream can come true through technology you can do just that learn and expert who will be teaching people all over the country during the same session and doing it all online and the process is called a webinar.

In a webinar, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendees’ computers or a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference.

In an age of technology there are new webinars each and every day, this give you an opportunity to not only learn but continue to learn. Take advantage of webinars as they are a way to learn and use that knowledge to get a job!

I see advantages.  Being baby boomer has advantages; to start with you have it in the sheer volume of and if that’s not enough you are a huge influence on tomorrows workforce.  Need proof? To get a feel for the impact of the growing Baby Boomer demographic, here are some powerful statistics:

• The Baby Boomer demographic will grow by 49.1 percent for the next few years, five times the growth rate of the rest of the U.S. workforce.
• From 2004-2010 workers aged 35-44 will decline by 19 percent, workers aged 45-54 will increase by 21 percent and workers aged 55-64 will increase by 52 percent.
• Baby Boomer spending is projected to increase $800 billion to over $4.6 trillion by 2015.
• Baby Boomers are the highest earners, best educated and largest home ownership group of any generation to date.

Why Hire Baby Boomers

Companies that embrace the talent and experience of our Baby Boomer population will win in the competitive global marketplace. They are finally realizing that their longevity is contingent on understanding these trends. They are loyal, possess significant interpersonal skills and are flexible in terms of schedules, benefits and pay. They are also tech savvy—in 1990 the desk of every 40-year-old worker had a PC. Those same workers are now 59 with 19 years of computer experience and have been online since the advent of the Web. As a result, companies are starting to develop programs to hire and retain Baby Boomer workers.

No not a challenge it’s certainly a advantage being a baby boomer…

Source: David Mezzapelle

What do you do when you are out of option?  I think that’s a question that’s on most people minds lately and especially the older worker who face long, frustrating job search amid our nation’s period of an unemployment crisis.  So what do you do when you feel like you have reached the end of your rope?  You tie a knot and hang on.

I know that must sound like unrealistic optimism; and perhaps it is but what other choice do we have but to hang in there and find options that are best for you.  Believe it or not there things you can be doing that are both proactive and helpful.

Resume: First start off by taking a look at your resume I mean REALLY taking a look at your resume.  If all it talks about is what you did for the last 20 year and not about what you CAN do for a potential company now then it’s time to spruce it up. I recommend the functional resume.

Job Fairs Look up the events that are in your community and attend the events. It’s a good way to get out there in a unintimidating comfortable setting.

Online Search: Use job boards to find out what type of jobs are available in your city.

Above all don’t give in because your perfect job is just around the corner.

All generations are called something different and it regardless which group their lumped into  Gen Y, GenMe or Millennials, the youngest generation of workers, born roughly between 1980 and 1999, is here in the workplace.  Wait they’re bringing their values to the office and beware they may clash with yours. They’ve been variously labeled as entitled, narcissistic, altruistic, individualistic, wired, fast-learning and over-confident.

Up until this now it’s been pure conjecture as to what the labor melting pot would look like when all these generations joined but now there’s data to support the stories according to Stacy M. Campbell, professor of management at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. Campbell recently published “Generational Difference in Work Values: Leisure and Extrinsic Values Increasing, Social and Intrinsic Values Decreasing,” in the 2010 Journal of Management.

Campbell and her co-authors looked at the generational attitude differences toward five key work values:

1.    Extrinsic values (pay, benefits, status)

2.    Intrinsic values (meaningful and interesting work)

3.    Social values (wanting friends at work)

4.    Altruistic values (giving back, volunteerism)

5.    Leisure values (vacation time, pace of work)

Findings:

ü  Gen Y valued intrinsic rewards somewhat less than Gen X and boomers.

ü  The younger generations placed a much higher value on leisure time

ü  The youngest generation’s interest in salary and status — did not decrease.

ü  Generation X valued money; they were willing to work hard for it.

ü  Gen Y has the high expectations of getting paid well and having more leisure time.  

ü  Gen Y was no more or less interested in altruism than previous generations, but that it valued social interactions at work less than either Gen X or boomers.

It appears that we are one big melting pot and one with lots of differing views on how the marketplace works.  What all the people in the pot need to remember is that we are all part of the make team and need to work together. Understanding is only the first step!

Think again, next time you think you are too old to take a chance think about Grace LaVerne.  Grace who goes by the name Penny celebrated her 90^th birthday last week she celebrated her landmark birthday by SKYDIVING. She has always had a passion for flying; she has learned to fly a small plane and taken rides in hot-air balloons, but skydiving was just the latest adventure she wanted to conquer and Monday she took the plunge.  (Pardon the pun)

“It was over too soon,” LaVerne said. “I didn’t have a chance to be scared because they give you so many directions of what you’re supposed to do. I want to do it again because next time I’ll know what to do. I had a wonderful time.” LaVerne got the veteran’s discount for her jump (she was a Navy nurse during World War II) and came home with a T-shirt and a DVD to commemorate the feat.  

“It was a great thing to do,” LaVerne said. “I’m still floating in a cloud. I’m still up on a high. I’d do it again tomorrow. If I could afford it I’d be doing it every day.” Penny got the bug in her ear to do it again as she learned that the oldest jumper was 91 and she is planning on going back next year!

