Wiser Worker Blog

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.

Over the weekend I witnessed an interaction between a group of people and frankly I thought it was “cute” and as I have moved along through this week I realized what I witnessed was more than cute it was a desire for more.  This single event has given me renewed hope that people are still striving for more; and moreover it’s never too late to do more or perhaps be more.  

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day; I was planning on taking my grandmother to lunch as usual I arrived early at her retirement home.   Admittedly I like to arrive early because I love to sit in the lounge as the people there are so nice, and there’s always someone to talk to!  This Sunday was no different, and the ladies were dressed to the nines!  I had only been there moments before 3 nice ladies sat down next to me and quickly identified themselves as the “singles” I must have displayed a look on my face as they offered further explanation. You see these three ladies were all single; but certainly not alone.  However I quickly learned that they were looking needed a 4^th person to complete their group. I noticed how quickly they worked to scan the room for the 4th lucky person who they would be invited join their lunch group. It wasn’t long until they found their target.  The rest of the story is much as you expected; one of these ladies went and caught the lucky gentleman who would be their lunch date.  As sure as I’m sitting here I bet he has a grand lunchtime!

All week I have thought of these ladies and smiled, but it wasn’t until today that their lesson caught up with me. NEVER give up. Each morning when these ladies wake up they have a choice they can be a “single” and stay up in their rooms and be alone or they can venture out and join the ranks of their single comrades and have FUN. These ladies seemed to enjoy life in fact they seemed to be enjoying it a little much!

The lesson: is it’s never too late to do anything…..get a date, find a new job, or make a new friend. These are all chances and take an element of adventure but I urge you to take the leap….the rewards are plentiful.   

Did you know there was such a day?  I didn’t. Today I learned something new that I thought I would take a moment to share with you. Knowledge is fun, right; even better when you can share what you learn with others. What I learned is this:  May Day is a day where we get to celebrate workers rights.  This year however its meaning has expanded to include demonstrations about immigration reform. Pretty interesting considering the current job market climate

The actual holiday dates back so far that there isn’t an actual date; almost back to before the age of time. I did learn that it’s held to coincide with 6 month after November 1^st. Over the years the holiday has changed in meaning and it began as a ways to celebrate the social and economic challenges of the labour movement, which is a board term for the working class of people who band together to get better treatment from their employers. In some countries such as United Kingdom it is viewed as a political wing and it’s a party name much like out democratic and republican parties.  Today it has a different meaning in almost every country across the world.

For a list of U.S. May Day Events across the country; click here. In a time where we are all fighting to find jobs and stay focused I found May Day to be particularly interesting.

WiserWorker.com: enjoy your Friday and Happy May Day!

Hopefully you don’t have the swine flu, but there’s nothing worse than finally finding a job only to end up sick. It happens and all too often in fact…. why does this happen? Well it’s simple when you are pounding the pavement in pursuit of a job you are bound to encounter germs.

How can you put your defenses up and ward off the ever present germs that are out there in the job seeking world? I found the following useful tips at the Center for Disease Control:

Avoid close contact: How do you avoid contact when interviewing?  Well you can’t what you can do it this: wash your hands frequently and if you can’t get to a washroom use antibacterial gel. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unclean hands.

Cover your mouth and nose: if you do have to cough or sneeze cover your nose and mouth and wash your hands before contacting other people.

Clean your hands: Wash your hands, this must be important because I am mentioning it again…..   

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth: with dirty hands especially……

Practice other good health habits: gets lots of rest, drink LOTS of water.

Stay Home: If you are sick stay home.

It’s a real threat out there and it’s called the flu, make sure you ward off the germs that can stop you in your tracks. It’s no fun to finally find the perfect job only to have to call in sick.  At WiserWorker.com we want you to be well and in tip top shape to start your new job!

Whoever said this is a genius, it’s one of my favorite pick me ups when I am feeling particularly frustrated on any situation.  I have been known to thrown this out a group of people…..I don’t know what we are going to do…but it better be pretty great because…..and here it comes….”Failure is not an Option.”

