What does age have to do with it?

As a job seeker I understand the varies obstacles that can hold you back from a job but I am tired of hearing the ‘age discrimination’ reason. Age discrimination has been around forever just as women, religion and many other discriminations. This is not new news!

There are so many reasons we can all use when we don’t get an offer or an interview.

It’s the economy’s fault

They think I am to old

They don’t like women

Their qualifications are ridiculous

They want someone who has 10 recommendations on LinkedIn

They think I am to young

I could go on and on but I would rather look for solutions. It is my own fault that I don’t have a job. That does not mean I should take the fact that I wasn’t called for an interviewed personal. For the company it is personal but not being chosen is not my personal. The fault lies with me when I don’t adjust to the market or update my skills or update my presentation.

As an ‘experienced’ job seeker I am an expert as problem solving. So why am I not using those skills on myself and figure out what I can do? If I am selling myself to companies as their solution to their pain points yet I can’s solve my own problems. That does not look good.

I don’t want to put my picture on LinkedIn because of age discrimination. That is just BS! Don’t use excuses to put obstacles in front of yourself. What about the companies that just want to see their candidates to make sure they are real? Are you going to shut down your possibilities because of a few?

I don’t believe in LinkedIn. Again, BS! If 75% of recruiters are using LinkedIn to verity candidates and you aren’t on it? Crazy. Just get over it. Ask for help and get your information up on LinkedIn.

I don’t understand all this Social Media stuff so I am just going to ignore it. BS! If you are still  snail mailing your resume and your haven’t received an offer. Well, I am not surprised. By the time your resume as been received the job as been filled! Also, what if you are in an interview and they ask you about your LinkedIn or Twitter account. What will you say? Saying you don’t understand it so you are ignoring it is just not a good idea. You will show your lack of flexibility and give them reason to say you are too old.

Think of it this way…if you had someone working for you that is always learning new things and staying on top of the industry. On the other side you have someone who does the same thing everyday the same way. Now that person does a good job at what they do but would you promote them? Most likely not. You would promote the person that was always improving.

Here is a quote from “The Sloan Center on Aging & Working”:

Both older and younger job seekers reported trying a range of strategies to reconnect to the labor market. Young people appear to be doing more to enhance their workplace skills and create job search networks, however. Just 12% of the older workers surveyed had taken new education or training courses in the past year, for example, compared to 20% of younger job seekers. At the same time, only 13% of older job seekers had used online social networking sites, compared to 28% of younger job seekers. Of those who use the internet, older seekers tended to use online bulletin boards (56%) while younger seekers most frequently opted to use Facebook (51%).

Interestingly, those aged 55 and over seem to recognize that their strategies are not effective. Overall, 64% of older job seekers rated the job search tools they were using as not helpful, compared to less than half (49%) of younger job seekers.

The second paragraph is what blows my mind. If you recognize your strategy is not working would you not look to change it?

Find solutions! Color your hair, update your make-up, update your clothes, update your glasses, take a class, ask for help!

Yea I'm 50!

A comic book dream?

Whiz Bam Pow

Meet @tylerweaver & @kleinpau. They have a dream. A different dream but still a dream.

They want to write & produce a comic book and then go to a short film. Dare I ask who reads comic book anymore? Well…I did ask and the response was pure excitement!

Tyler and  Paul are in a position that most of us find ourselves in right now. No money. But they want to pursue their dream. So their turned to IndieGoGo which helps them navigate the waters of fund raising. By supporting their dream, their project you can be drawn into the comic book, literally. And if you really want to do some different advertising give a little more and your company can be featured in an ad! Now when was the last time you advertised in a comic book?

Lets help them pursue their dream and participate in their success! Go out to their site and read about their progress. Give a little or a lot. Either way you are a hero!

Whiz Bam Pow

 

What is your secret identity?

Do you know who Jason Alba is?

Tonight I am at McLean Bible Church to hear Jason Alba. It is just under 100 miles one way for me so you know Jason is worth it! Jason is the founder of JibberJobber and a major expert on LinkedIn, Facebook and anything he decides to speak on. If you want to know how to work the job market he is the one to listen to, read and connect with.

