Is There Age Discrimination in the Job Search?

October 2, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley
Yes there is ageism in the job search. Reading this on a tablet will help you fight it.

Yes there is ageism in the job search. Reading this on a tablet will help you fight it.

Dear Editor;

 I am over 50 years old.  Some of my friends say there is no ageism in hiring.   People say that if you see it on the internet, it’s so.  Please tell me the truth; is ageism in hiring?

Job Searcher

Anywhere, USA

 Job Searcher, your friends are wrong.  They have been jaded into thinking that by many factors.  They trust in the government.  They believe that people wouldn’t do this to others.  But people do some horrifying things to other people.  In this great universe of ours people only see the outside of others.  Companies don’t look beyond what is immediately seen and fail to recognize the pain a job searcher can solve. 

Yes, Job Searcher, there is ageism in hiring.  It exists certainly as discrimination in sex, race, and national origin.  Many have tried to end discrimination only to have their voices silenced.  Alas!  How wonderful the world would be if everyone had a fair chance at working at a job they love. 

Thinking there isn’t ageism is like believing in Santa Claus.  You can talk to countless people who have been rejected because of their age.  But none will tell you that they were told they weren’t hired because of their age.  Instead, they were told things like “overqualified” or “not the right fit.” Companies are careful in what they say least people will think ageism exists.  There’s no evidence to support a claim.  But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.  Nobody can conceive or imagine all the people who have been denied employment.

You can try to fight the discrimination, but there is the veil covering the unspoken words of ageism.  Only the deepest pockets can afford the amount of time and money can win the fight.  Only networking, a résumé with targeted to the position and relevant skills highlighted will get you back to work.  Is that all?  No, targeting companies that welcome older workers are your wisest choices.  Knowing about the latest in technology will be an asset. 

Yes, Job Searcher there is ageism in hiring.  It seems like it will never go away.  A thousand years from now people will be still suffering from age discrimination unless people start looking at other people for what they can offer instead of things that don’t have anything to do with doing the job.  I hope that before a thousand years go by, people will look beyond the color or wrinkles on the skin and do what’s fair.

My sincerest apologies to Francis Pharcellus Church and Virginia O’Hanlon for taking their original work and turning it around to highlight the age discrimination against job searchers over 50. 

How can I help you in your job search?

Image:  www.freedigitalphotos.net     stockphotos

Posted in 50+ job search, age bias, age discrimination in job search | 2 Comments

The One Thing That Changed The Job Search Forever

September 30, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley
The internet changed the way we job search.

The internet changed the way we job search.

A few years ago my brother, who is 13 years younger than I am, was looking at my yearbook and was laughing.  He asked me if we dressed up like that just for the photos.  I told him that’s what we wore “back then”.  He was only a toddler when I was in high school and didn’t notice what I was wearing.  My fashion sense came from Marcia Brady.  Ok, I didn’t make the best choice, but that’s what I had. 

Styles have changed since the 70’s.  Whether you like it not, polyester leisure suits are gone.  And so is typing your résumé on a typewriter on onion skin typewriter paper.  Now you type your computer on an electronic device and send it over fiber optic cables to anywhere you want in the world in a matter of seconds. 

The internet is the single most significant change in the job search process.  The local newspaper used to be the source for available jobs.  The U.S. Postal service delivered most of the resumes sent.  Other resumes were hand delivered to the company by the applicant.  Your network was stored in an address book that featured entries made in pencils, ink in different colors and plenty of erasures and cross outs.   

Now the websites on the internet allow you to upload your résumé to job board sites or directly to the company with the open job.  And not only can you upload your résumé, you can search for jobs on these sites, as well.  We couldn’t do that with our number one source for jobs—the newspaper. 

One job search strategy that hasn’t changed is networking.   Only back in the day we called it “it isn’t what you know, it’s whom you know.”    But how you keep track of your network has changed.  It used to be your address book or your Rolodex.  Now we have LinkedIn.  A multipurpose tool where you can find people to add to your network;  it’s a way to organize and save your network contact information;  LinkedIn has a listing of  available jobs,  and a source of information to research companies and people for interviews. 

