Yesterday I received an email from a colleague in our Pittsburgh office, she shared a experience she had at there local job fair; it got me thinking and I bet once you read today’s blog it will get your juices flowing and take action.

As I mentioned Mrs. Hodges, attended our Pittsburgh job fair yesterday and one of the many observations she made was the number of retired or laid off older workers.  She recalled a conversation with a man; this man had worked at a company for 35 years; as a supervisor to over 500 people; recently that company was sold, he shared that he was laid off and could not find any work.  He also shared that his experience was people felt he was too overqualified and rejected him.

This should anger you on so many different levels……first of all he is qualified because he has worked for the same company for over 35 years this should alone earn him accolades.  He like most older workers isn’t a job “jumper” he proved this and so much more over his 35 years of his service.   To be a loyal worker and care about his company is another characteristic that should make recruiters JUMP. 

So what can we do? Mrs. Hodges gave me an excellent idea that I am going to share with you. She watched the President Obama address the nation and she reminded me that President Obama mentioned “perseverance” several times during his address and that got me thinking….

I learned that the White house is now open for questions….this is an excellent chance for us to share our concerns with the man who can make a change.  

The White House invites you to participate in their community-moderated online town hall.

You can submit your own question about the economy and vote on submissions from others. On Thursday March 26, 2009 you can watch the President answer some of the most popular submissions live at WhiteHouse.gov.

“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.”  ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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!

Don’t get sucked in too crisis mode; The purpose of this blog is to provide valuable insight on improving your life through finding financial security.   In short our mission is to help job seekers find jobs and it’s the hope of WiserWorker.com that job seekers with jobs will be able to achieve financial security.  

Pretty cut and dry, right?  Not so much, the media repeatedly reports what’s wrong with the economy complete with all doom and gloom, you can stomach. For instance; just this morning on MSNBC.com there was an article titled “Hard times have some flirting with survivalism” which essentially talks about people panicking and hording food, the person that was interviewed for the article (who refused to give his real name) was quoted as saying he felt we were “entering the Greater Depression.” Doesn’t it speak volumes that the interview subject doesn’t want to give his name?  

My point, yes let’s get back to jobs and the mission….don’t you think it would serve the American people better by talking about how we can fix the situation we are in?  How you can prevent further doom and gloom? Oh I don’t know maybe let’s talk about how we can create more jobs or maybe how people can find a job with the skills they have or learn new skills to find different jobs. Let’s focus on how to fix the problem and not how to survive as the world gets worse. We have an obligation to each other to get out of the situation.

How can you help?  Well start with the basics: Stay focused, keep your resume updated keep your eyes open and figure out how you can make a positive impact on the situation.  For me I am going to make sure I have the best possible website for jobseekers and provide as many resources as I can.

I am reminded of something I read by Helen Keller “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”     

I heard this phrase “the power of crisis” some weeks ago and it stuck with me, it’s an abstract phrase but it’s so powerful and I think I have finally figured out why I am stuck to this phrase “the power of crisis”.  Everywhere you turn you hear the word crisis, in one fashion or another the word crisis is used in conversations taking place across the globe and it’s powerful. The word crisis has the ability to stop you in your tracks and causes you to pay attention. Regardless of what you are talking about you stop and pay attention at the drop of the word crisis, it has the ability to gets and hold your attention.

I would imagine that there isn’t anyone in the workforce that hasn’t been affected by the financial crisis, but those who are looking for work are probably feeling the crisis stronger. Last week one of my associates spoke up in a meeting and said we should all be grateful that we have a job.  At the time what she said struck me as powerful but I didn’t know why, today I know it’s because I have a job with a company that I love and a product that I am passionate about. So she was right I am fortunate to have a job helping others find jobs during this time of financial crisis. Today more than ever job seekers need online job boards and resources to help them get through their job search and we are here to help.

Today I found a quote that Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company said that is perfect for where job seekers are at the moment. “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”  Mr. Ford couldn’t have said is better for a time like NOW.  At WiserWorker.com we are here at the beginning of your job search and will be here until the end. We know the power of crisis.

Over the last few weeks I have been doing research on the older worker in general, but specifically on the older worker returning to the workplace. We know that our labor market is shrinking and we need the older job seekers to fill the open positions.   That’s what we know but what I didn’t know was how we can get them hired – or simply put get the older worker in front of the hiring managers.

I set out to learn: What the REAL perception of the recruiting manager of the older worker?  What does the term “older worker” mean to recruiters and the population at large?  How does the average younger co-worker interact with their older co-workers?  What is the perceived value of the older worker to a business?  Lot’s questions, since I had them I would imagine that maybe you do as well. So here is what I found out…

What is an “older worker”?  Of course there is not a simple answer but according to researches Gergen and Gergen found that current American perception is that “those between ages 18 and 35 were considered young; those between 35 and 60 were considered middle aged, and those between 65 and 80 were considered old.” Current generations do not think of themselves as “old” until age 80.   And we know that anyone over 40 is protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and you are eligible for AARP at the ripe young age of 50. 

One could surmise that a worker starts to be older worker at age forty for hiring purposes.     

Play Nice? We have several different generations in the workplace; each generation has different goals and expectations of the workplace. Even with the different values, attitudes and expectations the different generations   have found a common ground in the workplace and work well together. Its phenomenon has left management with the task of muddling through generational differences that different groups have created; it’s nothing more than a process. 