This is my first time here at McLean Bible Church for their Career Network Ministry which they do every week on Tuesday nights. For the first hour they have many volunteer to help us job seekers navigate the job search river. What a great organization! Very impressed.

Notes from Jason’s presentation:

What is your story? Did you know before you were let go from your job?

Did you feel like networking is cheating on your present job? Have you let your gas tank on your career run on empty?

Job security should be called income security which is a sub set of career management. Multiple streams of income. Hmm…interesting thoughts.

Do you have a personal brand? Let’s think about this. Then he asked what isn’t your personal brand? I always think it is interesting when the question gets turned around. It really helps to realize what you did not realize you knew or had.

Single task verses multi tasking. Which are you? 10% more effective by single tasking.

Perception of our generation is an inherited brand. As well as where we are from or where we went to school.

Bad branding! 99.9% is in our pitches.

Make your brand intentional.

Grow your network with relevant contacts. Use these three things as a guide line: location, profession and industry.

Read this book - never eat alone by keith ferrazzi.

Write a book. An e-book. Yes it is that easy.

Have three target company in mind. This gives you a lead to talking to others about what you are looking for job wise.

Join Yahoo groups or Google groups.

Top three thing to have or do on LinkedIn. Must have a good profile that contains keywords.Use inkedIn answers and LinkedIn companies.

Write a job search newsletters that you can sent to friends and relatives. Had not thought of that but Jason,I feel strange about it.  Include in the newsletter where you have applied/interviewed. The titles applied/interviewed to/for. Where you want an intro to.

Have an accountability coach. Should not be your spouse.

Do informational interviews.

The presentation was then wrapped up with the final reminder to send thank you notes via email and snail mail.

It was a good presentation that was worth my drive. In fact I think I will come to the meeting next week even though Jason won’t be there!

Thanks for listening!

Is this really my desk?

When you are out of work for a time then…you start a new job it is a shock to the system. The adjustment is huge. No longer are you stumbling out of bed to jump on the computer to see the latest job postings. No longer are you living in your sweats without makeup.

I bring this up because I just started a new job. It isn’t my dream job because it is in sales but it does get me out the house.

In preparation of starting the job my list of ‘to do’ was long. I had not realized how much it takes to have a job or perhaps it was how much I wasn’t doing for myself anymore.

Now every morning I get up and put on makeup, fix my hair, put on stockings and a suit. Now when I look in the mirror I see that person that  my resume represents. I see that person that can do anything.

And I have my own desk…

Me at my desk.

My desk without me.

Oops, I did it again!

As a jobseeker I have been told to not be negative. To be careful of what I write or tweet because a potential employer could be reading. To not be mad because I don’t have a job. To embrace the process.

Well, I have! Now could the HR departments, hiring managers and recruiters please take your own advice?

I am so tired of being told what not to do or what I am doing wrong or being treated as I am as dumb as dirt.

Two examples from the last 15 minutes:

Forbes magazine puts an article up called “13 Big Mistakes Job Seekers Make“. I read the article but no where did it list the 13 things. Then I realized why. The 13 things were done in pictures! Now that was funny! Not! The article sounded like it was written for an 11 year old to understand. The salt in the wound was the pictures. Here you are saying that I could not understand a list so you better use pictures. Give me a break!

Now the second example was written by a hiring manager, Melanie Szlucha. She called her article “Job Seekers, Sometimes I Don’t Think You Want a Job“. Please, don’t assume all job seekers are alike and don’t assume that we aren’t on top of our game as many of us are.

Can  HR, hiring managers and recruiters please stop being Negative Nancy’s? Stop venting and telling everyone that job seeker don’t want jobs or that they are only smart enough to look at pictures. We are told to not be negative or to not grip when we don’t get phone calls back or to not be aggravated when HR calls and they don’t even know what the job is or when recruiters call and they really haven’t read your resume or….need I go on? Can we all just get along?

I am asking for a truce. An agreement that everyone play nice together. Now can we all join hands and sing a song? Only kidding!

Oops, I did it again! Typo!

Am I valuable?

I’m just going to jump into this one. This subject is a tough one for us job seekers.

