Finding a New Job After 50

Posted on June 27, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

Finding a New Job After 50

Hard work and being a team player may not be the qualities that get you your next job, according to Jack Heyden, a partner at the aptly named Gray Hair Management, a networking firm for older workers. The key to getting a new job after middle age is to explain how your past job performance improved the bottom line of the company, says Heyden, who was president of a banking association for 13 years until he was laid off in 1999 as part of a merger at age 53. He is the coauthor of Winning the Job Race: Pathways Through Transition with his equally gray-haired partner, Scott Kane. I called Heyden at his Deerfield, Ill., office to ask him what advice he has for older workers who find themselves suddenly jobless in a slow economy. Excerpts:

If you find yourself unexpectedly laid off after age 50, what should you do? You have to take a quick step back and evaluate yourself in terms of professional strengths and weaknesses as a person. Articulate your value by putting together the paperwork necessary to go out and get a joba resume. Most people, they don’t do a very good job of articulating their value. In order to do that, you have to look back at the jobs you’ve had and figure out what you did that added value to the business you worked for. Too often people [give] their job description rather than the end results they were able to deliver.

If you suspect that there might be layoffs at your company, what are some things you can do to be ready, just in case? If you start getting concerned about layoffs, figure out what kind of value you have been bringing to the company you currently work for. Most people sit down and tell me about the last couple of performance reviews. Figure out how you measure the actual value that you are bringing to the person who signs your check. Hard work, being a team player is not going to get you your next job. The only reason you are going to get your next job is most likely that you convince someone that you are the solution to the problem that the hiring manager is facing. Find out what value did the company get out of your work. Did it enable them to reduce customer complaints, respond to customers faster, close cases faster? Can you say I got a 12-month project done in nine months and under budget? It’s hard to find those things out after you are laid off.

In a down economy, are there specific job-hunting strategies you should be using? In a down economy you are going to have more people competing for potentially less jobs. It’s nice to think we’ve got the Internet, and you should use it to apply for jobs. You’ve got to connect to your personal network of people before you get axed. It’s always easier establishing those networking contacts while you are still working and maybe you can help them. Find a company that has the types of problems that you are best at fixing.

You were laid off as part of a merger. How did you cope with that? All those resumes I was sending out didn’t get too much traction. I had to start meeting new people and use the people that I knew to try to meet more people. The key is trying to get those introductions without trying to turn it into a job interview. If you’re looking to meet new people and they don’t have a job for you, sending your resume may actually turn a lot of people off. If someone doesn’t really have a specific job for you, rather than trying to turn the meeting into a job interview, use it as an opportunity.

How can you find a job relevant to your years of experience and a company willing to pay for it? It’s a matter of matching up with someone who discovers that you have an area of expertise that solves a problem that they are wrestling with right now. Pay attention to the kinds of companies that are hiring people or making changes in the marketplace that indicate they are going in a different direction and may need some gray-hair expertise.

Remind yourself that people get hired because they convince someone that they are the best solution to someone’s problem or issue. You have to know the kinds of problems you are best at solving, where you are really better than anyone else. The length of time on a job has gotten a lot shorter than it was five or 10 years ago. The average job lasts 1.8 to 3 years. You’ve got to have a resume and be ready to go at literally a moment’s notice.

The time of job security I saw when I came to work is over. The company owes you a competitive salary with benefits, but if the company is in trouble, they are going to do whatever it takes to survive, and that may mean letting you go. The dilemma is, if you are someone who is really good at fixing a problem, once the problem has been eliminated or whittled down, you run the risk of becoming pretty expensive.


Career Change Resume Writing Tips

Posted on June 27, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

Your career change resume is a very specific tool, quite unlike a ‘normal’ resume so you must approach it’s creation differently.

Here are some tips to make sure that your career change resume is up to the job of getting you to interview.

Now, because the aim of this document is very different from that of a normal chronological resume, in other words the aim is to help you move into a different career, then the recent career history becomes less important than the skills you developed.

