Your age can be a problem. It can also be an asset when job hunting. Whether you are in accounting, computers, or engineering, age discrimination exists. You can also use your age to your advantage.
Do you remember Ronald Reagan saying that he wouldn’t use his opponents youth and inexperience as a political tool? (here is the clip)
In this posting there are some things mentioned that can be big positives for older workers.
Posted in Accomplishments, Attitude, Finding jobs, Resumes
Tagged age discrimination
Memory is a fickle thing. When you are depressed, you can hardly remember cheerful times. It is a good thing you know how to write. Keeping track of little things can change your entire career. Your job journal can be a lifesaver when things get rough. It is your sunshine collection.
Every time someone compliments you, write it in your job journal. If they like your smile, clothes, attitude, car, clean desk or hard work, write it down. When someone thanks you for your help, write it down. Joe Smith says you are more expert than a CPA with a PhD? Write it down.
Take a second to write down what they said, who said it, and what the circumstances were. That is sunshine collecting.
Every Friday you should be writing in your job journal what you accomplished this week. You should also record problems that relate to your job so that when the problems stop, you can show how well you fixed things.
That’s good, but not enough.
Emails and letters that compliment you should be put in your job journal too. Sunshine collecting is taking the time to collect and write down what others say you do well. Then when you are mad at Bob, you can go back and find out what he likes about you. That can change your whole day for the better. It can keep you from exploding or quitting.
Sure, your sunshine collection can be a big help in a job performance review or job search. But if you collect sunshine it will do great things for your career whether or not anyone else knows about it. It will help you remember how good you really are. It will also help you remember how good other people are. That’s important too.
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Something To Do Today
Listen for compliments, kudos and attaboys. Write them in your job journal. They’re stored sunshine so get a yellow highlighter and mark them too.
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Tomorrow starts easy networking week. Low effort, high return network tools. One high effort, incredible return networking tool also included.
Tomorrow: A job and a promotion networking
Later: A scissors for jobs network
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Getting noticed and hired in a new job as a Tax Partner, Audit Manager, Hadoop DBA, Android Programmer, or SEC Compliance Manager can be tricky. You may hear how hot your field is, but you just can’t seem to get noticed.
Here are 9 things that may help. Make sure and go past the first page. The first idea applies, but is not critical at all.
Posted in Accomplishments, Attitude, Finding jobs, Focus, Resumes
Tagged get hired, get noticed, technical jobs
If you job hunt (or go to work) expecting mortal combat, where the other guy must lose, you will fail. If you have a strong attitude that, “The company, my manager and I are going to win big,“ you will succeed. In job search mortal combat you must defeat the real enemy every time. You will lose every time if you fight your allies.
I exhort you also to take part in the great combat, which is the combat of life, and greater than every other earthly combat. (Plato)
Are companies idiots for not hiring you? Is every interviewer prejudiced? Let’s look at your job. Do you assume that your workplace is run by fools? Do you know more than your boss? Do you hang around the complainers and whiners at work? Are you the ringleader? Are people out to get you?
People really may be out to get you if you have a bad attitude. A hiring manager wants someone who will help and support him. Promotions come to people who help raise team spirits and achieve goals. Raises are given when a person is worth more than they are being paid. The manager interviewing you for a job will get a feeling how you treat your current boss. Your attitude will come through in the interview.
So how should you treat your current boss?
She should be your ally. In mortal combat, you help your allies.
Often you have to train your manager. She doesn’t have your perspective on problems. You need to constantly bring things to her attention that she may not know. You need to train her patiently, the way you would like to be trained.
Would you like to get pats on the back for the good things you do along with the occasional pointer on how to correct a mistake? Do the same with your boss. Positive reinforcement sets the stage for your negative comments to be heard. Take an attitude check today. Are you saying 5 positive things for every negative you voice? Keep track.
Are you job hunting?
Can the interviewer tell how you engage in destructive mortal combat? Is that why they are avoiding you? Do you treat your current manager as your best ally? If the right attitude shines through, they will hire you.
Business really is mortal combat. You have to plan on winning every time. Are you going to defeat stupidity with perfect logic and rapier sharp attacks? No, you will lose. Do you plan on patiently helping everyone learn, grow and win? Your victory is assured.
