Watch How Job Seekers Overcome Age Bias

by mandymooo

“Age Bias,” has become somewhat of a buzz word associated with job seekers over a given age, but let’s call it for what it is…Age Discrimination. There I feel better now.

When does it begin ?

It’s been my experience that age discrimination starts rearing its ugly head when one is over 40 years of age and not 50 as is widely believed.

Does age discrimination exist ? I know it does, at least to some degree.

In fact, as an Executive Search Professional, I once had a new client (a household corporate name you would know) who screamed obscenities into my phone and further threatened to fire my search firm; if in the future we sent them anyone 40 or older.

What was their (twisted) rationale ?

“People over 40 simply do not have enough (runway) left in their career to advance far in this company,” they were quoted as saying to me. By the way, this was the belief and a rigid mandate set forth by the company’s Regional President who ironically enough was closing in on 60 !

Did my firm get fired ?

No, I fired the client because it is both wrong and illegal. Now before anyone asks, when we took on this new client, they neglected to mention that they discriminated based on age. I can only assume that they were accustomed to working with recruiters who would look the other way; they must have assumed that my firm would do likewise.

Did I try to “educate” this Regional President as to the consequences of being convicted of Age Discrimination ?

Yes I did, and to no avail. His response was short and sweet, “That’s what our lawyers are for and that is the end of this discussion.” Oh well, that just goes to show that not “everyone” in a position of authority will modify their moral compass even if at their own peril.

So, how do the “more experienced” workers over 40 gain meaningful employment ?

First and foremost, even though you “feel” you may have been a victim of age discrimination it does not mean you in fact were. Let’s face it; on a national basis, this is likely the most competitive job market we have seen in our times. You may have been a casualty due to the sheer numbers of unemployed people you are competing with. Then again you may have been competing with a Guerrilla !

If you are a job seeker over 40 or over 50 for that matter, here are seven rock-solid proven points to seriously consider while looking for your next gig:

• Your resume and cover letter must quickly and clearly articulate your value in that it addresses an employers primary pain points; no great revelation here except for the fact that very few people can skillfully do it.
• Approach your search with an absolute goal in mind that goes above and beyond just getting “another” job.
• Remember that what YOU want is of no significance to a potential employer.
• Humanizing your job search is a cradle to grave undertaking, you must do so throughout the ENTIRE process.
• It is of the essence that you’re talking and meeting with “yes” people.
• Don’t be a nuisance, but be “imaginatively” persistent with potential new employers.
• Networking, be it direct or indirect is still the number one proven way to land a new job. Learning to socially engineer your way into a new position will pay off.

If I were to describe a “typical” Guerrilla Job Boot Camper,” they would be over 40 (or 50) and of course unemployed when they joined us; as a best guess I would have to say that less than 1% of our boot campers have been under 40 years of age.

Go here to WATCH several short videos and see what these people did to overcome (either) real or imaged Age Discrimination. You’ll note that not one of them is under 40 !

http://www.psychoape.com/recommendations.html#video

Have a Great Guerrilla Day !

Mark J. Haluska

http://www.psychoape.com

724-495-2733

Watch How Job Seekers Overcome Age Bias

Create a 30/60/90-Day Plan Now To Boost Your Job Search in the Future

image by Joe Lanman


A 30/60/90-day sales plan is a written outline for exactly what you’ll do in the first 3 months on a new job. It’s the goals you’ve set for yourself as a new employee for the first 30 days, the first 60 days, and the first 90 days. A 30/60/90-day sales plan is tremendously impressive to a hiring manager because it takes a lot of effort to write one, and requires that you research the company and the job very well in order to be specific in your goals. (It takes the idea of “doing your homework” to a whole new level.) 

Very few people put this kind of effort into a job they haven’t even gotten yet. When a hiring manager sees a candidate with one of these plans, they think at least two things: (1) “This person knows exactly what I need here, and he can hit the ground running…I can see him doing well in this job” and (2) “Wow. If this candidate will work this hard before she gets the job, imagine what a go-getter she’ll be on my team.” (Either one means great things for you.)

If you’ve got lots of experience, your 30/60/90-day plan will show the hiring manger your energy, enthusiasm, drive, determination, and knowledge, setting you apart from the pack.
If you have little experience, a 30/60/90-day plan will show the hiring manger that you do, in fact, know what it takes to be successful at this job, and it’s not going to be a risk to hire you. (Click here for more tools to help you get into medical sales.)

