Sunday, June 19, 2011

50+ and Out of Work? Check Out These Tips

Finding a job is challenging for anyone in a painful recession, but it's even harder if you're over the age of 50. While it is illegal for employers to discriminate based on age, many older job seekers will tell you it happens every day. Employers are always looking to shed more expensive, older workers and clear the promotion path for younger employees.


Now that economic reality is colliding with the intent of baby boomers, most of whom hope and need to keep working past the traditional age of retirement; many find themselves in the position of having to look for new career opportunities.

So, what are the best strategies for landing a job when you are over 50?  When the question was posed on LinkedIn, hundreds of business people who've been on both sides of the hiring desk--employers and job seekers responded.

Interestingly enough, respondents weren't complaining about age discrimination or the recession. Both are accepted as a fact of life. Instead, they were pushing 50-plus job seekers to adopt smart strategies for selling themselves, networking aggressively, and generally cleaning up their act when it comes to interviewing.

Summarizing the wisdom of the crowd: You can get this done, and here is how:
  • It's not all about you - The most important thing in getting a job after 50 is to understand why anyone would hire you.  The only reason anyone gets hired is because the hiring manager sees the candidate as the solution to their problem.  Older job seekers too often want to talk about themselves in job interviews--narrating their resumes in too much detail, and even showing off the battle scars inflicted by unjust employers of the past.  Candidates should leave both their history and their attitude at the door.

  • Go into interviews prepared to listen and understand your prospective employers current situation and issues. Research the company thoroughly in advance. You are there to find a way to match up the employer's problems with specific areas of your experience that make you the obvious solution.

  • Don't whine about your last company, your financial situation, your health or your children.  The employer really doesn't care. Employers are interested in earning more revenue, not in providing you with counselling.

  • Technology really matters. Most baby boomers are comfortable with using basic business technology, i.e. computers, the web, e-mail and mobile technology.   The most desirable candidates can separate themselves from the Luddites that lurk in the applicant pool who want to get by on ignorance for the remainder of their working lives by absorbing all they can about the newest industry trends and becoming more knowledgeable and skilled with regard to how social media influences their future opportunities.

  • Make the cultural connection. Show younger hiring managers that you are not stuck in the past. Be brutally honest with yourself.  Understand how others perceive you.  Think about the way you look, the way you dress, the words you use and the attitudes you hold. If necessary, clean up your act before you enter the market.

  • Network creatively. If you haven't joined LinkedIn, do so immediately. It's free, and with a little investment of time you'll build a useful professional network that can help with your next professional move and build your knowledge. A LinkedIn profile also is a great way to show potential employers that you're up to speed on the web and social networking.

  • Include non-virtual networking as part of your job search strategy.   Try to attend as many industry and professional meetings and conferences as possible and don’t forget to make the time to attend family functions
Remember that unemployment is just a phase, albeit uncomfortable, and it happens to EVERYONE at some point in his or her lifetime.   The strategies listed above will give older job seekers a place to start when it comes to the next entry in their career history.
© Salvino 05292011


Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Job Search and QR Codes

 
Before you decide if it is worth your while to add a QR code to your marketing collateral, you must first understand what a QR code is and what it does.

What is a QR code?
Background info:
  • They come to us from Japan
  • QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone)
  • They are used to take a piece of information from a transitory media and put it in to your cell phone
  • They can store (and digitally present) data, including url links, geo coordinates, and text
  • Smart cell phones can scan them if they are equipped with a QR reader app
Below is the QR version of my website:

 


How do I generate QR a code?
  • Type ‘QR Code Generator” in any search engine to find several sites  that will enable you to create your own code in a matter of seconds.
How can I read a QR code?
  • You need a smartphone
  • Go to the app store and search for a QR code reader where you will find several free apps
  • Run the app and then hold your phone’s camera over a QR code to read it.  N.B. that most QR codes you’ll come across have a URL encoded, so chances are when you read the QR code it will take you to a web page

What’s the point of QR codes?
  • Due to the fact that QR codes link offline information to online content, they can effectively provide additional information and multimedia to an offline experience. If you have created print material that included a URL for more information, a QR code for that URL could also be added to enable smartphone users to go directly to that web page without having to type in the web address.

Will incorporating a QR Code in my marketing collateral worth the effort?

  • Why not take advantage of this technology and add your résumé to your business card in the form of a QR code?  What do you have to lose?

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Top 10 Reasons You Need a New Career ...

 
  1. You use the words "my cubicle" at some point during the day
  2. The only way to pay your bills is if you would draw an extra zero at the end of your
    paycheque
  3. Your ability to up-sell table #4 an extra order of appetizers determines if you'll have
    enough money to go out on Friday night
  4. No one has heard of the products/services you are selling
  5. Having to be stuck at the same desk all-day-long hasn't improved your "beach figure."
  6. You have come to the realization that being unemployed in real life isn't nearly as cool as the characters on Beverly Hills 90210
    made it look on TV
  7. You can see that business is lousy and you are afraid of getting laid off
  8. There is no opportunity for promotion from within
  9. You have been passed over for a promotion
  10. You are at work right now and you are obviously looking for a job!  FYI, trolling for a new job while on the clock isn't just dangerous; it's inappropriate.
The average person can expect to change careers at least a dozen  times in his or her lifetime. One reason for all these career changes is that people often don't make informed choices. While making an informed decision regarding your career is a good way to help insure that the career you choose is right for you, it doesn't guarantee it. Even if you follow all the prescribed steps and choose a career that is right for you, it may not remain your best choice forever. Here are some reasons to consider leaving your current career for a new one.

