Over 50 and looking for work…

There is no way around it, the older we get the harder it is to find work. It is a lot about perception. The biggest thing for a professional is money, The older worker is going to want a lot of money or maybe make my company’s health insurance bill go up. They may be slow to catch on, epically if a business uses a lot of technology like computers and blackberries. Another problem some people may be uncomfortable telling an older person what to do and with that, not wanting to be told what to do either. Another perception people may face is energy. In this culture, we equate youth with energy. We want the young hungry salesman not the burned out one! And there is always attitude. If you go into an interview with the idea that you will be dismissed because of your age, there is a good chance this will come to pass. The effort is doomed from the start. A few decision makers may feel older workers are going to miss more work than their younger counterparts. There are all kinds of articles on line and elsewhere dispelling most of the misconceptions listed above. So what does this mean for you, over 45, 50 and up job seeker?

Look for jobs that are going to work. A huge company, like American Express or the Federal Government, can absorb someone who may have health issues easier than a three-person operation. As far as pay, it depends on you. Again apply for stuff that will work for you and let them know in the cover letter or interview the price is right. If you are a former manager looking for a non-manager position, let them know (even if it may not be totally true) you are out of the management game. The energy perception is harder to overcome. Dress the part you want to play. The right demeanor and a positive attitude (with a sense of humor?) will go a long way. If you are just getting on line keep learning the computers. If you have been in a role where you have not had to use a computer or blackberry, this not your age will be your biggest barrier. There are tons of ways to learn to use computers for free. Go check with your local library or community college for details. If you have had a great attendance record, highlight it in the interview. Now, how to get to the interview.

For God’s sake there is no need to go back ‘80’s ‘70’s and even ‘60’s on a resume or application. Unless you are talking to someone you are related to, no body gives a shit what your job was back then. Unless it was 20 to life in state prison! The last 10 years is all they want to know. If you have an older degree or high school diploma, list it but leave off the date. The fact you graduated high school in 1975 has nothing to how well you can do a job now but a high school diploma may be a requirement so you need to list it. Now, you may be stressing if you worked only one place for almost all of your adult life. List it from the start year. If you worked at a company from 1990 to 2008 chances are you worked different jobs. List the different positions and explain what you did at each one. If you had the same thing for a long time, list what you did and list other skills you have. Such a resume reflects stability, a good work ethic and dependability. But you are more…

Do not forget you are a person that never can be fully represented on any piece of paper. So do not settle for whoever hires you. No, take control and apply only for things you are interested in. Anything less is a waste of time damn it! Sure, it may take a little longer but it will be worth it. You made it this far, so what is a little extra time?

Corporate Culture... of Fear/ Debit.

Pins and needles. is this what it feels like where you work? Are people around you getting let go for dumb and dumber reasons? How is the revenue flow going? You get the idea. So many work places are becoming so dehumanizing. Management can hold the specter of being fired or laid off over your head and this gives them even more power. "Can you stay an extra hour?" "Get the extra work done or I will find someone who can." I'm sorry but we are going to have to cut your hours." Similar statements (and far worse) are being made all around the country every day. Here in North Carolina, a so called right to work state, you can be fired on the spot with no explanation given. People feel they have no choice but to live like this pay check to pay check. Few people seem to like their jobs so, why do they stay? Most people will say things like family, responsibilities, bills and or to have money. What they are really saying is "I have debit." I owe so off to work I go.

Debit. It is so deep in American Culture. We go into debit for not only houses and cars but just plain stuff as well! Here, people will finance you a pet puppy! We have credit cards that are easy to use (too easy) to satisfy that new manufactured want or need. Check out this for example. By their ads, you would think it is the second coming! Watch the people lay their money down or credit! I recently paid off a credit card (my only one) and thought about closing it out. I had to deal with a flood of dire warnings about how it would hurt my credit rating. My credit rating. Somebody will one day look at this number and decide if I am a low risk. It may look good at the moment but if I dig myself in deep enough, this same yahoo will decide I am not so credit worthy. Pay off stuff on time, play the game, no good they will change the rules on you. Once you get into the debit trap, your managers (the ones who see you as an expense) have even more power over you.

If you are fortunate enough to still be working, GET OUT OF DEBIT! The less you owe, the more flexibility and control you will have. Debit is the new slavery. The laws are made by the credit card companies and banker types for their benefit, not yours. If you owe off to work you HAVE to go.

Beat the "Jobless Recovery"

Sorry I've been away awhile.

Let's get our jobless recovery on! It looks like the banks are getting back in the black and Wall Street seems overjoyed! We worry about passing some more weeks of Unemployment (which is not the answer either) or spending billions on a better health care system but the real story remains out of the main stream. How much was / is the bail out? 14 TRILLION and counting! Do not take my word for it look here. Mrs. Prins knows what she is talking about. If you do not believe her, google "cost of the bail out". There are twelve zeros in one trillion. i.e. 1 Trillion = 1,000,000,000,000... Where did this money come from? Somebody is running the printing press and getting over time! It is no wonder the banker and Wall Street types are more happy these days. So what about you? How's that change working out for you? In my view, the Republicans are even worse, As I get older, I see less and less difference. It is going to take a lot more than 14-20 weeks more of Unemployment to get things going in the right direction again. I will not bullshit you, I'm no economist. So what does this got to do with a job search? Remember this blog is for one person only- you. You can still succeed.