OK. I said all that to say this:

Don’t throw away your 30/60/90-day sales plan after you get the job.

First of all, you’ll need to use it on the job. If it’s a good 30/60/90-day plan, actually following it WILL make you more successful.

Second, unless you’re already flirting with retirement, the job you’ve got probably isn’t going to be your last stop….so job searching, interviewing, and 30/60/90-day plans will still be a part of your future.

With that in mind, here’s my big tip for the day: make notes on what worked for you in your 30/60/90-day plan and start a “Job Search” folder, where you keep notes on interesting companies, recruiter contacts, “attaboy” (or girl) emails, etc.–and put your 30/60/90-day sales plan in there for future job searches. Like a brag bookfolder, it’s going to be a personalized resource for you. You won’t need to start from scratch on your job search or your 30/60/90-day sales plan if you find yourself suddenly in the market for a new job. And, you can use what you’ve learned to improve your plan for each job you interview for….you’ll be more efficient, and you’ll become a better candidate.

Original Post Create a 30/60/90-Day Plan Now To Boost Your Job Search in the Future

4 Surefire Tactics to Keep Your $100K Executive Job Search Alive and Kicking | EmploymentDigest.net

“What do I need to do to be more effective and keep my job search alive?” In this article, I give you four sure-fire tactics to implement so that you can keep your job search campaign kicking!

Step #1 – Reach Out

Networking is more than just going to professional association meetings, eating lunch or dinner with strangers and collecting business cards. There are specific methods for getting a pay off in every networking activity that you engage in!

1. Be intentional. Even before you sign-up for an event, before you pick up the phone, or before you send a resume to anyone, you should have a plan, a goal and an expected outcome for each and every activity that you perform.

2. Categorize Your Contacts. Organizing and categorizing your contact database is key to understanding how to communicate with each contact and what to expect. I recommend that you classify your contacts into three types: power brokers, peers, and pay-it-forward individuals.

3. Customize Your Communications. Once you’ve classified your contacts appropriately, develop different messages for each. Power Brokers, who are one or two levels above you in their career, require valuable strategically positioned messages. Peers, those who are at the same level as you, are great sources for information about companies and contacts. Pay-it-forward groups, those who are one or two levels below you, need only brief and infrequent contact.

Step #2 – Build Trust

Building trust should be part of your continual networking efforts. Building trust is essential in getting others to give you leads and potential opportunities.

1. Intentional Volunteering. When you give, you get. But giving of your time, resources and expertise should be more than just “hoping something will happen.” To volunteer to give AND get results, you need to intentionally volunteer where you can be visible and valuable.

2. Attitude Determine Altitude. Your attitude to volunteering should be about providing value to the other person/group and that you are going to give your very best. This is not the time to “act as a volunteer.”

3. Insider Information. The goal of volunteering is that you should be of such value that you are brought into the “insider group” so that you are the first to know about any opportunities or job searches that companies are conducting BEFORE they post the job.

Step #3 – Develop Talking Points

It is what you SAY that gets you hired; not what you write. Finding opportunities are all part of the process of getting hired. Developing Oral Talking Points that are crisp, clear and memorable will set you apart from the pack.

1. Elevator Pitch. First impressions, as the saying goes, last forever. Yet most $100K+ executives develop their elevator pitch like a mini-resume and often they are boring! Market Your Potential, Not Your Past has a full chapter on the 7 rules for developing an elevator pitch that gets results, including real-life before and after examples!

2. Informational Interview. Why would you call anyone without writing out a script? Yet over and over again, people pick up the phone, dial the number of their contact and then freeze because they don’t know what to say. Write, re-write, and rehearse your introduction along with a closing that gets results.

3. Face-to-Face Meetings. Let’s say you get someone interested in you and invites you to meet with them even if they don’t have an opening at the time. What do you say? How can you make sure that it is a valuable two-way conversation about the business? What will you do to paint the picture in your listener’s mind where they “see” you working at their company? By now, you know the answer – script it out!

Step #4 – Use Low-Key Sales Tactics

Learning how to sell is vital to moving opportunities along – whether or not you are in sales or not. Asking for a job when you haven’t moved the relationship along is not appropriate and neither is it appropriate, if you are a top $100K+ Executive talent, to not “ask for the order.”

