Feeling Older?

Posted: October 2, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

I’ll just come out and say it, age discrimination in employment is real.  If you are over 50, you will have a more difficult time finding a job.  Sometimes it’s blatant and sometimes is subtle, but more likely it is completely unintentional. Full disclosure, I’m over 60 and I know what I’m talking about.

As a general rule, the longer your career, the more you know, the more varied experiences you’ve had, and that should mean that you are more prepared to solve complex problems, will require less training, and will likely be a more loyal employee. But, it also might mean that you command a higher salary and a larger title.

The other thing that sometimes comes with experience is a set of bad habits and a resistance to change. You learned how to do this task 20 years ago, you certainly don’t need some young pup (your new boss) telling you to do it differently. That’s called being a curmudgeon and is rarely a good thing in the workplace (or anywhere else).  Finally, younger workers typically have more recently been in school, are often more open to learning, know the current trends/techniques, and tend to be more comfortable with both technology and change. 

These are all generalizations, but in reality, most hiring managers are using generalizations and assumptions. That’s all they have. So, they think they are picking the person they believe will help their organization the most. 

To counter that, you need to be prepared to come out swinging.  Talk about your experience AND your flexibility.  Talk about your knowledge AND your ability to learn. Demonstrate your familiarity with current trends and technology.

If you are over 50 and a curmudgeon, you will face age discrimination, and maybe you deserve it.  But if you are over 50, and have continued to learn new skills, kept current in your field, and are open to change; well now you are a clearly better hire than those young whippersnappers that are still wet behind the ears. Don’t be a victim of age discrimination. Fight back by keeping yourself current, flexible, and open to learning and change.  If you are struggling, this might help:  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Its Back to School Time

Posted: September 25, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Okay, Labor Day is in our rear-view mirror, we are fully into back-to-school mode. Some schools just started and some a month ago, but everyone is back. So, what are you learning?  Are you reading any good books? Are you practicing a skill?

To be a successful worker, and especially a successful job seeker, you need a commitment to life-long learning.  When the economy is strong, as it is now, there is a debate whether college is worth the investment. It takes 4+ years out of your life and will cost you at least $40,000 and possibly much more. You could graduate with a mountain of debt. So why not just get a job?  I can’t explain the economics as well as Forbes magazine, so if you are really torn, read this article.

What I’m most concerned with today is what you learn after you graduate.  I can’t imagine doing the same job for 40 years, and even if I did, I’d need to be learning new skills or methods along the way.  I read all the time; fiction, nonfiction, business books, whatever. You don’t have to be a reader, but you do need to grow.

I can attest with a fairly high degree of certainty, that if you plan to be in the job market for at least 10 more years, there is something significant you don’t know now, that you will need to know to be successful. Maybe you’ll need to learn a new computer program, maybe a new language, maybe how to operate new technology, or maybe just how to get along with people that have different beliefs.  I don’t know what it is, but I guarantee its coming, so get ready for it.

So, when that time comes, you need to be ready to learn, and the best way I know is to never stop learning.  Keep your mind open. Spend time seeking out new information. Read, whether online or printed books, magazines, whatever. Expose yourself to new ideas.  Pick up a hobby and get good at it. Learn something new every day. If you are not one already, turn yourself into a life-long learner.  If you get in the habit of always learning, you’ll be ready to learn when you need to. If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Hey, I can help with that!

Posted: September 18, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

So, you’ve been out of work for some time; you’ve exhausted your network (you think); you’ve applied for every job you can find; you regularly attend one or two job clubs; and nothing is working!  I know it is an incredibly frustrating feeling.  Maybe a solution is to try giving rather than taking…

An excellent way to spend some of your now available time is to give some of it away.  I suggest you consider four categories of volunteer work:

Based on your profession – find ways, possibly through the local chapter of your professional association, to use your skill set to benefit a not-for-profit.  Find a local social service agency where you can relate to their mission and ask if they would be interested in some free professional assistance (I can almost guarantee they will be). If you are an HR person volunteer to conduct an HR audit. If you are an IT person volunteer to install computers. If you are a marketing person volunteer to help them with social networking. You get the idea – give them what you really want someone to pay you to do.