Traditionalists: Born before 1946

Baby Boomer: 1946-1964

Generation X: 1965-1980

Generation Y: Born since 1980

What do older worker bring to the table? Older workers have a good work ethic, and a good attitude toward work. Employers over the last 15 years have the skills of the older workers highly when it comes to loyalty, dependability, experience, and customer relations.

Workers 55 and older…

…can serve as mentors to younger workers.

…adapt well to new technology.

…are eager for training.

…have great loyalty to the company.

…are flexible.

When all is said and done, I think older workers have come a long way in the mind of the recruiters. Business need to realize that older workers are very positive about themselves and the company they work for. They see themselves as more reliable than younger workers, more productive, and as having great loyalty to the company.

The older job seeker has been on my mind more than usual over the last few weeks.  It’s nearly impossible to escape the media coverage on the bailout crisis the American economy; I find myself entranced by it for many reasons.  Most of all because it has a direct impact on the American job seeker and I think it has a more direct impact on the older job seeker. The older job seeker the one who have already worked HARD for the last 30 years and has been saving for the time when they could kick it into cruise control and enjoy their lives and what the next phase may bring. What happens to them?  That’s what’s been on my mind over the last few days and leaves me with the question:  “What’s next for the older worker?”   

The only conclusion I can come up with that makes any sense to me is this: Keep moving forward and stay positive - Keep your head to the grindstone.  Companies need to continue to hire qualified employees to keep their business moving forward. American’s need to continue to go to work and spend their paychecks and we will rebound.  Simply put if everyday every Americans move forward a little bit at a time we and our economy will recover.  In the meantime stay tuned to WiserWorker.com for useful hints and skills that will help you get a job. Check often for job opening in your area and we will still have job fairs in markets across the country.

Its business as usual at WiserWorker.com we’re moving forward!

American Specialty Health is the latest company to make a commitment to older workers and join WiserWorker.com in the quest to get older workers hired! I am excited to share what I know about their company and to direct you to their job openings.  They are hiring for lots of different positions from administrative to management, you can check out their job listings online at WiserWorker.com. 

American Specialty Health is one of the nation’s premier personal health improvement organizations, providing specialty benefit programs, fitness programs, health coaching and worksite wellness programs to health plans, insurance carriers, employer groups, and trust funds nationwide. Based in beautiful San Diego; they have over 600 employees and cover more than 13.4 million members in specialty benefit, fitness, and coaching programs.

They have both Full time and part time positions available; excellent benefits for all shifts!  

What makes American Specialty Health such a great place to work? I took a look at their website and they have lots of great employee perks too many to mention.  Just to give you a preview here are a few:

·         Exercise Rewards Program (employees receive cash for working out)

·         Eleven paid holidays plus Floating Holiday

·         From our corporate-casual dress code (Jeans & Tennis shoes Monday-Friday!)

I encourage you to take a company tour on their website via video. Then come back to WiserWorker.com!  Let American Specialty Health know you heard about them here! 

Good Luck!

The NPD Group, reported recently that Baby Boomers were taking the internet by storm…watch out teenagers your parents are surfing the web. 61% of Baby Boomers have viewed and downloaded video.  Videos give you a big impression in a bite size format and leave you wanting for more. This gets the baby boomer generation thinking and researching for more and that’s more information.  Guess what? The Older Worker Generation is spending 87% of their time surfing the internet, or about 123 minutes online daily.

Not only have that 41% of Baby Boomers been taking in the social networks sites, they are interacting.  That’s right they are taking advantage of the social features and meeting people. You might run into your parents on Facebook so you better be nice! These sites are no longer for the teeny boppers. 

On average the typical Boomer will experience two major life events surrounding career, family, finance or health each year. These events can and will have a major impact on attitudes, life goals and consumer behavior.  You bet they will turn to the internet to find solutions from finding a job to seeking advice and WiserWorker.com will be here to help.

I was reading an article the other day that focused on the realization that Baby Boomers and older workers would contribute huge numbers of qualified workers as we enter the period of time that aligns with the declining numbers of “younger workers” in the labor pool around years 2010-2015. You can read the full article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4916661/

What got my attention was the discussion about the specific experience one older job seeker had while applying for a job.

She was clearly qualified, clearly enthusiastic about the opportunity, and seemed to appear, on paper, like a promising candidate for the position. However, once she got to the in-person interview, the hiring manager seemed turned off by her age.

I was disappointed.

Despite the progress we have made in America over the last 30 years concerning equality; issues like this may still be prevalent. Of course, the article was written four years ago and thanks to organizations like the AARP and the Department of Labor, we have come further, still. Awareness of mature workers’ value is becoming very well known. Companies of all sizes are being proactive in getting their employment opportunities in front of highly qualified, loyal employees who have a history demonstrating the best work ethic in older workers years of experience. Resources are sprouting all over the Internet for older candidates to find “Boomer-Friendly” employers and fast-track their applications to hiring managers for immediate consideration without the fear of discrimination.

Here are just some of the companies you can find on WiserWorker.com:

ADT Security Gate Gourmet

Aflac, Inc. Guardsmark

Bob Evans H&R Block

CBRE HMS Host

Cracker Barrel Intercontinental Hotel Group

Dollar General Stores Internal Revenue Service

Embassy Suites Jani-King

First Cash Harris Teeter

First Student And Many More….

(This guest post was written by Jeff Lebel, The General Sales Manager for the Washington D.C. Employment Guide.)

(Top Photo by criggchef)