Wiser Worker Blog

I attended a job fair for older workers last week and held a workshop on navigating the job market, I was interested in what information was shared and what needed to be talked about these are just a few of the topics covered. I hope this information helps you get through the rough seas ahead.

More is TOO MUCH

It’s a fact more is just too much, often people who are in the older worker category give to much information on their resume.  It’s essential that you keep your resume to ONE page. Yep that’s right folks I said ONE page. You can tell a hiring manager everything they need to learn about you in one page, more will get you shuffled to the bottom of the pile.

History is Irrelevant

Hiring managers what to know what you CAN do for them if you get hired, they are less interested in what you have been doing for the last 20 years. Make your resume stand out,  make your past work history relevant to the job you are applying for, with that said the experience you have gained in past positions is more than relevant.

Example:

Your Past: You have been in the medical field managing a office full of nurses. 

Your applicable skill transfer: Your ability to manage an office staff.

Telling Yourself That No One Hires Older Workers

Phooey, if you start out with an I can’t do attitude well you know the outcome.  Go to each and every interview with the mindset that you are the best person suited for the open position. Remember you come to the table with years of experience and the will to get the job done and done right.

Persistence Pays

If you feel that you have found the job that was meant for you then by all means apply for it and follow up with the online application. There is no harm in checking in with the hiring manager to see what the hiring process looks like. You don’t want to be one of a 100 resumes, be the one that stands out.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Before your actual interview practice questions that might come up and have answers ready, there is nothing worse than being unprepared. Grab a friend and hold practice interview or if all else fails stand in front of a mirror and practice.

At the end of the day stop trying to blend in among the millions of job seekers. YOU were born to Stand Out! 

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.

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!  

It’s the and well that will get you in trouble, every time. Over the last few months I have come up on this topic in both my professional and personal life. It seems that the line gets blurred between right and wrongs so often that it’s socially acceptable to live in the world of grey. I was watching a news show and the topic was this very one, where the line between right and wrong goes astray. The person being interviewed contented that he didn’t lie because he left out the specifics of the story and therefore he was telling the truth.

The reason I bring this very topic up, is when in the workplace we are often left to judge right and wrong and make decisions for our organizations. You may even find yourself in a situation before you even get the job. The most important point to remember is this: in the workplace there is NO grey only right and wrong. You have to hold yourself and your coworkers to high standards to honesty in the workplace because dishonesty has no place at work.

It starts at the interview you will be asked questions in the interview and also may be asked to fill out an application. You need to fill it out as completely and answer questions truthfully. If you are fail to answer any and all questions honestly you may find yourself in deep water and most probably unemployed.

Really when we get to the end of the day honesty is the best policy.

When you enter a interview….it’s a question your likely to encounter and goes something like this: What are your expectations for this position if you were to be the candidate chosen? Stop and think how you would answer this question, and before you speak realize there isn’t a right or wrong answer. What your response can indicate is how much time you have invested into determining if this is the right position for you.

Ideally before you interview for any potion you should have a clear picture of what you expect beyond your weekly paycheck. Some of my expectations of my job at WiserWorker.com are as follows:

Clear expectation of what my career path looks like both now and in the future.

What’s expected of me by my superiors.

What my customers expect from me - both internal and external.

What and how I will be compensated.

I have a clear understanding of my schedule.

So take a deep breath and decide what you want out of what your next job. Find out if they can and will meet your expectations and if you can meet theirs. It’s important to set those expectations from the very start because if you don’t you run the risk of being let down or even worse letting your employer down.

Expectations can either make your life easier or build barriers depending on how you manage them. I have been working on this particular entry for a few days.  This particular subject is confused in my own mind…maybe I had an expectation this blog would be something that it’s not…hmmm there’s a thought as well as a common theme.

Expectations can get in the way of our life experience if you let them. As human creatures we have the habit of plotting out exactly in our minds how something should be, not what it CAN be.  We spend so much time trying to figure out what something should look like that sometimes we miss the experience.  Why not let nature take its course?   It’s a loss of control, and that freaks us all out.  The problem with this behavior is you set yourself up for failure because you will never fully allow yourself the luxury of experimenting or going with the flow. We allow ourselves and our expectations to be controlled by other people or most times ourselves.

Example:  I recently attended a job fair hosted by a local agency; unfortunately there were too few jobs and too many job seekers.  This is a result of our economy…..it’s just reality. Due to the sheer volume of job seekers there was a line.  The end result of this situation was many unhappy job seekers.  Since there was a line and people waiting I figured it was as good as time as any to talk to people to see what they were thinking.  I found out the real problem and you might be surprised at what I found out…it seemed that the lack of jobs wasn’t the issue. It was the fact that they didn’t know what to expect, the common expectation was that once they got inside the doors there would be the ideal job.  I also found that many people didn’t know what the ideal job for them looked like.  Then it was also the people who were leaving who were unhappy that got everyone in a tizzy.

What might have helped people get more out of this event was a little reconnaissance. Before any event job seekers can called the promoters and asked what companies were attending the event and what jobs would be available.    That way the expectation of the event would be set and both parties could set up a realistic expectation. If you knew whey kind of jobs were going to be at an event then you would know if there would be a job that would fit your skill set.

My one and only point is set your expectation based on quality information, and give yourself the chance to experience life and what it has to offer and don’t be limited by  expectation.

“Life is so constructed that an event does not, cannot, will not, match the expectation.” Charlotte Bronte