While our California friends, Greg and Marcia Brady influenced hairstyles and fashion sense, researchers at Universities in California were developing technology that would become the Internet.  Greg and Marcia aren’t in our lives anymore, but the Internet remains.  Whether we like it or not, we use the Internet to search for jobs and apply for jobs.  It may save some shoe leather, but it is just as frustrating.

How can I help you in your job search?

Image:  freedigitalphotos.net  cooldesign

Posted in Internet, Job Search | Leave a Comment

Dumbing Down Your Resume: Dumb or Smart Idea?

September 28, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley
Dumb down a resume yes or no?

Dumb down a résumé yes or no?

One of the strategies people use to get a job, any job is to dumb down their résumé.   They are going with the notion that once they get their foot in the door, they can advance when the company realizes how valuable they are.  But is it a good idea?  I don’t think so. 

Here are my reasons for not dumbing down your résumé:

Social Media will give you away. Today anyone with a bit of internet savvy can learn about more about you than you think.  A search on your name will bring up your social media profiles; any online articles from newspapers, magazines or the like will appear; and background checks will turn up information you have left off.  

People looking for a job have one goal—get a job.  Some people look for jobs they are qualified for and any job with a paycheck.  If that is the case, how do they set up their LinkedIn profile?  The ultimate goal is to get the job they are qualified for so a LinkedIn profile with all your qualifications and accomplishments makes sense.  But if you dumb down your résumé, it won’t match your LinkedIn profile.  That will leave the company wondering which is correct.  To solve that problem, they will end your candidacy.

Prepare to dumb down your interview.  You will have to dumb down your interview.  It easy to dumb down your résumé when you are at home and have plenty of time to think and rethink what you put on your résumé.  But in an interview you have only seconds before answer questions.  You will have to prepare every answer the interviewer will ask so that your answers are compatible with your résumé.

Your résumé and job application won’t match.  Your résumé is a marketing piece designed to attract positive attention to you so the company will want to bring you in to find out more about you.  A job application is a legally binding document that you sign acknowledging the information is correct.  Here again, we have a conflict of information. 

Value yourself and what you have accomplished.  Instead of dumbing down your résumé, increase your networking efforts.  Look to make connections with decision makers.  Know your value to companies and be able to explain how you are the best candidate because of your skills and achievements.   Take temporary jobs that match your skills and experience.  That is the best way to get your foot in the door.  The company will know what they are getting right from the beginning.  Keep your education on your résumé, but don’t highlight it.  List your degrees on the bottom of your résumé and limit the information to where you received the degree, what type of degree and when.

Dumbing down your résumé wastes the time and effort it took to get to your level.  Be proud of what you have accomplished.  Work for people who will appreciate what you have done and what you can do for them using your accumulated knowledge and skills.  You will be happy, and so will they.

How can I help you with your job search?

Image:  freedigitalphotos.net  Pakorn

Posted in Resume | Leave a Comment

Job Loss Depression and Its’ Cure

September 25, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley
Job Loss takes a toll on the health of the job searcher.

Job Loss takes a toll on the health of the job searcher.

I recently read an article coauthored by Jim Clifton, Chairman and CEO of Gallup, and  Deepak Chopra, MD, What Triples Your Risk of Being Depressed?  It was an intriguing article and one I agree with. 

“The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index just uncovered that being unemployed, dropping out of the workforce, or working part-time while wanting full-time work are the strongest predictors of having depression. Unemployed adults and those not working as much as they would like to are about twice as likely to be depressed as Americans who are employed full-time.”

What I found fascinating was the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index only recently found out the connection between depression and unemployment or underemployment.  I want to ask them what took them so long to see what others have known for a long time.  But I am grateful that they proved what others have known for many years.

For the past 5 years, I have worked with people who are unemployed or underemployed.  I could see how their circumstances made them feel about themselves and their future.  I saw their frustration, anger, sadness and fear. It was an inevitable as the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening.    

