50 + Workers: Put Your Best Self Forward!

The job market for the 50+ age group seems to be improving.  Slowly unemployment is declining. But mature workers continue to meet obstacles (real and imagined) that are preventing them from working.  AARP has provided some excellent articles and tools for this group.  One of their articles published earlier this year, How Should Older Workers Navigate the Job Market? is particularly helpful.  They also have a Life Reimagined for Work section which provides tools for job seekers.

There are many reasons why this group is seeking employment: need the money for themselves, to support children, grandchildren, or parents; miss the social environment work provides; want to continue to use their skills or develop new ones.  The list goes on. 

Research, our own and from others’, has unearthed that many people ages 50-65 who are seeking a job are physically and/or emotionally tired and anxious.  Some have disabilities that make working an even greater challenge. These circumstances make it even harder to keep looking. Unfortunately burn out, rust out, and the apathy that comes from repeated disappointment is telegraphing their state of mind to interviewers. As one HR staffer told us, “They look rejected before the interview even starts.  Where is the motivation? Quite a few let their anger at their circumstances seep through. Some actually say that they never expected they would have to be working at this life stage.” Not very positive, is it?

We recommend that people get to know their drivers....reasons why they work beyond a paycheck.  Knowing your drivers will improve your chances of finding a job that you are happy about doing.  We recently asked staffing executives what these mature job seekers can do to set themselves apart from the pack and highlight their talents.  Here are a few suggestions they offered.

1. Show up prepared and dressed appropriately. Look like you want the job.
2. Never forget you are a skills merchant. Tell us what you have done to keep your skills relevant and up to date, e.g. do you take classes, attend seminars, get training. Remember it is a competition (we suggest individuals take the Rewirement Ramp Up Quiz to get to know themselves better before the interview).
3. Be prepared to talk specifics.  Tell us what you have that is pertinent to our job opening and our business.
4. Be confident.  If you act dejected you will be rejected.
5. When we ask, “What do you know about our company?” be able to answer it with specifics.  Research their website, read Google articles, find out who their major competitors are, and if you can ask current or former employees about the culture.  You would be amazed how many people never go on the company website prior to the interview.  What a lost opportunity.

It sounds simple, but finding a job over the age of 50 is not easy.  Nothing worth getting is easy. However, many people over 50 are finding employment.  So if you are looking for a job or thinking about it. Get ready; Get Rewired; then go for it.

 

Volunteering is Ageless: Getting Started

Last week we posted a blog about the power of being a Volunteer. Since then, we have had a tremendous number of inquiries asking about the best way to get started. We highly recommend starting out by volunteering on the local level. It is a way to get your feet wet, so to speak, REWIRE your thinking about the future, and better yet test market what kind of volunteer opportunity would be best for you. Some of the requests we had were for local level resources. Here are some tips on getting started:
*Check out the local charities in your area for opportunities.
*Try VolunteerMatch.com.
*See what local churches and synagogues are doing.
*Visit your local government website for neighborhood projects.

We live and work in New York City, and one of our favorite volunteer organizations is Health Advocates for Older People (Hafop.org). They are are partnering with the Volunteer Referral Center and representatives of several non-profit agencies to give potential volunteers information on getting started.

A panel of volunteer experts will be giving out information about a variety of opportunities and updating the audience on how to become engaged with a volunteer effort. Here is the info:
When: Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
Where: The Church of the Transfiguration, One East 29th Street, NYC
Time: 2-4pm. Light refreshments will be served.
RSVP or for further information: 212-889-4805.

Don't take our word for it. Find out for yourself how volunteering can change your life for the better as you help change the lives of others. Go for it!

MORE PRINCIPLES FOR CHANGE

Change is the name of the game! I know, you're thinking, boy is that trite, so what else is new? The reality is is that change is the new constant in our lives...today, tomorrow and probably forever! When people ask me "when is it going back to the way it was before?" I just flat out say, "it's not," so we need to accept that fact and begin to bring change into our own lives, as and if needed.

I don't know where you are on the continium of change, but I've accepted that I can't control most of the change going on around me. Once that reality hits home, you realize that you can control change in your own life, at least the change you institute.

Change is about personal choices and consequences, whether it be at work, at play, or just in life overall. For every action we take, or don't take, regardless of our age or stage of life, there is a reaction. People will tell me they want to rewire® their lives. It doesn't matter if it is to secure a new career, to experience a different level of leisure and fun or to find new purpose at work and play, you can't hit a new goal or dream without experiencing some type of change.

Whether we like to admit it or not, we are a nation of procrastinators. That's why I wanted to give you some principles for change. The goal is to help you coach yourself through a change. I don't claim ownership of these principles but I find them very sound for the times!
And they are new to the way we think about life and our future.
So here are four new principles for change for you to ponder and use:

• Choices & Prices- Life is an auction, and everything has a price ticket. The question is "how much are you willing to pay?" and "can afford to pay?"
• Responsibility-The person who feels the problem most has the greatest responsibility for correcting it.
• Replacement-The best way to ovecome a bad impulse is to repalce it with a better one.
• Levels-Every situation has many things going on that need to be recognized and assessed.

When times are challenging it's easy to become complacent. I hope that we can all be there to help each other...that's why I wanted to share these thoughts on change with you. They are slightly different from many other messages and I hope they help you think about your life in a different way. There are things you want to change and things you need to change--and as you go through the list appreciate what you have and don't ever want to change in our life!

I'm not saying that change is easy, but with some thought put into it, change does NOT have to be as hard as we sometimes think it will be or as hard as we make it!