An attitude of constant improvement will win. Constant carping criticism loses every time.
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Something To Do Today
Keep a notepad with you. Make two columns. Put a check in one column for every positive thing you say. Put a check in the other column for every negative thing you say. Do the positives outstrip the negatives by 5 to 1?
Every Friday document your week at work in your job journal. What are your quantifiable achievements and failures? Make an upbeat report for your manager in a format she can use. Turn it in whether she asked for it or not.
Posted in Attitude, Focus, management, Promotions, Raises
Tagged job hunt, job search
I went to a Boy Scout camp where a fire company put on a rescue demonstration. They had 3 cars. One by one they ripped them apart using hydraulic tools. Right then I decided that I want to be a fireman when I grow up. I was 49 and ineligible, but I’m willing to dream.
A friend told me that he was the fastest machine operator at the plant where he worked. They always put him in the job that would challenge him the most. If there was a bottleneck, he’d clear it up. He also cried at times because he hated the work so much. He studied to take up a different profession for 8 years. He struggled with very low paying jobs, serious health problems, and a wife and kids he solely supported. Finally he started working as a Mechanical Engineer at a major DOD contractor.
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. (Aristotle)
Why do people stay in jobs they hate? No one is legally bound as an indentured servant or slave anymore. Why do people need help finding what they like to do? There are a lot of reasons. Fear, money, social pressure and unexplored possibilities can all be reasons.
You are a slave if you believe you cannot change. You are free when you think about, study for, and work towards a change for the better. So take a little time today and write down a list of things you always wanted to do. Make a list of jobs and careers you might enjoy.
Need help? Every university has a department to help students discover what they would like to study. The internet has sites to help you choose a career. Every state run job center will give you interest and aptitude tests for free. Friends and family are always happy to tell you where to go and what to do when you get there.
You may want to consult a career coach or a consulting coach. For example, I work with people who want to be consultants to help them have a viable business without worrying about where the next client is coming from. Others help you figure out and pursue your best and happiest career.
It is worth taking time to find out if you really want to be a fireman, mechanic, professor or plumber. If you start working towards a career goal you can always turn back later and be better off for trying. However, you will never get anywhere without taking the first steps to think about, study for and work towards a change.
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Something To Do Today
Make a list of every hobby you have attempted. List every subject you have studied. Rank them all as “liked”, “don’t care” and “disliked.” Look for a pattern. You may be surprised. Take an interest test or two. They’re actually fun. Many are free. Contact me. I can help too.
Next: Mortal combat: win every time
Posted in Attitude, Focus, Perseverance, Quitting or Fired, talent
Sometimes your job search just isn’t working. Fix your job search using what the old sailors called “ash breeze”.
You won’t go anywhere in your sailboat if you are becalmed, no wind. Sailors on the old 3 mast boats used to dread finding themselves where there was no wind. There are places in the ocean where you can go weeks without a breeze. The old mariners often had only one way out, “ash breeze.”
When becalmed, a rowboat full of men would be sent out tied to the front of the ship. They would take their ash wood oars and start rowing. Progress was always painfully slow. Any breeze would move a ship faster, but “ash breeze” was better than dying becalmed.
Are you becalmed? Are you stuck in a company or job that just isn’t getting you anywhere? The book, Carry On Mr. Bowditch, is the story of one of the greatest mariners of our age.
Bowditch was stuck in a nowhere job. Born in 1773, with little formal education and apprenticed to a storeowner, Bowditch became an expert bookkeeper. He wasn’t where he wanted to be. He studied mathematics and astronomy on his own. Eventually he became a sea captain, author and educator. He received an honorary PhD for his accomplishments. His book on celestial navigation is still used at the US Naval Academy.
The most important thing you have is your attitude. Couple attitude with an intense desire to better yourself and you cannot be stopped. Start preparing now for the job you want to have in five years. Learn what you need to learn. The more you work on YOU, the better your life will get.
The harder I work on me, the better my life gets.
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Something To Do Today
Read the book, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Latham.
Tomorrow: IBD and what’s hot
Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Focus, Perseverance, talent, Time management, Training
Tagged fix your job search, job search
Understand the emotions and actions, ignore the words.