So next time you think you are too old to try something new I urge you to remember this tale of the sky and Penny because is she was brave enough at 90 to take a chance on a dream why can’t you?

What I find not only amazing but also interesting is what the older worker has seen in their tenure in the workforce. It’s really very fascinating if you allow yourself to stop and look through their eyes at all that they have witnessed in the last 55 years.   That’s right someone who is turning 75 this year has roughly been in the labor market for almost 60 years.   

It’s sad to think that while the world keeps changing its hard to imagine what really significant will change in my remaining years on the job. Noting quite as spectacular as the introduction of the modem computer in the workplace, I actually remember a time when I typed a report on a typewriter on carbon no less. It’s a very different world today then 60 years ago in the workplace but one thing is for sure we will see more change.

1958 The Boeing 707-120 debuts as the world’s first successful commercial jet airliner

1960 the first PACEMAKER is successfully implanted in a human.

1962 The first general-purpose computer, the nearly 30-ton ENIAC (1947), contains 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 10,000 capacitors.

1965 invent a high-strength polymer called KEVLAR

1967 Rene Favaloro performs the first CORONARY BYPASS SURGERY

1969 Automated Teller Machine “On Sept. 2, our bank will open at 9:00 and never close again!”

1972—ELECTRONIC IGNITION  Chrysler paves the way for the era of electronic—rather than mechanical—advances in automobiles with the electronic ignition.

1973 Cellphone “Joel, I’m calling you from a real cellular phone.” —Martin Cooper, leader of Motorola’s cellphone team, to Joel Engel, research head of rival AT&T’s Bell Labs, April 3, 1973

1977 The Apple II, Commodore Pet and Radio Shack’s TRS-80 are introduced —

1978 GPS  The first satellite in the modern Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) is launched.

1981 IBM, soon to become synonymous with the term “PC,” unveils its PERSONAL COMPUTER.

1989, Sir Tim Berners-Lee creates “hypertext markup language” (HTML) to make Web pages and the “Uniform Resource Locator” (URL) to identify where information is stored. These breakthroughs form the foundation of the WORLD WIDE WEB

In France you can retire at 60; really?  Don’t put your house on the market and pick up Rosetta’s program on how to learn to speak French just yet. While it’s true that currently the retirement age is 60; the French government has other plans they are proposing that the official age of retirement be increased to at least 61.  While there is also a more significant change that is getting less press but is also just as important. While today you the average French citizen needs to complete 40 years of working years to receive the full pension the government would also like to raise that age requirement to!  

President Sarkozy’s reasoning: and you’re going to love this…French people are living longer so they should work longer. The average life expectancy for a French citizen in 2007 was 77 for men and 84 for women.

Makes sense right?  To everyone except the French people who are not too happy about the proposed plan and are literally shutting France down in protest! The French people are really not messing around today they walked off the job in every industry you can think of from the air traffic controller to the shop keepers.

So while it seems like the French people have a better life than we do at the moment things could be changing for them! SO settle back down into your cozy American life and be happy that here once you reach the age of 62 you can enjoy your retirement benefits.

This morning I read an interesting article on older workers, I thought I would share with you the highlights. While the unemployment rate for older workers is significantly higher there is also indicators that the older worker will have a easier time rebounding and finding employment as the market begins to rebound. It’s Wall Street Journal’s opinion that companies will begin to make hiring decisions based on what’s the “best” option for them to get the best candidate for my open positions and hands down we know that the best candidate out there is the older worker. They have the skills to match and the ability to increase the core business practice and moral in a thriving business. They are best suited to be natural mentors. Others agreed. “There are certainly a number of older workers who have pretty critical skills sets, and companies want to hold onto them,” said Max Caldwell, a leader of Towers Watson’s talent and rewards business.

Deborah Russell, AARP’s workforce issues director, said employers in growing industries such as health care will aggressively recruit from the older demographic of workers as the population ages. “Hospitals are using strategies that look at retaining their current workforce, as well as recruiting from the older workforce,” she said. It’s true that as the workforce continues to age American employers will have a rare advantage to improve their hiring choices by grasping hold of the older worker!

As you have read many times here before the older worker is the best candidates as they bring years of practical experience to your workplace. What better way to improve your entire team hire an experienced older worker who will train your younger staff on skills that only they have: loyalty, hard work, and finally the ability to adapt to a every changing market place. These are all skills you use on your team. This year we have a rare opportunity to help you connect with the older worker at our specially designed job fairs. Where you can participate in seminars designed to help you promote yourself to perspective employers. Then take your newly learned skills out and use them on prospective employers. Check it out! We may be coming to a city near you!

FINALLY spring is in the air.  It has been an unusually cold winter in my hometown.  The whole Northeast portion of the U. S. has been digging out from feet of snow for months.  At one point in February, every state had snow on the ground.

The good news about spring finally coming is that is gives us hope. I don’t know what it is about seeing buds on the trees and flowers starting to bloom that brighten our spirits and gives us renewed optimism.

That positive attitude and spirit of optimism is exactly what one needs when conducting a job search.  It is one of those intangibles that can make a difference in an interview.

Let Wiserworker.com help you with your job search.  There are a variety of resources available on our site in addition to an exciting new job fair series.

Check back on our site for more information.