I just read @dawnbugni‘s post on “What are YOU saying about you?” and it hit home. My confidence has taken a break from me and is hiding in my back pocket. Occasionally it will come out and assist me but for the most part it is gone.

I read my resume and wonder who that person is? If I find a job can I bring that person back to life?

My value is tied to my ability to offer value. But the twist is I don’t have to be paid for it! Yes, think about that for a moment. I offer value in the many things that I do but I am not paid. I am going to make this adjustment and find my confidence in my back pocket.

I do not have to be paid to bring value! (repeat 10 times a day)

Another Job Fair?

When someone mentions ‘job fairs’ I am off like a dirty shirt!

Here are a few opinions:

@emilyB_PHR: I just recently attended a job fair and was very surprised the employers I visited (based on my experience/observations) were not accepting paper resumes. Rather, they were directing everyone to apply online. I reached out to Kimba Green today to inquire about her experiences at Job Fairs since I was aware she had attended several in the past and it sounds like she had some similar experiences. Also, one other HR Professional I recently met shared that the job fairs she attended.. same thing.

@jenbaty: I experienced the same thing. The next time that I went to a job fair or networking party where recruiters would be, I used a different strategy that might help you. I looked over the list of participating companies before the event, and went to their job boards to apply ahead of time for any positions of interest. I printed off the job descriptions, wrote down some questions about the particular role, and then printed off the resumes I had tailored to the particular job. When I met the recruiter I was armed with questions to get them engaged so they would remember who I was…that I was prepared…that I already knew what they were hiring for. I followed up with calls, and this did lead to an interview.

@ed_han: In all honesty, I have long ago dismissed job fairs as a meaningful investment of my time. I recognize that my position is a minority one, but my experiences have uniformly shown that:

1. The people at the tables are invariably the most junior HR representatives the organization has. Therefore, their value for networking is suboptimal and their views on the corporate culture are generally not as informed as I would ideally like.

2. Organizations do not accept paper resumes but rather direct attendees to their website. What purpose does that serve if you have one or two people out of the office if all they do is that?

3. Nobody I know personally has landed a job offer from a job fair. No one.

For those reasons, I only attend job fairs organized by affiliated job clubs, and honestly, I’m attending to support the organization rather than any real expectation of a positive result.

Having said all of that:

A. Job fairs can be a great way to network with other job seekers, esp while on line at a popular booth. While some advise against networking much with others in transition, I am not a fan of that advice: the majority of people in my own network are employed and I bet that’s true for most job seekers.

B. Jennifer’s advice re: scoping out postings the night before & having informed questions is excellent. That kind of approach most certainly will make you stand out vis a vis other job fair attendees.

@iamvictorialand: Had good luck making connections – even got an offer – I will definitely attend another and network like crazy afterwards.

@nancy_carbone: My job fair experience has seen mainly sales jobs. Yet I still go. Also, good mock interview.

@michaellunsford: you get to meet HR folks without gatekeepers getting in the way.

Job fairs are not for everyone but there must be some kind of return as they are well attended.

What are your thoughts?

Leave me a comment or participate in my LinkedIn Poll.

Thanks for listening!

What’s your word?

Who are you? Where are you going? Who will recognize you when you get there?

Serious questions when you are on the search for a job.

What kind of job are you looking for? What is your elevator speech? What are your qualifications? Why should you be hired over the other guy?

The process is overwhelming.

Your resume is how long? You included what on your resume? You should never put that on your resume?

Need I go on?

The world of job searching is a job of learning that takes 10 hours a day to get up to speed. Even once you are up to speed you will always be learning or re-writing or trying something new. The job of jobseeking is never learned and forgotten.

So how do you maneuver through these waters?

The bad news is there isn’t a key that will unlock your dream job. The good news is there is a way for jobseekers to receive the expertise and guidance they are looking for.

That way is through HireFriday on Twitter. This movement was founded by @HRMargo and was put together to support jobseekers. The concept is different is the way that as the jobseeker you tweet out your “statement” and others RT you. Your network expands with every tweet!

Check out @HRMargo‘s latest blog post on some guidelines for successful HireFriday tweets!

What’s the word jellybird? HireFriday!

See you in the twitterverse!