1. Prepare to close. Learn to develop and incorporate trial closes, which are open-ended questions (those that start with who, what, where, why, when and/or how,) to gain information and valuable insights along the way towards a final sale.

2. Use Resources Available. Your local library is filled with books about how to sell. Ask a business associate who is a sales professional to help you. Practice orally your trial closes and get comfortable using low-key sales tactics.

These four sure-fire tactics are necessary to get you moving today. However, these are just the beginning. For more tools and information about how to get better results in your executive-level job search, read my bio and click on the link to my website.

$100K+ Executive-Level Career Coach Karen Armon prepares leaders around the world for their next move. Her popular book , Market Your Potential, Not Your Past is a hit among executives who want a clear-cut, systematic game plan that drives careers forward. Now get her new FREE eBook, “Ten Micro-Trends that Impact Executive Careers Today” at http://www.marketoneexecutive.com/ebook.asp and take a critical look at today’s marketplace.

4 Surefire Tactics to Keep Your $100K Executive Job Search Alive and Kicking | EmploymentDigest.net

Staying On Top Of Your Job Search!

Often, one of the biggest challenges in a job search is keeping track of all the information coming at you!

Leads, job postings, names, phone numbers, email addresses, ideas, companies, websites, articles, appointments, follow up schedules and many other pieces of ‘data’ can be overwhelming.

Many people miss opportunities because they didn’t remember the right piece of information at the right time, or because they forgot previous conversations with someone they are connecting to now.

Most people create some kind of ‘system’ for themselves, whether it’s spreadsheets, address books, notebooks, or Post-it notes to keep track. However, virtually all of them fall short somehow and they are not usually interconnected.

Jason Alba had the same problem in his own job search, and so created JibberJobber. It’s a tremendous… I think lifesaving tool for your job search! I don’t get any commissions, kick-backs, or any form of compensation for plugging his product (although, Jason… I’d certainly be open to the idea!). However, I’m a big fan and have been recommending it to people in my job search classes and conversations I have with job seekers. It’s a tremendous tool to bring everything together in one place. To automate the prompts you need, and avoid missed opportunities because you weren’t all over it like ‘white on rice’!

Here is a short video that Jason put together to explain how it works:

If you want to do a better job of staying on top of your job search… go check out JibberJobber!

Original Post [Staying On Top Of Your Job Search!]

Finding better targeted jobs online

One challenge with most of the job boards online is that anyone can post anything!

You are most interested in finding real jobs in your field at real companies in your geographic area. However, when you search for jobs on most sites, you are often overwhelmed with postings for MLM schemes, phony Work-from-Home ‘opportunities’, temporary or contract positions, or jobs that may or may not be real from a wide variety of third-party recruiters. It can be tedious and you wonder… I’m looking for an Industrial Sales position, how do all these help?

Furthermore, you may also wonder… am I really seeing most of what’s available at the companies I’m interested in, or is there more?

One of my favorite job search sites recently that addresses these concerns is LinkUp.

LinkUp is unique in that it’s not a “Job Board” in the sense that employers or recruiters come to post their positions online. Rather it’s a web crawler that scrapes positions directly from employer’s own corporate websites’ job postings and serves them up to you.

Accordingly, LinkUp finds ALL the relevant positions posted by that company. An employer may have a number of positions open, however, only posts a select few on outside Job Boards. So unless you actually go to that company’s own site, you would not see a posting for a position that might fit your background. LinkUp finds them for you. It’s another way to tap into that somewhat ‘hidden’ job market.

What you don’t get is all the unrelated and third-party ‘positions’ that you’re not interested in seeing.

GL Hoffman is behind LinkUp, he’s a serial entrepreneur with a terrific background in employment search solutions and fully understands the challenges job seekers face. They are still very much in a fast growth mode, however, I believe it’s one of the best job search concepts available online (No, I don’t get a commission or kick-back from them… although, as always, would certainly be open to it!).

If you want to be sure you’re seeing all the relevant opportunities in your field, at real companies in your area… be sure to check out LinkUp.com!