You Should Consider a Career Change If ...

  • Your Family Circumstances Have Changed
  • The Job Outlook in Your Field Has Worsened
  • You Are Experiencing Job Burnout
  • Your Job is Too Stressful
  • You Find Your Work Boring
  • You Want to Earn More Money
Once you have made the decision to change careers, do the following:
  1. Construct a SMART career change plan.  Despite what most “experts” on goal achievement tell you, S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-based) are NOT sufficient.  You must make them S.M.A.R.T.E.R. by including the “E.R.” (exciting reasons) why you want to achieve the goal.  When you can identify what benefits you or others will receive as a result of you achieving your goal, you can achieve anything.  Without this motivation, you are much more likely to quit. 
  2.  Include short-term goals in your overall career change plan.  Don’t just set goals for the year; break down your annual goals into monthly, weekly, and/or daily goals.  For example, if one goal for the year is to exercise at a high-intensity on at least 250 days, that means exercising 20 times a month, i.e. 5 times a week.   By focusing on 1 week at a time, annual goal becomes much more achievable. Plan the work and work the plan!
  3. Consider the financial ramifications of your decision with close attention to your basic living expenses, and your ROI/opportunity costs of re-training, if you are going that route
  4. Identify a team of people who can and will support you emotionally and/or professionally during your transition to your new career.  Make sure you know what is involved in achieving your goal, or it will not matter how hard you work.  Be careful who you take advice from; everyone loves to give advice, and most people have no idea what they are talking about!  Find someone who has already done what you want to do, and ask them how he/she did it.  Supplement their tips by reading, studying, and implementing tips from at least 1 well-respected book or course on how to accomplish the goal you are trying to achieve.
  5. Track your accomplishments. Set up some sort of system to track your effort each day, week, and month.  Many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January because they have not seen the progress they had unrealistically expected by that time.  By measuring your effort, you will have proof that you are trying your best (or proof that you need to step up your game), you will be more likely to stay focused, and you will build momentum, a key to achieving any goal.
Any kind of change takes effort.  Hint: Focus on effort first, and have faith that progress will show up in time.  Small steps add up very quickly.  Be patient with yourself, and reward yourself along the way based on your effort, not on your progress, not matter what your goal!

Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca

Sunday, June 5, 2011

When Do Exaggerations and Misstatements on a Résumé Cross the Line?

When public figures are caught embellishing their accomplishments or qualifications, whether by exaggeration or misstatement, the general public is outraged and the general reaction from the increasingly jaded public is: "What were they thinking?"

As it turns out, what they were thinking is not much different from everyone else.  Experts say that embellishment is part of human nature and almost everyone is guilty of it at one time or another. Left unchecked, however, exaggerations that seemed innocuous at first could result in serious, potentially career-ending consequences. Know that once caught in a deception, even if it is a common deception, people will not trust you. Moreover, once the bond of trust is lost, it is terribly difficult to recover.

Know that in today's work environment, no one will be called in for a job interview without being ‘Googled’ first.  Given that in today’s work environment, small talk in the elevator or comments made at a staff meeting are just a Twitter post away from reaching a global audience it's easier than ever to get caught in an exaggeration.

As unemployed workers face unprecedented competition for a limited number of job openings, the temptation grows to use embellishment as a way of making their résumés stand out.  Even though the temptation to embellish has also never been greater, any exaggeration and/or misstatement in your documentation will colour you as some sort of venal person in the eyes of any hiring manager. 

These days, unemployed workers fall into one of two camps: some want to exaggerate to meet the minimum standards for a particular position, and others, usually older candidates, who want to downplay their education and experience so as not to appear overqualified for a particular job.

Thanks to the Internet and other technological advancements, past misstatements have a much longer shelf life, and embellishments are more vulnerable to being detected. Résumés, no longer exist only on paper.  Résumés exist on Facebook, personal websites and LinkedIn and can be accessed by anyone.  Anything posted on the Internet will never die. 

The best way to avoid career-damaging misstatements is to become adept at self-editing, and to be open to allowing a coach or friend to ferret out any claims that cross the line.  If candidates are unprepared, they are going to be more likely, in the heat of the moment and under pressure, to say something that isn't true or take credit for things that they didn't do. Alternatively, they might embellish their accomplishments at the risk of crossing an ethical boundary.  A candidate's best approach to an interview is to be prepared.  Candidates should anticipate the kinds of questions that are going to be asked. Ideally, candidates should want to feel very comfortable with the work they have done and have a very clear story about what they did and for what they can take credit.

Reputations are real and are built up over time. It is a lot easier for someone to trust you if they have heard from someone or read somewhere else that you are trustworthy.  Make it easy for someone to trust you.  Resist the urge to misstate or exaggerate your accomplishments.  Your future depends upon it.


Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved. Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino. “Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca