5 Tips for Baby Boomers in the Job Market
If you are a baby boomer and have been let go, due to re-org, re-engineering, takeover, or some other reason beyond your control, listen up. It is a jungle out there! Today I am going to be candid and give it to you straight. 1.Be prepared to face the following and answer these questions on an interview. Why do you want this job? Why should we hire you? This job seems too easy for you. Won’t you get bored? Why do you want to step down from a CEO or executive role at this stage in your career? You want to give back to your profession, you want to go back into operations, you don’t want to deal with a board, or politics any more. You really enjoy the “x” factor or part of the job that uses your favorite skills. 2.Take a look at yourself in the mirror – The first things people look at during an interview are shoes, teeth and hair, and then the rest of you. Are your teeth as white as they can be? Does your hair give you away? Grey is fine for men, but not for women (depending upon your industry). Are your clothes up to date? If you are not good at selecting or buying clothes and putting together outfits, then try using a personal stylist to put together your wardrobe and accessories. 3.Resume – Of course, you can leave off your dates of college graduation and only put in the last 10-15 years of work experience. But when you walk in the door and they look at you, they see a baby-boomer. 4. During the interview – Emphasize your passion for the mission of the organization, your passion for the particular field. Show positive energy and enthusiasm. Don’t dwell on the negatives, pivot, and turn the conversation around to what you can do for them. 5. Be a problem solver – Illustrate how you can help solve the company’s problems. Use specific examples from your past experience of how you solved problems and the results you produced. Mention other problems they have not thought of that you have solved in other positions for other organizations. Remember…be prepared for difficult questions. Be ready with your accomplishments to illustrate how you can be their problem solver. Act like you are already part of the team. www.geffencareers.com
How do I Best Answer Employment Ads on the Internet?
You spend your day at your computer answering ads for jobs. But you are not getting responses. It seems like your application goes into a black hole. Well, that is partially true. You should be spending only 10% of your time answering ads on job boards because only 10% of job seekers actually land a job from answering ads. Why? First off, 144 million people are on LinkedIn and hundreds of thousands of people are answering ads. Then you have to contend with ATS – Applicant Tracking Systems, which match your resume to the job description to search for key words. So, if you do answer ads, here are some tips to get the most out of your time and energy: 1. Only apply for jobs where you meet 80 to 90 percent of the qualifications. Don’t waste your time on something that sounds interesting, but you don’t have most of the qualifications. Answer the ad with 24 hours of its appearance. 2. Tweak your resume to include key words from the job descriptions. The more key words, and the more frequently they appear in your cover letter and on your resume, the better chance you have of being noticed by the ATS. Answer all the fields in the online application. Do not include salary. If they ask, just put in $1 or $10 or $100. Also include a short cover note tailoring your resume to the job. 3. Research the name of the hiring manager in the department and location for that job. Find out the email address and phone number. You can find this out either on the company website, on LinkedIn or other websites. Use LinkedIn to see if any of your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd degree contacts work in the same company. Get an introduction. 4. Write directly to the hiring manager, the person in a position to hire you if there is a position and you are a fit. Send the same resume and cover letter you attached online. Say you will call to follow up. 5. Call the hiring manager to get a meeting.It may take a few tries to get through to the hiring manager, and past the gatekeeper. Keep trying. Do not leave a message. Say, Mr/Ms So-and-so is expecting your call. www.geffencareers.com
How to Overcome Obstacles and Roadblocks
Have you experienced any obstacles or roadblocks tin your job search? All of us do at one point or another in the job search. Here are some common problems and what you can do to overcome them. 1) Can’t decide on a job target. You may have an idea of what you would like to do, or a dream of becoming a particular professional. But how realistic is that? You need to do online research, and more importantly, talk to real people who do what it is you want to do. Nothing takes the place of talking to a person to find out what do they do all day, how did they get to that position? What education and experience does one need to do that job? What people? Search on LInkedIn for people who do the same thing. Contact your alumni association and look up alums who do what you want to do. 2) Not getting interviews – If you are spending all your time answering ads on the internet, start writing directly to companies. Make a list of companies in your preferred field. A job search is a numbers game. The more people you write to, meet with, network with, the more chances you will have to get interviews for jobs. 3) Getting a lot of “nos”. You send your resume and get a no. You go on an interview and don’t get a call back. You write to someone asking for a meeting and don’t get an answer. Don’t take it personally. The job may have already been filled, or they may hire a relative of the boss, or they may take someone who was recommended by a current employee. Send more emails. Make more phone calls. 4) Feeling down and alone? Find a job buddy , someone you can talk to each week about your job search. Or, join a group of similar job seekers or a long term workshop that keeps you motivated and accountable. Or, find a career coach who can hold your hand and keep you going every step of the way. 5) Inertia -You just can’t seem to get going. You keep procrastinating. Make a schedule. Plan to spend anywhere from one to three hours per day on your search. Take one step at a time. Do one thing each day to get you closer to the job you want. Remember that a job search is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to keep going for the long haul and when you get stuck, find a way to get unstuck. www.geffencareers.com