Based on your community – find a need in your community and see if they need some additional workers.  Regardless of your professional training you can most likely pick up trash, serve at the reception desk at your local hospital, read to children at a Head Start, or help direct traffic for a local 5k run.

Based on your passions – find a need with an agency that does what you love. If you love animals volunteer at an animal shelter. If you want to be outdoors volunteer at a nature sanctuary. If you love art become a museum docent.

Based on your faith – find a need at your house of worship that fits you. You can teach Sunday school, lead a mission trip, coordinate a community garden, or paint the nursery.

The bottom line is that there are better places where you can spend your time other than on the couch watching soap operas or surfing the net hoping to stumble on a new job posting.  Volunteering does wonderful things for you.  Volunteering can help you keep your skills sharp, meet new networking contacts, or maybe uncover new job opportunities.  Just as importantly, volunteering can meet the needs of others and help your community be a better place.  Volunteering keeps you keep busy and both physically and mentally active.  Finally, volunteering helps you feel good about yourself and provides energy to help you sustain your job search.

If you can’t find anyone to hire you yet, get up and find a way to give away what you have.  Others will benefit, you’ll feel better, and it just may help you find that next opportunity.  If you are struggling, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Happy Labor Day

Posted: September 4, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

It’s another holiday weekend – the end of summer.  On Monday we’ll celebrate labor, honoring the contributions the workingman has made to America. If you are unemployed, you may feel left out of this party.  But fear not, the right job is coming toward you as we speak. The economy is growing. The pandemic is waning (ever so slowly) and there are help-wanted signs everywhere. If you need a job, you can find one. 

It’s not just fast food and warehouse jobs that are open. The total “Quit Rate” in June (the last month that data is available) was almost 3.9 million people which equates to 2.7% of the workforce.  That is almost a full percentage point over June of last year.  Without any facts to back me up I going to assume that the vast majority of those people quit because they found a new and better job.  I’m also going to assume that companies then sought to fill virtually every one of those jobs.

There is a lot happening in this job market. If you want to be a part of it, and be able to rightfully celebrate Labor Day, jump into the pool.  Start networking.  Work on a killer resume and elevator speech.  Apply for jobs, and I bet you can be working in a manner of weeks.

If you are struggling, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Get the Shot!

Posted: August 21, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

The last 18 months (at least as I remember them) …

February 2020 – there are growing concerns about a new virus.  A major outbreak in the Seattle area.

March 2020 – like a lightning bolt, suddenly we are on lockdown. Only essential workers can go to work. Most business closed and everyone working from home or out of a job. Surely this can’t last too long, can it?

 August 2020 – Life is better.  Masks, social distancing, testing. Schools are opening with many virtual learning.  Zoom is the big thing.

March 2021 – the vaccine is available, things are getting better, we’re going to be okay. We can start to take off our masks.

Present day – What has happened?  We barely have half of the eligible population vaccinated.  Governors are outlawing requirements to wear masks or get vaccinated. The hospitals are again reaching capacity. Cases and deaths are increasing.  Masks are back.  Is another shut-down looming?

There is a lot going on in society and business that we can’t control. But there is one thing we each can control. So, if you are looking for a job, get the shot. If you have a job, get the shot.  If you choose not to work, get the shot.  From a job-search coach’s perspective, here are three reasons why:

  1. Simple practicality – Being fully vaccinated will allow you to work for the growing number of companies that require all workers to be vaccinated.
  2. Your own heath – the vaccine is safe and effective, and you are much less likely to get the virus, or get seriously sick, if you’ve been vaccinated.
  3. Everyone else – Being vaccinated means that you are less likely to contract COVID-19 which means you are less likely to spread it to others who are not able to get vaccinated.