Watching the Twitterverse!

Thanks for listening!

Guest Blog Post Contest!

I wrote my first blog post for a Blog Contest because of @julieWalraven. She sent me a tweet saying that @jacobshare of JobMob was holding a contest and yes there could be cash involved!

Please read the post and comment or share. The more traffic I received on the post the higher my chances are to win!

BTW the blog post is short!

10 Ways Unemployment is NOT Going to Kick My Butt!

Thanks for listening!

I survived a resume massacre!

I have survived many critiques and most recently I had one of my worst.

It started quite innocently. A tweet on twitter looking for job seekers’ and the next thing I know I am on a radio program. This is not just any program. It is the ‘Ex Recruiter Extreme Candidate Makeover Show’. I was very excited for the opportunity.

Here I was 8 months without work and I had the good fortune to be “made over” by some of the leading experts. I was over the moon!

Two days before I sat down to write out some questions for the panel. I wanted my questions to be good as I have been doing this “job seeking” for sometime so I felt I needed to ask quality questions that would offer value to myself as well as the audience. I also practiced with my husband on taking criticism on a body of work that I was proud of. I wanted to be open to the critique knowing that on the other side I would received the benefit of the expert’s knowledge.

When the day arrived I was ready. I had index cards written out with my questions, a cup of tea, a glass of water, my resume and pen and paper. I started to get nervous when I realized that no one on the panel had called me as I was told could be the case. I told myself it was okay and I started to dial the phone number.

The panel of experts were introduced as @resumestrategy @Execjobcoach @jobsearchcoach and we were on our way! They started with the candidate I was sharing the show with, @CMannis1. I was very focused while they went through her resume as I did not want to miss a thing!

Then it was my turn.  Karen, @resumestrategy, went first. She spoke so quickly that I was struggling to keep up and I use shorthand! She gave me some good thoughts but I was sure I was missing some key points! Next went Janice, @Execjobcoach. This I was not prepared for. For the next 5 minutes she went on about font size and the fact that my resume, which has boxes, made her schizophrenic. After she was done I asked what was a good font size. The answer I received was that she should be able to read it without her glasses.  Quite honestly the rest was a blur of statements. From the fact that Janice liked everything above the comments on my resume (that would be my name and my headers). Then she took apart  my headers with such statements as the word “visionary” was from the 90′s. I was also told I did not have any keywords yet when I asked for some keywords my question was sidestepped. I listened the best I could struggling to stay open because the suggestions of improving my resume were just around the corner. @jobsearchcoach, Jeremy went next. I knew Jeremy from twitter so I was hoping for some great job search advice as that is his specialty. That did not happen.

Now for my disclaimer. I do not want to alienate the community that I have worked very hard to be a part of. This is my opinion and my story and if that offends then so be it but this is not written with malice. In fact it has taken me 10 days before I could sit down and write about this.

I was expecting a “makeover” and my definition of that is after my resume is critiqued it would be built back up. That would include solid advice that would have specific changes so in the end I would be “made over” and ready to take on my job search once again. I was not asked about my pain points. In fact I was not asked questions.

I do feel that the criticism went over board when I was told my reference’s comments on my resume could have come from my neighbor and even though I referenced that all of these were from LinkedIn it still fell into the “not believing” pile. I was also told that my “soft skills” were not important as everyone has them and anyone can manage people.

I was numb for the rest of the day. I felt like how could I have been handing out this piece of crap to people. How did I even get interviews when my resume caused such mayhem.

Then my husband stepped in. He knows the work and the research I have done. He know that I have 12 different version of my resume to hand out according to the job I am applying for. He knows that I have had many people read my resume and I have tweaked it accordingly.  He said, “How can that many people be wrong and these 3 people be so right?” He was right.

My resume is a living document and there is many ways I can improve it but it is not possible for it to be so wrong. I have had compliments and suggestions. I have been told that I was called just because they like the way I wrote my resume. That doesn’t mean I won’t take the suggestions that were given to me on the show but it does mean that I will take it with a grain of salt or perhaps a pound of salt!

I want to leave with a suggestion to @paris22, the host of the show. Please change the name. It is not a “makeover” show. It is a resume critique show.