Down Syndrome vs down syndrome part 2
Merrilee has Down Syndrome, a medical condition. At 9 years old she could read 150 words. At 18 she can now read maybe 300 words. She understands only very simple sentences. Yet, she’s brilliant. She understands very clearly what people are doing and feeling. She is not distracted by their words, clothing or cars. Merrilee is not distracted by her own expectations.
Job seekers with down syndrome, a perception condition, communicate verbally and in writing much better than Merrilee. Their down syndrome, however, makes it very difficult for them to understand, interpret and act on the emotions and actions of others. They interpret everything through their biased perception filter.
Attitude really is everything in job hunting. A hiring authority told me, “I hire almost entirely on attitude. It’s easy to train someone if they have a good attitude.” If a job hunter has down syndrome it doesn’t matter what they know, they will be a problem employee.
Job seekers with down syndrome assume the people around them are mean spirited, harsh, cruel, difficult and/or unfeeling. When an HR department fails to respond to their resume, they assume rudeness. When no one gets back to them after an interview they figure the interviewer is a rude jerk. When they are probed about why they left their last job they think it’s an unnecessary mean streak. Having down syndrome causes you to find the worst no matter what happens.
When Merrilee, with Down Syndrome, is told, “No,” she understands the word. She doesn’t understand explanations so she figures out what the other person’s real emotions are. She understands that mostly “no” means not now. She can feel when “no” means not for a long time. She gets it when “no” means she could get seriously injured.
Your job hunting will be much more successful if you focus on what people are feeling and watch what they are actually doing. Make it a habit to never take offense. That company may literally have 500 worthless applications for one job and cannot reply to each applicant. Your interviewer may be impressed, but unable to hire you. He probably told HR that you have been turned down and HR is swamped with other work so they didn’t call to let you know.
Keep trying to get into the jobs and companies you are most interested in. I called a manager about a job he filled the previous month. He said, “That job is open again. Can you help me fill it?” One month later someone new will be hired. Those who already gave up are out of the running. His previous “no” meant “not now.”
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Something To Do Today
If it has been over 3 months since you talked to someone at a target company, time to get back in touch. Things change. Find out what is happening there today.
Next Down Syndrome vs down syndrome part 3
Posted in Attitude, Followup, Perseverance
Tagged down syndrome, ignore the words, job seekers, perception
You may get a job by thorough persistence. Don’t be pestilential and persistent, be pleasant, nice and thoroughly persistent. Let me demonstrate.
My daughter Merrilee has Down Syndrome. Her IQ is 43. She has a lot of advantages over job seekers with down syndrome. Job seekers with down syndrome accept what happens to them fatalistically. My daughter with Down Syndrome got an extra half chromosome that makes it impossible for her to be fatalistic. For example:
Merrilee loves cartoon videos. We limited the time she spends watching them. We locked them in the boys’ room so she couldn’t get them. Yet she showed up with a cartoon video in her hand while I was at the computer or reading and handed it to me almost every day.
How did she get the video? She knew that eventually one of her brothers would leave the door unlocked or the key down where she could get it. She checked the door several times a day. Not obsessively, just whenever she went by their room.
She can’t talk clearly, but I knew when she handed me a video that she wanted me to play it. She gave it to me when I was busy so I wouldn’t go upstairs to lock the room. I would hand it back and say, put it on the TV stand. She did. 10 or 20 minutes later she brought another. This went on until I played a video for her or put the videos away and locked the boys’ door.
She is how you should be in your job search. If I tell her, “No,” she’ll be back. If I lock the boys’ door, she’ll be back. She’s gentle and loving. She’s quietly persistent. She’s not unreasonable. I want to help her. She does what I ask when I tell her to put the video on the TV stand.
A job seeker with down syndrome sadly lacks Merrilee’s gentle persistence. Job seekers who feel down, just give up at the first, “No.” There may not be a job today, but there might literally be one tomorrow.
Be persistent. Don’t give up on the job or promotion you want. Figure out how to gently and kindly get your qualifications before the decision maker. Be reasonable, persistent, helpful and nice. Take your resume to HR every time they ask. Ask what you can do to qualify for and get the job. Then do what they say. After a month or two, try again.
