Are You An Older Worker?

Are you what is considered an "Older Worker"? Are you having difficulty finding a job?

Do you find yourself looking at the young people and comparing yourself to them in terms of ability and education, and finding yourself on the losing end? Well, it is time to stop and recognize the abilities you have that are far superior to what they have. It is time to point out to employers the advantages that you bring.

Not sure what those advantages are? Well, first of all - maturity. You are not likely to explode with anger or frustration if something goes wrong. Which leads to the second advantage - experience. You know from past experience how to fix things, how to do things correctly the first time. The third advantage is knowledge - you know how things really work. You've "been there, done that, and got the t-shirt" as they say. You know from experience what works and what doesn't, and not from reading a book.

MATURE WORKERS HAVE:

 The ability to problem solve
 A seasoned point of view
 Good judgment
 A wealth of skills and transferable skills
 Experienced change
 Raised their families
 Life long learning experiences
 Perspective, the ability to see the big
 picture
 A work history and a work ethic
 The ability to train and mentor others
 Been exposed to a wide knowledge base
 Leadership skills
 An understanding of what is expected
 A sense of humour (easy going)
 The ability to navigate work politics
 More references and networking contacts

MATURE WORKERS ARE:
 A resource
 Mature
 Well rounded
 Patient, wise and dedicated
 Consistent and practical
 Understanding of other age groups
 Aware of their strengths and weaknesses
 Loyal, dedicated and focused
 Secure and self-directed
 Open to suggestions
 Street wise in the working world
 Survivors
 Self-sufficient and self-confident
 Resilient, versatile and flexible
 Willing to learn new things
 Empathetic
 Realistic

It is time to see yourself as the valuable resource you are.

To your job search success

Fran Watson
Mature, Motivated and Marvellous (grin)

www.franwatson.ca/bio.html

Reasons to Customize Your Resume

Phil Rosenberg at ReCareered holds weekly free workshops and shares tips on resume building such as:

"Some of the reasons why individual resume customization rewards your job search:

1. Employers search resumes differently than we search Google: When you and I search Google, we search 1 or 2 criteria (3 – 4 if it’s a really detailed search) and we don’t mind that we get millions of possible matches. Most employers only want 50 matches, so recruiters/HR reps search for 7 – 10 criteria.

2. Stuck in the database: Even the most qualified candidates get stuck in the database if they don’t match employer search criteria.

3. ATS’ match exact words: ATS’ aren’t built to match different words with the same meaning.

4. ATS’ don’t keyword search cover letters: Executives from the top 10 ATS companies revealed that their clients install ATS’ to only keyword search one document – the resume. If you use a cover letter to show how your experience makes you the perfect candidate … you’re demonstrating it on the wrong document."


Read more here and sign up for his ezine tips and/or one of his free workshops

To your job search success

Fran
p.s. Need help with your job search? Click here

What IS Your Objective?

How to write an objective for resume

When you are crafting your resume, you need to know how to write an objective for the resume. An objective is basically what you are hoping to achieve in the job or career field that you want to get into. It says why you got into this field, why you are so passionate about it, and what you can do for the company or the career area. It isn't "I want to work for your company so that I can develop my skills." What that says is that once I do this, I'm going to move on.

Some people feel like there is no need to include an objective on your resume. However, it can be helpful in showing your passion for your career field and can let a potential employer know why you are passionate about the job in the first place. Either way, knowing how to write an objective for your resume is a very important part of the job seeking process.

The first part you should know about in learning how to write an objective for a resume is that you must use words that are always positive but not too flowery. Speak from your heart and avoid using any euphemisms of any kind and be sure that your objective sounds very professional. "I would like to use the skills I have developed in ... to make a difference."

On the other hand, if you are switching careers, your objective statement should say why you wanted to get into another field and what makes you so excited to do so. You should state what you are hoping to accomplish in this new career and why you know you can accomplish it! "I am seeking a change in career and am looking to start at an entry level position."

When writing your objective statement, you should be brief. This is a sentence or two about why you want a job in this career field. It should show a potential employer why he or she should hire you even if you do not have a lot of experience in the field you are applying for.

Knowing how to write an objective for a resume is an important part of “putting your best foot forward” so that the person who is reading your resume wants to read the rest of it. It is kind of like when you begin a new novel. The first line is so important – it has to hook the reader and make them want to read on. The same applies to your objective statement on your resume. You should make your potential employer want to read more about you based on your objective statement.

Good luck in your job search

Fran

P.S. Need a little help? Click here

Job Search Survival Kit

Today, I am giving you a

DAILY SURVIVAL KIT

to help you each day............


Toothpick ... to remind you to pick the good qualities in everyone, including yourself.

Rubber band ... to remind you to be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want, but it can be worked out.

Band-Aid ... to remind you to heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else's.

Eraser ... to remind you everyone makes mistakes. That's okay, we learn by our errors.

Candy Kiss ... to remind you everyone needs a hug or a compliment everyday.

Mint ... to remind you that you are worth a mint to your family & Me.

Bubble Gum ... to remind you to stick with it and you can accomplish anything.

Pencil ... to remind you to list your blessings every day.

Tea Bag ... to remind you to take time to relax daily and go over that list of God's blessings.