This is not about politics. This is about public health, personal responsibility, protecting yourself, and making yourself more employable.  GET THE SHOT!  If you are struggling with other aspects of your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Wacky Job Market

Posted: August 14, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Networking | Tags: | Leave a comment

I have to say that this may be the strangest job market I’ve ever seen.  We are coming out of the pandemic (hopefully) and businesses are doing well.  Unemployment is almost gone, yet through pandemic over 4,000,000 people left the job market and now we have critical labor shortages.  In my area many restaurants are offering only take-out service because they are unable to find enough wait-staff to open for in-dining services.  Then, there are still people standing on street corners asking for help because they can’t find a job – right in front of signs that say “We’re Hiring”.  It is all very wacky.

Right now, if you want a job, you can get a job.  It might be working in a warehouse, in the hospitality industry, or in retail, but you can work.  Now, if you want to find your dream job, well, that might be a little more difficult.

The message I try to share with this blog, and book, is that if you want a vibrant career where you work for a company you love, doing things you like to do, the best way to find that job is through networking.  Meeting people, telling them about you, asking them to introduce you to others, and repeating that process, over, and over, and over.  When you do that, you’ll eventually meet the hiring manager who has been looking for someone exactly like you.

Yes, that takes work and time.  Yes, it can be uncomfortable for many people.  Yes, you will have to face rejection on a regular basis.  But it works.  And I believe that it is the only thing that works on a consistent basis for virtually everyone who does it (and I mean really does it.)

In this labor market you can find a job tomorrow, and if you need one badly then you should do that.  But if you really want to find the right job for you, you need to network.  It is as simple as that.  If you are struggling, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Test Yourself

Posted: August 7, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

As you sit down to write your elevator speech, or practice your potential interview questions, one thing you have to be clear on is: who are you?  You need to know yourself, what you are good at, where you need to improve (you don’t need to tell others that), and what you want to do.  One thing I highly recommend is that you learn, or confirm, these things by taking some tests.   Here are a few of my favorites. There are many, many more on the web.

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves.  This is a great little book that explains what emotional intelligence is, provides an excellent online assessment of your emotional intelligence, and then provides exercises to improve.

Strength Finders 2.0 by Tom Rath. Strength Finders is an outstanding assessment that helps you find out what you are good at, so you can do more of that.  This book by Tom Rath explains the assessment, has a link to an online test, and then helps you better understand your top five strengths and how to make the most of them.

DiSC – Since the ancient Greeks men have been creating personality assessments that evaluate your personality relative to four components.  The Greeks used water, wind, earth and fire.  My favorite simple assessment is the DiSC profile which stands for Dominance, influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.  You can pay from $0 to $100 for a DiSC online.  While you may take the same test, the more you pay, the more information you generally learn about yourself.  I’ve included a link to one quality vendor – there are more.

Enneagram – the Enneagram is a very different form of personality assessment that may help in day-to-day living as much as in the workplace.  Check out the Enneagram Institute for lots of information.

o*net Interest Profiler – this is an online career interest assessment offered by the US Department of Labor.  While it will take more than just a few minutes to take the test, it may help you identify a career area you had not been considering.

Take some time, assess yourself, learn to talk about your strengths and passions. They will lead you past your next job and into a satisfying career.  If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Changing Careers

Posted: July 31, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

When my parents went to work after college they could reasonable expect to work for one company for their entire careers, and they did for 42 and 54 years respectively.  When I graduated college, it was assumed that my generation would work for 2-4 companies over our careers, predominately in the same field.  But as my children entered the workforce, it was predicted that they would have 3-5 different careers over their lifetime.

Organizations are much better today at recognizing strengths and transferrable skills.  The best organizations look past your specific experience and instead focus on talent, skills, and fit.  Do you have the ability to do what they need?  Do you have the skills required to be successful in that organization?  Do you fit with their culture and their team?  Those things, in that order, are way more important than where you worked or what you were responsible for.

On your resume, spend the most energy on your accomplishments.  What did you get done and how did that impact the organization?  If you did it for them, you can do it for the next company too.  Update your Summary and Accomplishments sections for every job you apply for, and tailor them to that job at that company.

And don’t be afraid to look outside your field and/or industry.  Sell your talent and skills, not your history.  Work where you find passion.  I know two people who had good, successful careers, and dropped them to attend coding bootcamps and both are now successful coders.  I started out as an Industrial Engineer, and now I’m a human resources guy.  Don’t plan for your career to move in only one direction.