If you make yourself qualified and have a great attitude, eventually someone will leave the door unlocked. Someone will quit or the department will expand. If you are kindly persistent and not irritatingly pestilent, you’ll have a great shot at the job.
You can’t have the blessing of the extra half chromosome that Merrilee has. However, you can develop her persistence, love and patience.
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. (Coolidge)
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Something To Do Today
Is there a promotion you really want? Are there companies you really want to work for? Go to your job journal and write a plan for getting what you want by being persistent in a nice way. Decide how often you can try again. Set appointments on your calendar to try again.
Tomorrow: Down Syndrome vs down syndrome part 2
Posted in Attitude, Finding jobs, Focus, Followup, Networking, Perseverance, Promotions, Raises
Tagged get a job, persistence, persistent
The greatest tool for your job search is an enthusiastic desire to help, not the job title you want. Let me show you what I mean.
I was talking to a local TV station manager. He asked, “How would you like to stand in the middle of the biggest stadium in Pennsylvania and tell everyone there about your product? That’s what a 30 second ad on my station is like.” Later he added, “You’d plan your speech well, wouldn’t you?”
Have you been telling a lot of people how good you are and getting no response? Maybe you need to work on your speech. Turn it into your 30 second commercial.
The biggest mistake most job seekers make is they start by saying, “I really need a job. Can you help me?” Why would that make a manager want to hire you? You just asked him to give you money he needs for other things.
He’ll hire you if you can solve his problems, make his life easier, or earn him money.
He’ll hire you even if he doesn’t have an opening right now.
Sit down with a piece of paper and write each job type you are applying for. Leave lots of space between jobs. Under each job write what problems you can solve for the hiring manager. Next write how you can make his job easier. Finally put down how much money you can make him in new income or save him in expenses. Would you pay someone to do those things? Give examples of what you did in the past. Give real examples.
Did you only write what duties you want? I hope not. If you wrote, “I can take care of the computers,” that isn’t enough. Add, “I cut computer downtime in half at my last job.” In addition to, “Do help desk duties,” write, “As second level help desk technician I cleared up all incoming calls in an average of 20 minutes per call.”
Can you write down accomplishments instead of duties? What have you done? How have you helped in the past? Where have you saved money at your last job? Did you figure out how to save time for 20 other people? Did you bring in 20 new customers? Were you better than anyone else? Prove it with concrete examples.
For each job you need to write a 30 second personal commercial. It should not say what you want. It should say how you can help. It should show your enthusiasm and your “can do” attitude. Prove you can do it with examples. Use that commercial when you are talking to people about your job search. You’ll get a much better response.
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Something To Do Today
Make that list of jobs you are applying for. List what you can do for the hiring manager.
Posted in Accomplishments, Attitude, Resumes
Tagged get hired, job accomplishments, job search
The most important step in winning is to show up.
If you are looking for a job, it always seems there is a blizzard going on. You are stuck at home and nothing is happening because of the snow and cold. You send out a hundred resumes and get no calls back. Recruiters won’t help you. No one is advertising jobs with your skills. There’s nothing you can do. You feel cold, helpless, and can’t see any hope of success because of the blowing snow.
No matter where you live, the blizzard is over. Spring is here. The job market is hot.
How many US metropolitan areas were importing workers in September of 2006? At a 4.5% real unemployment rate, metro areas start importing workers. Take a guess, how many were below that?
195. Yes, 195 places in the US were importing workers. And the situation has gotten even better in the last 2 months. In the DC area the unemployment rate in some counties is well under 1%. As a matter of fact, the national unemployment rate is below 4.5%. There is a real scarcity of workers. That means there is opportunity.
Does that mean you have to move? No! That means you have to continue to job hunt. If you keep trying intelligently, you’ll get a better job. Workers are getting imported from low paying areas into higher paying cities all over the US. They’re leaving jobs behind that have to be filled.
Having trouble getting a job? Here are some areas to re-evaluate:
Now may be the time to refresh your approach. Take a look at where your industry is going. Sharpen your job tools. Then keep applying. The blizzard and cold is ending soon. Jobs are opening up all over, like daffodils in the spring.
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Something To Do Today
Use the 4 questions above to re-evaluate your job search. I’ll go through them this week
Posted in Attitude, Economy, Finding jobs, Followup
Tagged Finding jobs, looking for a job