Now that you know how to write your resume, (Thanks Amy!), it is time to focus on the cover letter.  It is just as important as your resume.  Think of your cover letter as a bridge between your resume and the job you are applying for.

Do your research

Before writing your cover letter, research the company you are applying to.  Find out who the hiring manager is by calling the company.  Also, find out some information to use in your letter. For example, is company XYZ a leader in their particular industry?

Read the job description very carefully.  By doing so, you will be able to figure out the important skill / qualifications of the position.

Write the cover letter

Now that the research is done, it is time to start writing the cover letter.  Your first sentence should stand out and grab the reader’s attention.  The rest of the paragraph is the “why you are applying” paragraph.

The next 1 -2 paragraph(s) are the “what can you do for the company” paragraphs.  Highlight a couple of your skills that strongly match the qualifications in the job description.  Remember to keep the focus on how you can help the company.

The last paragraph is the “summary” paragraph.  Thank the hiring manager for their time.  Let them know you are available for interviews and that your resume is enclosed.  Indicate know you will follow up with them.

Finally, here are a few more tips for writing a good cover letter.

·         Proofread, Proofread, Proofread. Spell check your document and have a friend read it.  There cannot be any mistakes or typos.

·         Be concise. Don’t use two words when one will work. Make every word in your letter work for you.

·         Be upbeat and positive in your letter. Sound excited about the prospect of working for this company, all the way though the letter.

·         Do NOT write a generic cover letter.  It shows a lack of interest on your part.

Do you have other suggestions for writing a resume or cover letter?  If so, we would love to hear about it.

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 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.

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!!

So let’s pretend you have spent the last 20 years working for the same company, what next?  I found a pretty neat company I would like to introduce you to: FranNet.  They specialize in helping people who are ready to leave the corporate world but are not yet ready to retire to start their own business through franchised business ownership.   FranNet consultants work individually with people just like you who are interested in purchasing a franchised business and help you find the right one for you.  So what’s a franchise?  My favorite go to source Wikipedia defines it as:

“Methods of practicing and using another person’s business philosophy. The franchisor grants the independent operator the right to distribute its products, techniques, and trademarks for a percentage of gross monthly sales and a royalty fee.”

Beginning a new career is never a decision one should enter into lightly, and the consultants at FranNet are in place to help you make the correct choice for YOU. They use a specific profiling and consultative process to determine a business model unique to each person. This model suggests specific franchises that fit best with each person’s goals, skill sets and interests, both personally and professionally.

The folks over at Entrepreneur Magazine recently published the 10 most popular franchise opportunities.  The list has business ranging from hardware to food service, and provided a pretty diverse list of companies that you could own as part of a national brand. 

While it’s never an easy choice to select a second career, you should start with someone who knows a little about the next phase of career building.  If you think owning a franchise is the path you would like to take, FranNet is the company who can lead you down that path.

It has many meaning to many people and we all look at ambition different, accordingly to Webster’s  this is the definition of ambition.   What does it mean to you?  To me: if you work hard enough and have the skills nothing can stop you from achieving your goals.

What do you suppose Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor used to drive her ambitions all these years? They are calling her story an all American once in a lifetime story. However I think it’s a modern day tail of what happens if you work hard and applied yourself. Ms. Sotomayer probably hasn’t taken many lavish vacations and probably hasn’t worked less than 60 hours a week in many years. Because where she is is where she always saw herself to be and that place is the Supreme Court.

Ambition means something different to each of us.  Everyone who speaks the term hears a message that applies to only them.  Ambition can mean finding a good job that gives you the ability to meet your financial obligations or it can mean something as large as being appointed to the Supreme Court.  

What’s important is this:  Are you are ambitious enough to make yourself happy? If you can answer this questions with confidence than you can hold head up high!

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.

Well maybe not return as a student but as a leader, one of our very special clients Corinthian Colleges is looking for a very special person to fill their open position as leader of their schools the official title is a Vice President.  However the title doesn’t really fit they type of person they are looking for, they are looking for a person who likes no LOVES to work with people.  Someone who is bright, energetic and motivated and has a desire to make a difference and change lives.

This position was made for someone who has the drive to make changes and make a difference in the community they live in. This job is the perfect job for someone who may be reentering the career world.  This is an excellent opportunity for those looking to begin an exciting and rewarding second career! 

Good Luck!

Confidence can be a hard thing to come by, easy to lose and all too often hard to hold on to. Confidence comes and goes with passing situations; it’s possible to be confident in one area of your life but lack complete confidence in another say job search. It’s not uncommon for people to be weak in the area of confidence when searching for a job.  However if there was a time when you need confidence it’s then.

I like to think of confidence as an old friend who comes and goes in your life based on how they are treated. When you are good to confidence it will stick close by and never let you down but if you mistreat confidence it will be gone and down the road before you know it.  Treat yourself well and you will find that you and most likely you will never be short of confidence.

When searching for a job; know with confidence that you are the best candidate for the job.  If you lack the confidence the interviewer will surly see. I found a great article for the folks over at Mind Tools on confidence and it’s worth a glance.  Even if it’s just a refresher your after.

Here’s a quick list to start your road to better confidence:

1.    Dress Sharp when you look good you are sure to feel good.

2.    Walk with Purpose know where you are going and head that way.

3.    Keep your shoulder up and look people in the eye when you speak to them.

4.    Speak your mind in a thoughtful way and be heard!

Good luck on your road to self confidence and treat yourself well.