The article also states:  “Clearly our society has a crisis of body and soul – and often both together since depression significantly raises a person’s risk for disease almost across the board… Well-being also declines from a host of things specific to America: chronic stress, uncertainty over keeping a job, anxiety over lost pensions, pressure to increase productivity…”

They are absolutely correct.  Some of the risks include but are not limited to high blood pressure, fatigue, lack of concentration, nausea, lowered immunity, weight loss or weight gain, aches and pains, and insomnia.  I knew an unemployed job searcher who died of a massive heart attack just about 3 years ago.  Two women I know have suffered from severe insomnia due to the stress of their unemployment.  Others have gained weight while others have lost weight due to their anxiety. 

Clifton and Chopra finish the article with:  “The cure for the worst things is a full-time job. Gallup workplace data show that the ultimate job is one in which you get to do what you do best every day, your manager encourages your development, and your opinion counts. When and if every American can have this “therapy” of full-time meaningful employment, then depression, stress, and anxiety will subside…”

While everyone is looking for that ultimate job, many will take a job, any job.  One that will pay decently, they can do and relatively close to home.  Some people are more choosy, but depending on how long a person has been unemployed, the must haves dwindle. 

When the people I saw with their stress showing landed jobs, it was clear that their anxiety was gone.  They were happy and relieved, and it showed.  Sometimes, I could hardly believe they were the same people I saw earlier.  The change was that noticeable.  And enjoyable to watch.

 

What can I do to help you?

Posted in Job Loss Depression, job search stress | 4 Comments

Common job search words and their best practices Part III

September 23, 2013 | Author: Arleen Bradley

success definition from stuart miles

This is the last installment on words that are common to job searchers.  You may have heard them networking or read them in articles and have been uncertain about what they mean.  I have provided the best practice for each word.   

Résumé—your ticket to the interview.  Your résumé only has one purpose, and it is to get you noticed and invited to an interview.  Resumes should be tailored for each job you apply for using keywords you find in the job posting.

Skills—what you need to do the job.  They need to be updated.  Some skills become outdated without use.  Keep up with your skills by volunteering.  Learning new skills will keep your candidacy viable.   

Thank you notes—the best way to follow-up after an interview.  Thank you notes are should also be sent after you have a meeting with someone in your network.  Thank you notes show you are professional and have good manners.  They are one of those things that people don’t notice when you do it, but surely notice when you don’t.  Each note should be addressed to the person by name.

Unique selling proposition—is what makes you the best candidate for the position.  It is something that you can do better and allows you to stand out. Look for what you unique selling proposition is and be able to explain it in an interview.   

Volunteer—a win-win for you and the organization you give your time.  Volunteering fills gaps in your résumé.  It’s a networking opportunity.  You can use your skills or learn new skills.  The organization benefits from receiving help they don’t have to pay for.   Use your time to help an organization and keep an eye out for networking opportunities.

Wait—looking for a job is a waiting game.  Sometimes the wait is short other times the wait is long.  Either way, you have to be ready to wait and have tools to cope with the wait.

dropboX—an app for your phone, laptop or tablet.  It can be used on the Dropbox website or directly to your electronics.  Items placed in Dropbox can be shared by others when files are too large to send by email. Knowing how to use Dropbox is a good way to show hiring managers that you are up on technology and not too old to learn new things.  Learn to use Dropbox and put it on your résumé. 

Yawn—is an interview killer.  Yawning shows boredom, uninterested in what is going on.  When this happens in an interviewer, you can be sure the person interviewing you will red flag it.  You will need to be outstanding in the rest of the interview to overcome the yawn.  It’s always best to get a good night sleep before the interview. 

Zero—the number of errors on your résumé that will be excused.  Needless to say, it’s imperative that your résumé be flawless without typos, misspellings, grammar errors.  It’s been said that your résumé will be tossed aside if the reader finds an error.  It’s best to proof read your résumé and ask another person to proofread it, as well. 

Understanding the job search words can help you with your job search.  There maybe things you haven’t done because you didn’t know about it.  The more you know, the better your job search is and will result in a shorter search.  Don’t take things for granted.  If you don’t know something, find out and see how you can use it to your advantage.

How can I help you in your job search?

Image:  freedigitalphotos.net   Stuart Miles

Posted in Dropbox, Interviews, Job Search, Resume, Unique Selling Proposition | Leave a Comment