These skills must be presented in a way that supports your career objective, so starting at the top:

Under your name, address and contact details you MUST add a targeted, job-specific career objective statement. This is a clear statement of intent, so spell it out by saying exactly what job you are pursuing. This way there is no confusion about what you want to do from the start of the resume.

Next on your career change resume it is best to add a bulleted skills section. This is a short list that helps hiring managers quickly see that you have the requisite skills for the job. Only include those skills that are directly relevant to the new job and leave out any that you may have but are unrelated to your new objective.

Write a personal profile summary. Focus clearly on the skills and qualifications that are required for the new job. Get as much information about the intended role as you can so that you can understand the depth and level of skills and personal attributes needed. When you are clear weave your own qualifications into the personal profile statement of your career change resume. Remember any experience that is relevant, regardless of where it comes from such as volunteering or even hobby work, can add significantly to your presentation and thus increase your chances of getting the role you want.

Many jobs, although different on the surface, have common skills requirements and these core skills are also your most transferable skills. For example you may include: communication skills, project management skills, customer service delivery, and excellent organizational skills as these would apply to so many jobs. The most important part of this though is not to just claim the skill but to provide evidence to substantiate the claim, quantify your resume results wherever possible.

Stick to these tips for your career change resume and you will be very pleased with the outcome of your efforts.

Peter Fisher is an expert Author and Publisher. He coaches and writes for people undergoing career change. Everything from deciding what you want to do and how to do it, by way of personal presentation to interview questions and answers are covered at Better-Resume.com where you will find everything you need to help you write your Career Change Resume.


A Guide to Finding Employment

Posted on June 27, 2008
Filed Under Job Seeking

If you have recently lost your job, you may be at a loss of where to start looking for employment again and how to apply for jobs. Recruitment Agencies are a great place to start.

Recruitment agencies can take the fear and effort out of job hunting. Good agencies match job seekers with employers but more importantly, they match the skills and experience of job seekers to the requirements of employers. They may also offer extra services like:-

- help finding training to update your skills.
- advice on how to prepare a CV and how to write a cover letter.
- help brushing up your interview techniques - some recruitment agencies will give you mock interviews.

Keep in touch with your recruitment agency to check on progress.

As well as registering with some of the more respectable agencies, you will also want to look through the job sections of newspapers for jobs to apply for. But how do you actually go about applying for a job this way? Her are some tips:-

- Don’t waste your time or an employer’s time by applying to a job that is outside of your skill level.

- Telephone and ask for more details about the job if the advert is short or vague. Doing this will help you to make your CV and letter more relevant to the job.

- Make sure that your CV really sells you. Ask your the agency for help with preparing it. Keep your CV brief and to the point, use bullet points and space it out evenly. Your CV should have sections for your personal details, your skills (in summary), your education, work history and experience, activities and interests, and finally references. Only list skills and experience that are relevant.

- Send a covering letter with your application. Again, your agency may be able to help you with this. The job of a cover letter is to explain why you are the ideal person for the job and how you can benefit the company. Keep your letter short and to the point - one side of A4 paper is enough. Look carefully at the job details so that you know what the employer is looking for and what to emphasize. Print your CV and letter out on the same paper and use the same font so that they match. Don’t forget to make your letter personal - if a name is mentioned in the advert then address your letter to that person.

Most agencies should be happy to look through your letter to give you pointers.

- Mention any reference numbers from the advert so that the company knows which job you are applying for.

- Follow up your application with a phone call to make sure that your application has been received.

Combine using recruitment agencies with applying to advertised jobs to increase your exposure and to increase your chances of finding a suitable job. Don’t forget to check with your agency before applying for a job, they might have already sent your details to that employer.

Most importantly, don’t expect miracles - there is often a finite supply of jobs in the real world, most jobs have tens or even hundreds of applicants. Your challenge is to make sure that you present yourself in the best possible light, and keep persevering until the right job comes along.

Roger provides content for Agency Central (http://www.agencycentral.co.uk), one of the most extensive directories of recruitment agencies online. At Agency Central employees and employers can find the perfect match for their needs.


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