It’s a group of words that just works! The phrase instantly gets the blood flowing and the troops lining up. I read an article that used this quote today and it’s not important what the article was about, what’s important is my reaction. I instantly was reenergized and launched into my next project; because in the world of searching for a job “Failure is certainly not an Option.“  WiserWorker.com is open 24 hours a day with the latest most up to date job postings, a robust resource section and finally a dedicated blog that talks about topics that matter most to the older worker.

At WiserWorker.com we are working to make this site better for the end user-YOU. If there is something you would like to change let me know, there is nothing I like more than talking to job seekers. You can reach me at 1-888-606-7896 Ext 238 or my email is amy.hoster@wiserworker.com.

Just remember as a job seeker I know searching for a job can be difficult but remember “Failure is not an Option.”

Dreams….Are we ever too old to dream or perhaps reinvent ourselves?  I don’t think so; on the contrary I think dreaming keeps us young.   As you get older your dreams and ambitions may change but you always should keep dreaming and reaching for your next moment in your limelight.  It takes a confident person to pursue their dreams and then make it happen; those people I admire!   It takes courage to leap into the next phase of your life and sometimes your dreams give us the inside scoop as to where you might leaping. Allow yourself to dream…it’s good for the soul.

What’s your next dream? It doesn’t have to be grand in nature; it can be something as simple as a career change, starting a new business or perhaps it’s as simple as going from full time employment to part time.  Maybe take a vacation with a long lost family member. You’re next step should you choose to accept it is to turn your dream into reality.

I met a young lady that had a dream and now her dream is reality: Naturally Naked Soaps was her dream.  Kristen had a vision of a product for people who have sensitive skin issues and live on a budget.  Kristen did the research and learned there wasn’t a soap product made with natural products and MADE IN AMERICA.   It’s a labor of love- Kristen’s love and you can see it in her product line.  It took creativity and courage to turn her dream into a business. Kristen had confidence in herself and in the future of Naturally Naked Soaps.    

My advice?  Start small and dream big.  Find your niche in life and dream big to make it happen. As follows is what I like to call the Dream Plan:

1.    Take the time to Dream and Plan

2.    Keep that plan in the front of your mind…..

3.    Keep your eye on the future and avoid the past

4.    Avoid Dream Killers

5.    Take action: maybe small, maybe large but TAKE ACTION

WiserWorker.com was a dream….

and today it lives for you.

Pleasant Dreams to you.

Over the last few weeks I have spoken with many people who have found themselves caught on one particular question during the interview process. So many in fact that I ‘m taking a moment to explore this jaw dropping, conversation stopping question. So you ask…..what is this elusive question that has left many wondering if their answer or lack of answer blew the interview for them?  Tell me something thing about you that you would like to change, or Name one weakness you have. 

Let’s start with WHY this question stumps so many… it’s the most basic reason we are taught from a very early age to focus on the positive; to highlight what we excel at. I can’t once remember my parents teaching me to talk about the fact that I couldn’t clean my room to save my life. My mother in fact would be mortified if I had gone around telling people that I was a slob, she is just thankful I have grown up and keep a clean house. So it’s not surprising that when we ask people what they are not good at we are greeted with a deer in the headlights expression.

Okay so we know this question is going to come up; so get prepared! Have an answer formulated before your next interview because how you answer it shows something about your character. Remember its okay to have weakness we all do we just aren’t conditioned to talk about it.  BOTTOM LINE: We all have something we could like to change or get better at, the key is to have a plan lines out how you overcome that weakness. 

For instance I’m the queen of procrastination because I procrastinate; I know that I need to plan and then leave myself extra time. I keep my schedule online, carry it with me and I set reminders.  I try to block my time with specific goals in mind for that time. This helps me be more effective because I am aware of this weakness and I take steps to overcome it. Okay here’s another not so secret about me….I am a terrible speller so I try to always have someone proof my written work or re-read it myself.

The rule to remember is this: when someone asks me what my weakness is I cannot only tell them my weakness I can tell them how I can prevent it from affected their company.  That’s what they care about…..IF your weakness will prevent you from doing the job you are applying for.  

See it’s not so scary….if you know its coming and what to do with it.  I hope that you can take this information and form your own answer that fits you so when you are asked this question you don’t find yourself speechless.