Are you retired?  Do you like to be outdoors?  Are you driving your wife crazy being at home?  Well I may have a company with a part time job just for you.  They are a full-service Exterior Services Management^® company that has developed a unique centralized approach to control today’s exterior facility management. We are headquartered in DeWitt, MI.  Hiring in the Washington, DC and Baltimore their idea candidates would desire part-time work enjoy working outdoors walking properties to inspect landscaping, irrigation and parking lots of commercial facilities.  Be able to walk in all weather conditions and maneuver on uneven ground. Travel throughout the state.

Your new job would be a quality service inspector; an ideal position for retired individual with a versatile schedule who wishes to be active and generate some income doing so. Check it out today!

Over the last few days there have been quite a few articles on the older worker unemployment rate; while it’s still a problem; it’s also an opportunity.  An opportunity to reinvest yourself and maybe find a job doing something you never thought you might do and heck maybe you can even find something you enjoy doing. However invest in yourself wisely, too often I find older workers short change themselves in the quest for a job.

Recently I attended a job fair and the most common response to the question: What kind of job are you looking for what this: “I’ll do anything”.  This answer makes me cringe……Really would you do anything?  You might think this answer makes you sound attractive to the employer because you will adapt; but what it really says is you specialize in nothing and your desperate and worse yet you are not the best candidate senior, older or otherwise.  

So what is it you CAN do and do successfully? Take off your blinders, open your mind and take a chance. Sounds bold but believe it; not enough people take a chance on themselves and the end result is you end up holding yourself back.

Today I read an interesting article in USA Today, it caught my attention because it talked about following your passion something that I am a big fan of something that I feel everyone should do. Because let’s face it we spend so much time at work we minus well be doing something we enjoy. The article talked about a trend that we all have been watching because it’s really changing the labor market. They suggest that baby boomers should go out and start their own business rather than working for a big conglomerate. It’s an interesting concept because there are so many business concepts out there just waiting to be created the possibilities are limitless.

You literally need to follow your passion and see if it has a place in the marketplace. The particular example in this article was about a man who loved nature, loved to take pictures and now he takes people on guide’s nature trails and teaches them to take nature photos. Pretty breathtaking!

Imagine getting paid for doing something you love; it’s a nice idea isn’t it?

AARP® and WiserWorker.com® are kicking off 2010 with a campaign to bring together job seekers and local businesses at special designed job fairs for experienced talent. The Helping Experience Work@50+ job fair campaign will consist of 48 career fairs in 2010 in 19 different states. The goals is, to meet job seekers where they are in their job search process whether they were recently laid off or have been looking for some time.

AARP will be teaching job seekers how to brand themselves in specifically designed hour long workshops entitled “The Power of Promoting Yourself at 50+”. Job seekers will leave these workshops with new skills that will benefit them in their job search. It‘s been our experience with past workshops that participants left more knowledgeable and confident about their future.

Register Online TODAY for a event near you! http://www.wiserworker.com/job-fairs

Interested in being a recruiter at our events?  Contact Amy Hoster amy.hoster@wiserworker.com

In a time when there are often more job seekers than jobs I am excited to have just listed jobs for a company in Tennessee.  The company is part of the largest custom roll forming group in the world. We have 11 affiliate companies in 10 countries around the globe, forming an alliance that allows them to leverage the world’s latest technologies, innovations, and benchmarking tools.

This great company knows that when their employees succeed so does the company. They are a family working together for the success of all, and that’s what keeps them one step ahead of the others in the industry.

They are hiring for many different careers at their Louisville location. They are looking for people with experience in skills such as Marketing, Technology, Operators and Management.

We have the following jobs listed on WiserWorker.com.

Group Leader Quality

Sales Engineer

Sales Business/Market Development

Sales Engineer

Utility Press Set

Laser Weld Operators

Good Luck!

Sometimes there’s things better left unsaid and yes that applies to your resume: keep it short, relevant and to the point. With the most important message being RELEVANT!

Remember to get to the point when developing your achievements and ask yourself what of our skills and ambitions will benefit any future position that you might hold and list those achievements.  Don’t get bogged down with your past job descriptions because those rarely have any spark and you need SPARK to catch the recruiting managers attention.   

Make your objective statement that’s meaningful to you it’s easy to pluck a dressed up paragraph that means very little to anyone but looks great on a resume. Create a statement that catches the reader’s attention and accurately describes you and what you can do for a company. Make an impression and make it loud and it will stick.

There is something to be said short and sweet; when you send your resume to a hiring manager make sure that it’s concise.  The message on who you are, what you have done, what your skills are and how you can benefit a company should be conveyed in one page.  No longer than one page is usually too much information.

It’s easy to over inform and offer too much information and often what happens is that information isn’t what you want to convey. It’s hard enough to find a job don’t create obstacles with your resume.

In honor of Friday the 13^th I thought we could celebrate it by celebrating why older workers will substantially benefit any business.  

1.    Everything can be improved: Experienced workers take pride in their work.

2.    You get what you expect: Older workers stay on task until it is completed.

3.    Pleasure in the job put perfection in the work: Older workers have a knack for paying attention to detail.

4.    Finally being old pays off: Older workers have many years of experience

5.    Only those who do nothing make no mistakes: Older Workers make excellent mentors and role models

6.    Act the part and you will become the part: The older worker is not afraid to voice his opinions

7.    Concentration is the secret of strength: Less likely to play office politics.

8.    The best vision is insight: They can be left unsupervised more often and get the job done efficiently.

9.    Just go out there and do what you’ve got to do: Willing to stay over and work until the job is completed. 

10. Quality is everyone’s responsibility: Older Workers often know where problems may occur and how to prevent it

11. Only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it: Older employees are able to take things in stride and find workable solutions without “losing it.” 

12. Built in Training Department:  Older workers can easily train younger workers and encourage their progress.

13. We all have ability. The difference is how we use it : Usually they only have to be told once how to do a job.

You have the power to change; Hire an Older Worker!

Social Security insures families against the loss of income caused by retirement, disability, or death, with nearly universal coverage; Social Security insurance covers 94 percent of workers in paid employment and self-employment. The program has been a success; however, Social Security has a long-term solvency challenge.

Social Security insurance protects all age groups.

Social Security provides a retirement benefit that is guaranteed for life and is adjusted to keep pace with inflation.

Social Security benefits are adequately funded for another 32 years.

Social Security is the principal source of family income for nearly half of older Americans.

Social Security keeps older Americans out of poverty.

Social Security provides critical income support to minorities.

Social Security is crucial for women.

Social Security is the foundation of workers’ retirement security, but it was never intended to be the only source.

Source AARP.org

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.