Original Post

Top 3 Websites To Build A Free Resume Online

Original Post
When you’re looking for a job, you don’t have a lot of chances to catch the interest of a potential employer. After the cover letter, the curriculum vitae (CV) or resume is one of the first documents recruiters see. To keep them interested in you, this document should highlight your strengths, be easy to scan, yet look unique and interesting.
You may wonder what the difference is between a CV and a resume? The main difference is the length. A resume is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, and experiences. A CV covers more details and is primarily used when applying for jobs in academia, education, science, and research.

A great way to quickly compile a resume and not forget about any details are online tools. This article covers the top 3 websites to create a CV or build a free resume online.

1. CeeVee

Don’t be misled by the name. As I said, the main difference between a CV and a resume is the length. So simply limit yourself to the essential details and this CV builder will create a document that qualifies as a resume.
CeeVee essentially works like editing an online profile. You’re not guided through the process step-by-step, you can fill in the information in any order you please. To customize your document, you can add sections to your resume, remove existing sections, and add as many entries to each section as you like. You can also choose from three different themes, which will affect both the display on the website, as well as the output document.

The resulting CV or resume can be shared online, downloaded as a PDF, or you can print it.

2. Free Resume Creator

This tool isn’t as pretty as CeeVee, but definitely a more advanced way to build a free resume online. Another advantage is that you don’t have to sign up to use it.
You start by selecting your desired resume style. In the next steps you fill in your personal information, education, employment, and any additional information. Before completing the document, you can choose font styles and colors.

The document can be printed or downloaded as PDF, HTML, or plain text. If you would like to save the document online to come back and edit it later, you will have to sign up.
The PCman Website also provides online services to create a cover letter and reference page.

3. Advice Resources CV Builder

This CV or resume builder leaves you with two options. You can either view a list of templates and download any you like or take the step-by-step builder route. Neither requires you to sign up, but to save your CV online, you have to create an account. However, this can wait until you have seen the result.
Building your CV is done in 12 steps. The tool polls for your name, contact details, motivation, work experience, skills, education, additional qualifications, personal interests, referees, and finally your preferred layout. You can then download and check the result as a .rtf document and eventually go back and edit your CV.

As the screenshot above reveals, Advice Resources provide additional material to prepare yourself before building your CV. You can build your job seeking skills, your CV confidence, and your CV knowledge.
Before you send a resume to a potential employer, make sure the service you used to build your resume works as expected and your document is thoroughly formatted and does not contain spelling errors.
For more information regarding resumes, check out the following MakeUseOf articles:

• Build An Impressive Free Resume Online In 15 Minutes With JobSpice by Jessica.
• 3 Less-Known Free Online Resume Builders by Ann.
• Top 5 Free Resume Hosting Websites by Mahendra.

Also have a look at The Riley Guide’s material on Resumes & Cover Letters as well as For Dummies’ The Essentials of Preparing a Resume.
Good luck!
Image credits: sibaudio

Too old to get hired?