What can you do? I've seen people doing the same old job search routine month after month (and in a few cases year(s). It is like the movie Groundhog Day, except reliving a nightmare of uncertainty, anxiety and false motivation over and over. Even if this method works, the nightmare continues. Get laid off, get fired for some stupid reason and start the whole process over again! Many move with blinders between jobs not pausing to think their way out of it. You must be creative! You must network! Sitting at home in front of a computer isolated from the rest of humanity filling out on line apps and emailing resumes is not going to get you a job, much less a career. This only leads deeper and deeper into cold dark depression. There is another way. Volunteer, play sports, do church stuff and get involved in any other activity you can think of to get around people. The job / career will find you. What need can you fill? What need do you WANT to fill? Answer these and you are on your way. If the Unemployment is out and you are looking at the ole $20 crisis, there are things you can still do.

Here a few ways to generate so income...

1. Voice 123 - voice overs.

2. Market other people's stuff on line

3. Ebay- Sell your stuff or stuff for friends on line.

4. GOARMY.COM They're always hiring.

5. Swift Transportation Be a truck driver.

Capitalism is an ass kicker. Government will not take care of you. You are pretty much on your own. I call it freedom to fail or succeed. Look with in and to friends, family and others to find what will work for you. Use the Internet to apply for jobs but keep in mind this by itself will take a very long time to work if it works at all. Network and network more...

E-mail Alert!

slavewoman@

thedarkavenger@

sexyamama36dd@

darknight@

When applying for a job the email you use says a lot about you. All of the best qualifications in the world will not get you by if anything like the above is on your resume. Employers are being overwhelmed now and have to look for anything to trim down the number of applicants they want to talk to. Some may think such emails might be cool, true or fun but to an employer they may show immaturity, vanity or worse- stupidity. It is a small and seemingly unimportant detail but one that can cost a lot in the long run. For looking for a job, use your name and not something that a 5Th grader would make up. 

The same goes for the music you pick to ring on your cell phone. If there are a ton of good applicants, rap, metal and country are a few ways to narrow the field. If somebody has to sit through music to leave a message and they do not share the same appreciation of death metal, there is a good chance your voice mail will remain eternally empty. 

The same is true for voice mails. If you read the first two paragraphs by now you got the idea....              

Worth 20k a month??

Worth 20k a month?

Why get out of bed? Is it just for the money? The knee gerk reaction would be "Yes". But think about it a little. If I paid you $20k a month to shovel dung, how long would you last? How many of us feel this way about their work already? We cannot stand what we do. It is a lucky person that gets out of bed on Monday morning and likes their job. The guy shoveling dung for $20k a month would not like it! The money perhaps but the job no... There is more to it than money. If you want to keep your next job; find something you like doing, find something that has meaning for you and find something that is fun! Here in the good ole USA we define ourselves largely by what we do. One of the first things we ask somebody we just meet is "What do you do for a living?" And let's face it "I shovel shit" is not a good answer no matter what the pay. So ask yourself what motivates me? If money comes first, you may want to rethink why you are here (and I as an employer will draw the interview to a polite but quick close).  Match the employer to you. If you take "anything" may as well settle for nothing. 

      

Jobs going, going almost gone

The jobs are going, going and almost gone... All of those who think training is the answer are on the right track for the long term. In the short term, where are the jobs people being trained for today going to come from? Everyone cannot be a pharmacist, nurse or class A truck driver. Bio tech and high tech jobs are good but number in the hundreds here in North Carolina. According to this article, we will lose 96,000 jobs by the end of this year! Unfortunately, our state lags behind most of the country in education. So who will want to come here? We offer cheap unskilled labor but NOT near as cheap as China and places beyond! When the unemployment extension run their course and the money for more "retraining" has run out, what will be the next step? The good news is things have to change. We will have redo health care, we will have to adjust our current plan of borrow against tomorrow for what we want today and take education more seriously from day one. With the 12Th worst dropout rate in the country, we have a lot of work to do. Now we have to retrain a largely uneducated workforce for jobs we hope will come. Given time to innovate our way out of the current mess, it may work. We can all think about what success will look like, low unemployment and all boats rising but what about failure? This Russian guy has an idea...         

It Will Not Work...

It will not work... Doing the same thing over and over in a bad economy to get a job will not work just as it does not in a good economy. Ask people you know how they got their last job. How many will say I saw an ad in the paper, sent a resume, got an interview and got hired? How many will say I got a job at a job fair (a good way for staffing companies to collect resumes but not a great way to find work)? How many will say I knocked on random doors at every business park in town until I found where I am now? Well, okay there may be a few. There is another way. Network. Most people find work based on personal connections. They know somebody who knows somebody. I'm a good employee at the local saw mill and my friend Tim Bob is out of work. I hear there is an opening. Tim Bob is a good guy and a hard worker and only lost his job after it went to El Salvador. If I recommend somebody who is a turd, I too will look bad and only hurt myself. The boss man knows me to be a good and dependable employee. So who will he trust? My recommendation or some shmo who answered a box ad in the local paper, you get the idea. So continue to answer ads in the paper, go to big impersonal job fairs but add a little to it. Network. Go to school, volunteer, go to church, join AA; do what ever it takes to meet with and interact with new people. It will also look better on a resume than a glaring gap!