The bottom line is that you should not define your job search looking backwards at what jobs you’ve done.  Direct your search towards what you are good at, and what you are passionate about.  Be prepared to talk about your strengths and skills, more than your former job titles and responsibilities.  You’ll find a job that will be more satisfying and fulfilling.   If you are struggling with your job search, this might help.  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

Going on Vacation

Posted: July 24, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , | Leave a comment

It’s summertime, time for vacations, right?  But, if you don’t have a job, should you be taking a vacation? Well, like the answer to most good questions, it depends.

I strongly encourage you to treat looking for a job like a full-time job.  Get up at the same time every day, shower, get dressed, have a cup of coffee, and get to work.  Then, spend the next 8 hours looking for a job, every weekday.  Work some on the weekends as needed.  While every day might not be jammed packed, you should be able to fill the majority of every day with search activities: looking for jobs, researching companies, working on your resume and target list, practicing your interview questions, and filling every other minute networking – setting up, attending, and following up on meeting new people.  Finding is a job is hard work, and you won’t find your dream job just watching TV or playing video games.

But you need balance.  You need to make sure you are taking care of you.  Looking for a job probably has a more flexible schedule than a regular job, so take the opportunity to exercise more, lose some weight if you need to.  Do mindfulness exercises to reduce your stress and improve your mental health.  If you have extra time, don’t wile it away on the couch, invest in in yourself, your family and your community.

And, like with a regular job, you need a break every once in a while.  Depending on your finances, if you can afford a vacation, take it.  If you can’t afford to go away, take a staycation.  Work on projects around the house, take the kids to the zoo, or just go play in the park.  Handle it just like you would if you were working.  Plan for it.  Use the out-of-office message on your email.  Maintain your disciplines just like you were working a full-time job, but get away, relax and recharge.  Then, come back refreshed and get at it. 

Throughout the job search process, you need to take care of yourself so that when you land that new job you can be at your best, not exhausted and worn out.   Work a vacation into your plan.  Rest and recharge, then hit it hard when you get back.   If you are struggling with your job search, this might help:  https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/

The Background Check

Posted: July 17, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Job Search | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

To get a good job you’ll probably need to go through a criminal background check, a drug screen, and maybe a check of your credit and/or driver’s license.  It is a perfectly legal and extremely common practice to run background checks and/or drug screens on either all applicants, or at least on the finalist, for many, if not most jobs.  You need to be ready and to recognize that your past behavior may affect your employability.

Typically, a company requesting a criminal background check is looking for evidence of violence or theft.  If they are an organization that deals with children or youth, they are specifically looking for crimes against children.  A credit check is typically only used for those people who might be handling finance or accounting.  They want to know if you can manage your own money before they let you manage theirs.  And many jobs involve operating a motor vehicle (yours or theirs) on company business, so you need to have a valid drivers license and not have a history of multiple accidents/tickets/etc.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a perfect record.  We all make mistakes, some just bigger than others.  If you believe your background could make it hard to get a specific job, you have two good choices and one bad choice.

The first good choice is to simply not apply for jobs you know you can’t get.  If you are a registered sex-offender, don’t even try to work at a school.  Bank robbers won’t get jobs at banks.  Huge debt or multiple bankruptcies may keep you from being a CFO.  Those are pretty cut-and-dried.

The other good answer is to be up front.  Let’s say five years ago you got in fight in a bar and were convicted of aggravated assault.  Be up-front about it.  Before you give them permission to run the criminal background check, tell them what happened.  Help them to understand the situation, hopefully that was a one-time thing and what you learned from that.  Admitting that there could be things on your record is way better than the recruiter being surprised to see them there.

The bad choice is to lie, deny, and deflect.  Blaming someone else for your bad behavior or trying to explain to a recruiter how you were a victim of circumstance, or of poor law enforcement, is probably not going to help you get the job.

So, if you have things from your past that might show up on a criminal background, credit, or driver’s license check, be up front about them rather than letting the hiring manager be surprised.  Honesty really is the best policy.  If you are struggling, this might help https://im-fired.com/about-the-book/.

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