Wiser Worker Blog

In just 6 days we will welcome a new leader into the most prestigious office of President of United States.  We welcome the new President Obama with open arms and anticipated his every move and with hope that he can help repair the state that our country is in and quickly!

This inauguration is an event that will end up in the history books for certain.  It’s expected to be the most attended inauguration event in our recent history, so large in fact that President Bush has declared it an emergency in order to free up money to help handle security. Kind of crazy, right? 

What does this change really mean?  For our sakes I hope that we can see some immediate positive change in the current labor market. It’s on all of our minds an especially those of you that are currently looking for work. The economy has had an impact on all of us. 

Our company had taken a proactive approach to this impending labor market crisis, the first in the line of defense is our “Putting American’s Back to Work” Job Fair series taking place in more than 50 cities across the country throughout 2009. The job fair series allows jobseekers to have personal contact with perspective employers. 

Our family of niche job board websites in another tool we hope to arm you with as you search for the perfect job:

WiserWorker.com dedicated to providing quality employment opportunities and resources to the largest demographic group in the country, the older worker. Employmentguide.com the hourly job recruitment source.

Careersingears.com  A website where you can search for nationwide and local truck driving jobs from the country’s top trucking companies.

Healthcareerweb.com  The go to site for all positions related to the medical marketplace.

You can see we are armed and ready to help President Obama get American’s back to work in the very near future. Visit one of our websites today to find the perfect job that’s just right for YOU.

From time to time I like to take a look at different job choices that I think might make a great second career, today I came across a position that falls into that category:  a recruiter. At a first glance I almost missed it because frankly it’s an industry I work with all the time and probably took for granted, today however I saw recruiters or at least their industry in a different light.

So why is the job of a recruiter a perfect second career choice?

Recruiters make dreams come true, career dreams that is.  Their job is to listen to job seekers and discover or uncover where their true potential lies. It’s the recruiter’s job to dig deep and match their job seekers skills and ambitions with their client’s job openings.  They are in my mind the ultimate match maker, how much fun must that be?  Recruiters get to help job seeker all day long and I get chills just thinking of the job one must feel when a job seeker start their first day of work with their new employer.

The older job seeker has all the skills needed to be a recruiter as a general rule they are people pleasers and frankly they like to be around and help people.  They are a nurturing demographic and want to share their years of experience and their knowledge they have collected along the journey of life.   Older workers usually possess the much needed skill of analytical thinking which can be used to hone on what job best fits the job seekers skill level. 

I found a recruiting firm that is making hiring the older worker a priority:  Morgan Samuels I learned they are committed to one primary objective: To do what is in our clients’ best interests.  Morgan Samuel’s mission and culture is based on executing searches with speed, tenacity, and integrity while maintaining total accountability, process control, and constant communication from start-to-finish.  They are so committed to find job seekers just like you…they have placed a posting on WiserWorker.com….check it out!

Earlier this year and a wise man said to a large group of people “Tough Times Don’t Last, but Tough People Do” at the time this statement struck me as profound, but today it means more to me than it did on that day.  Our labor market is in what I can only describe as tough times, I also know we are a nation of determined people. The answer: job seekers need to dig in and ask am I a tough person?  In this labor market the tough people will prosper and will professionally survive.  

If you are a job seeker you need to get tough. It’s a essential for survival in the workplace.  You might ask yourself what does it mean to be a tough job seeker. As a person who works with job seekers and employers daily, I think a tough job seeker might possess these attributes:

Confident in their abilities to succeed

Aggressive - know what you want and they go after it

Skilled - a full profile of abilities to enhance your resume

Determined to be the best candidate!

Innovative– create solutions without supervision

Mentor – have the desire to share your knowledge with others.

Problem Solver – ability to solve a problem on your own

Diverse Experience - years of life learned skills.

If you’re not already become a tough person, when you apply for a position go into confidently. When you interview for a job put your best foot forward, highlight how you intend to make the company you are interviewing with a better place.  Don’t place all your focus on the negative rather highlight the positive.  The media tends to report on the negative because let’s face it that’s what sells.

Hang in there; what I can tell you is WiserWorker.com places new postings on our site every day. We strive to provide you with up to date information.  I can also tell you that people just like you are using online job boards more now than ever.  I can guarantee you WiserWorker.com is here to stay and wait out the storm with you because we are an organization made up of tough people who are here to help you the tough job seeker.  

In case you were curious, Jeff Littlejohn is the wise man who said “Tough Times Don’t Last, but Tough People Do” to our group. He is our leader and one tough guy.

Is it possible to be too aggressive in the search for a job?  I say NO, in some cases I am sure it’s happened however more commonly job seekers tend to send a resume or fill out an application and then wait and then, well ….wait some more.  To those job seekers I say….get out there and make it happen!  If it’s a job you want and think you are the ideal candidate follow up and make sure you are don’t become just another applicant in a pile of applications.   

Just yesterday I was talking to a job seeker who told me they had put in an application for the perfect job and never heard back.  My response:  Did you follow up?  Well you guess it they had not. They were waiting to see if they would call back.

Folks, there is no shame in calling and asking about the hiring process, the conversation can go something like this:

Job Seeker:  Hello, I turned in an application last Monday and I was wondering where you were in the interview process?  I am very interested in the position you have open.

Employer:  Hold on I have had so many people interested in this position, what was your name? 

Employer:  Why do you feel you are the best applicant for my position?    

Job Seeker:  I have many years in customer service as well as customer retention and I like to work with the public. I would appreciate the opportunity to come in and meet with you and discus my qualification.

Employer:  Can you come in tomorrow? I would like to sit down with you and tell you more about the job.

The current labor market is one where the eager are going to get noticed and the aggressive are appreciated.   As a manager who often recruits, I have always been in the opinion if a job seeker shows me they are interested in a job; they deserve an interview.   Make sure you start your job search  with WiserWorker.com for all the latest job openings.  

Have you Googled your name? These days the results that do or don’t come up for your name could very well make or break the decision on whether or not you get the job. So let’s say you search for your name and either nothing comes up or some negative things come up. Now what?

1. Try various versions of your name. Full name with middle initial, nickname (i.e. Steve, vs. Steven) You want to see what information is out there. Usually the name you put on your resume is the name that will be searched in Google. You can avoid or draw attention to certain search results based on what name you use on your resume.

2. Use Current & Create Profiles Online. One way to deal with bad or no press is to bury it with the information you want people to see. Utlize sites like LinkedIn, HiredIn, ZoomInfo, Emurse and other sites that allow you to create professional profiles and include your experience and expertise information. Manage your privacy settings on MySpace or Facebook for less than professional items. You don’t have to remove everything - employers understand that you have a life outside of your day job - but make sure inappropriate material is not available.

3. Start Discussing. How can you distinguish yourself in your industry? You can browse LinkedIn Answers, participate in discussions on a industry-specific forum where you can showcase your expertise, comment on blogs or start your own. These are great ways to boost your search results.

4. Stay On Top of Things. Sign up for Google Alerts to get emails when a new search result shows up with your name in it. Knowing is half the battle, right? So this way you can be prepared and know what is out there.

This post was originally posted at the Atlanta’s Job Spot. Photo credit to sbblackley.