Original Post

By Harry Urschel
One comment I hear often from people over 50 is that it’s very tough for them to get a new job because of their age.
When they aren’t getting a new job in the timeframe they hoped, the assumption is that some form of age discrimination is taking place.
That kind of thinking is reinforced by ads for “Just For Men” hair coloring, news stories I’ve seen of people getting plastic surgery to look younger for job interviews, or frequent advice I hear “experts” give to truncate your resume to the last 10 years so as not to give away your true age.
Are these things warranted? Is age discrimination dominant in the job market? If you are over 50… or over 60, are you doomed?
Short answer: NO!
You want more explanation? Sure…
I’ve been in the employment placement industry for over 23 years. In that time I’ve seen blatant discrimination, and I’ve seen real and dramatic changes in the market as well. I can definitely say that in today’s market age discrimination exists much more in people’s minds than in reality.
I’m not naive enough to say it never occurs anymore, and at times it can be difficult to discern if a decision was made based on age or other factors. However, I can point to several key things that demonstrate that age is not the brick wall many believe it is.
20 years ago, as a recruiter, there were many times I would get subtle, and not so subtle requests that were clearly formed out of age discrimination. Although I never accepted orders like that, it was obvious that their hiring objective was going to be slanted. Certainly it had been even much worse 30 or 40 years ago. Most of the legal protections and public lawsuits had already occurred by the mid-80’s. Legally, people already knew then, as now, that there was great potential liability in discriminatory practices.
Times have changed though, and in the last several years I’ve seen a real switch in perceptions and practices. Particularly once the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, there began a shift in most of my clients in what was more highly valued. During the boom times of the late 90’s, because of incredible growth for most companies, people were promoted and hired into senior roles at younger and younger ages. The need was there for leadership, and in so many cases, people that showed any potential were moved into leadership roles. Unfortunately, because of the lack of experience, a great many projects and initiatives were poorly managed right down the drain. As long as the market continued to grow, companies could afford to absorb those mis-steps and keep going. Once the bubble burst, 9/11 came along, and we plunged into a recession… there no longer was any such thing as ‘acceptable losses’.
Clients began to talk to me about needing someone that’s ‘been around the block a few times’. They wanted people that had ‘been there and done that’ when looking for a new project manager or business leader. They needed experience to be able to know how to look for speed bumps and how to successfully navigate around them. No longer were they looking for the 30 year old ‘up and comer’, but were much more interested in the 50 year old proven performer.
That has, in my experience, continued to this day. Of course it’s not universal, there are always exceptions and always will be. However, seeking solid, successful prior experience has become by far the norm rather than the exception. We are in an era where companies are no longer looking for a new hire that will stay with the organization for the next 20 or 30 years. In many cases, they feel fortunate if they can get someone for the next two. Someone that shows them that they will be a true asset for the next year or 2 will be far more attractive than someone that appears they will be a dead weight in the company for the next 10.
Although age is not the barrier it once was, being ‘old’ is! Being ‘old’ is a state of mind that can be as prevalent in 30 year olds as it is in 60 year olds. When a hiring manager is interviewing candidates, almost without exception they are attracted to someone that comes across as professional, humble, passionate, enthusiastic, technically and functionally current, coachable, and articulate. I have personally interviewed people well into their 60’s that exude all of these characteristics, and have interviewed many people in their 20’s and 30’s that exhibit hardly any. A burned out, or cynical 25 year old can come across as way to ‘old’ compared to a gray haired 60 year old that has a spark and desire for new opportunities.
There’s an instance where a hiring manager interviewed several people for a position. Two people in their 50’s that were both passed over each commented that they were sure it was because of their age. They each lamented the challenges they face because of ‘blatant’ age discrimination whenever they go to an interview. What they didn’t know is that the person that actually was hired for the role was nearly 60. It wasn’t their age that was hurting them, it was how ‘old’ they were.
There is an IT Business Analyst I know well that is nearly 65 years old. In the last several years he’s gotten caught up in a series of layoffs. Not due to his own fault, however, due to corporate mergers, cut backs, and reorganizations. Unfortunately, that is often the norm these days. He, however, has always been able to land a new position within a matter of weeks because as soon as anyone meets him, age never becomes an issue.
He networks constantly. He takes initiative in contacting people whenever he finds an attractive job opportunity. He presents himself with energy and enthusiasm. Although he’s all gray and balding, he dresses with well fitting, well pressed, professional, and up to date clothing. He expresses sincere interest in listening to others, to new ideas, and to different ways of doing things. He comes across as coachable and with a desire to succeed. Those are the characteristics any hiring manager is looking for in a new employee regardless of age.
So, if you are in your late 40’s, 50’s, or 60’s… what do you do?
Determine to set your own mind straight! Don’t allow yourself to wallow in excuses. Will you occasionally run into a situation where you are not chosen purely because of your age? Possibly. However, is that a company you would have really wanted to work at then? Move on to find another opportunity. Whether it’s challenges because of age, sex, disability, poor work history, or anything else… they can be overcome with the right attitude and extra effort. For every person that says they can’t get a job because of a particular challenge, there is someone else with the same situation that did get a job. Determine you will be an over-comer!
Take a look at how ‘old’ you might be! Whether you are 25 or 75 be honest with yourself as to how you may come across to others. Do you have a cocky attitude that says “I know more about this than you do”? Do you come across as inflexible or stuck in how you’ve ‘always done things’? Do you show enthusiasm for your career and opportunity? Do you listen effectively, or only want to tell? Do you show that you care about your professional appearance? Do you have a positive, optimistic attitude and outlook, or do you have a tendency to always point out why something may not work? The image you portray may make you appear too ‘old’ for any position. Be sure to present yourself in the best way you can.
Don’t allow the negative influence of others that are convinced they are being discriminated against because of their age affect you. Present a positive attitude, apply effective job search techniques, network relentlessly, and you too can land your next job soon!