This is what makes life worth living every minute, every day


Wishing you love, gratitude, friends to cherish, caring, sharing, laughter, music, and warm feelings in your heart in the
2012 year.

Fran Watson
www.franwatson.ca

Are You Unemployed?

Job Search Tips


If you’re not sure what to do, here’s a list that might help.

1. Know thyself.

Identify what really interest and excites you. Understand that these traits define you and use it to explore career choices and opportunities.

2. Take a career assessment test.

There are a lot of career assessment tests available online. Find the time to take one. The test gives you a lot of insights about your core competencies and work preferences.

3. Ask others.

It’s actually quite difficult to see yourself as others do. It would be to your advantage to ask friends and family on your traits and skills. Your co-workers are also a good source of information. Knowing how they perceive you, what they like and don’t like about you and what skills or traits need to be changed can be helpful in determining your professional profile.

4. What moves you?

Would you be more interested in status or a six figure salary? Do you want to make a difference in your community and the world or just on your company’s net worth?

5. Take charge.

In the ‘80s, when you worked for a large company, you usually could conclude that you would be working there for your entire career. In those days, the corporation drove your career path, advancing as it saw fit.

At the turn of the century, times have changed. In the span of your career, you would probably work for at least five companies. In most cases, you will probably work for more than five. Know which career track you desire, and make sure that track brings you to where you wish to go.

6. Determine the company fit.

With the current emphasis on streamlined and productivity-focused companies, the cultural and company fit are just as important as the professional goals. Consider the values and principles of the company and compare them with your own. It is important that you feel comfortable and fit in with company.

7. Free your mind.

The career path you choose is about change and more change. It includes expansion and new opportunities. All of these changes require a desire to journey and discover.

8. Balance is the key.

A huge amount of time is devoted to your career when you are in your 20s and 30s. When you reach your 40s, your personal life might take precedence and maybe more important to you. Find a corporation that will provide you with a balance in your work and your life.

9. Don’t hang around.

If you’re not satisfied with the way your career is going, go do something. Always be in control of your career path to have a satisfying career.

Good luck in your job search

Fran Watson

Looking For Work?

Why can’t I find work?

The first question to ask yourself is, “where am I looking?” If the newspaper is your only source, you are cheating yourself of some great opportunities. If you are searching on the internet, you are also short-changing yourself. Many companies do not use either of these methods for hiring; they use networking techniques. You have heard people say, “It’s who you know,” and this is true.

Think about it for a minute. Which would you choose, a complete stranger or a person referred by one of your employees or friends? If you had a choice between placing a job ad that costs $100 - $200 or paying an employee a bonus of $50 for a referral, which would you choose? It makes economic sense for employers to use networking, and it makes good sense for you to do it too.

How do you network? To start off you make a list of everyone that you know, even slightly – your barber/hairdresser, the bank teller, the cashier at the grocery store, your next-door neighbour. Keep writing until you can’t think of anyone else. Then look at your list again and try to figure out where each person works and what kind of information they could provide you with. These are probably not the people who will be hiring you, but they may be the link to the person who will.

Have you let everyone know that you are looking for work and the type of work you are looking for? Or do you just say you are looking for “anything.” People need to know more facts than that. Will you really do “anything” or are there some limits on what you are willing to do. Take some time to write down a short summary of your skills and experience and what you are looking for. Use this when contacting employers.

Is your resume up to date? Does it have all your skills and experience on it? Is it targeted for the specific work area you are looking for, or is it so general that people have to try to guess what it is you are applying for? Do you have extra copies that you can give to the people in your network? Or are you waiting until that perfect job appears before you write it up? You should always have a current resume ready as you never know when that perfect opportunity will arise.

to your job search success

Fran
P.S. Are you videotaping your interview practice? It's a good idea to see how you look to an employer. Click here to learn more

Action Plan

WHAT IS ACTION PLANNING?

Action planning is a process which will help you to focus your ideas and to decide what steps you need to take to achieve particular goals that you may have. It is a statement on paper of what you want to achieve over a given period of time. Preparing an action plan is a good way to help you to reach your objectives in life.

An effective action plan should give you a concrete timetable and set of clearly defined steps to help you to reach your objective, rather than aimlessly wondering what to do next. It helps you to focus your ideas and provides you with an answer to the question ‘‘What do I do to achieve my objective?’’.

It’s OK to have several objectives, but you will need to make a separate action plan for each, otherwise things get confused.

Although here we are applying the techniques to careers, an action plan can be used effectively to help you to reach your goals in many aspects of your life, for example: to pass your driving test.

The following are all valid goals for an action plan:
 To get more involved in a student society to get to know more people.

 Deciding what skills I need to improve and deciding how I will improve them.

 To investigate the different tools available to help me to choose a career, such as computer-aided careers guidance.

When action planning in a careers sense there are likely to be three main areas in which you want to develop action plans. These are:

* Choosing the career you wish to enter.

* Working out a strategy to help you enter this career e.g. application and interviews.

* Developing skills that you need to acquire to allow you to enter the career of your choice and to be successful in it.

It's time to take action for your career. If you need help, click here

To your job search success

Fran

P.S. If you need someone to help you through the job process, click here