Category Archives: Tips for the Job Hunt
August 29, 2012 “10 Tips for Feeling Less Trapped at Work” by Amy Lindgren
I read an article titled “10 Tips for Feeling Less Trapped at Work” in the Pioneer Press that aligns perfectly with many of the things I speak about and share with clients. The article’s author, Amy Lindgren, made the great observation that, due to the sluggish—if not non-existent at times—job market, “people feel trapped by the position or company they are currently employed by.”
I agree with the Lindgren’s claim that people feel trapped due to their limited employment options. But I’d like to take Lindgren’s idea one step further: Not is the job market slow, but employers are also struggling to figure out how to keep people engaged and excited about their positions at a time they can’t expand, offer the opportunities they previously offered, or challenge people in the ways they had hoped. In the work I do with companies and their employees, we seek to keep people energized and working on self-improvement so that they’re ready for the opportunities when they arise.
Lindgren supports her claim by urging readers to “make the best of the situation while you are waiting for the tide to turn.”
Her 10 Tips Include:
1. Go Deeper or Get More Shallow: If you are just barely there mentally, getting more deeply involved might engage more of your skills and increase your sense of satisfaction.
2. Seek Balance and Variety: While jobs that are the same every day can be comforting, they can also be numbing. Can you switch some duties with a co-worker to provide more balance in your day?
3. Take Your Breaks: Always take your lunch breaks, a short walk in the morning or afternoon, or any other opportunity to clear your mind, change our perspective, get re-energized, and increase your heart rate. Stepping away from your desk gets blood flowing to your brain and keeps your energy up. Americans are known for sitting long hours, skipping breaks and eating lunch at their desks.
4. Shake Up Your Routine: Instead of eating a sandwich at your desk, eat it while taking a walk outdoors. Maybe you can start a lunch club with co-workers or a Friday potluck.
5. Build Work Relationships: We’re all in this together, after all. Why not do something as a group once a month?
6. Go Home on Time at Least 3 Days a Week: If you can’t get all your work done, there’s either too much work on your plate or you’re using time inefficiently. Whether it’s too much work, or not working the right way, solve the problem.
7. Do Something Outside of Work: Look for something to do that is just for you, such as a good work out—perhaps yoga?
8. Solve a Different Problem: If your work issues seem intractable, turn your attention to other problems that need resolution in your life. How long are you willing to put those things on hold while you wait for work to improve?
9. Start Your Career Exploration Process: If you’ve been itching to move on, this can be within your company or outside of it. It’s never too early to start the networking, planning, and exposure necessary to make a new calling a reality. If you wait, you may be slowing down your progress when the time is right.
10. Prepare Your Resume: Having your resume ready will increase your sense of empowerment and help make all of your accomplishments more obvious to you. This is surely a way to feel less trapped.
Read all of the details of Amy’s comments at: PioneerPress.com
Tags: Career Coach Advice, How to Change Your Life, Job Hunt Advice, Pioneer Press
April 9, 2012 How to Get Hired as an Older Worker
By Margaret Smith, UXL:
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
As I mentioned in a previous post, older unemployed workers face a more of a challenge when searching for employment than other demographics. I’ve compiled a list of some helpful reminders for the older worker’s job hunt that will help you to keep your best foot forward at all times.
> Never forget what you’re worth: Older workers are dependable, have advanced problem-solving abilities, and are just as productive as younger workers.
> Stay enthusiastic and excited: No matter what your age, if you come off as exhausted, bored, resentful, or frustrated, you’re giving interviewers a bad impression.
> Keep your exchange respectful, no matter your age difference.
> Highlight your creativity through specific examples of your past work.
> Emphasize your past loyalty to your company.
> Edit your resume: Avoid the “too old” impression by limiting your “related experience” to the past 15 years, excluding graduation dates, and paring down your list of employment experience by saying “5+ years” instead of “30 years”.
> Explain you’re prepared to hit the ground running. Share examples of your ability to learn quickly with the interviewer.
> Take advantage of your expansive network—it’s still the best way to find work.
> Keep all mentioned accomplishments current.
> Make sure your dress is up to date, instead of dating you.
> Avoid feelings of defeat or apology for your age—this is not a topic that should be on the table during an interview, nor is it relevant to the conversation.
> Don’t limit your job search to exactly what you were doing before—consider a career change, why not?!
> Don’t mention upcoming retirement hopes.
> Stay current with new technology. Take a class, solicit the help of another, and do your research.
If you’d like help relaying your skills, interviewing, and branding yourself during the job process, contact me today to learn how I can help.
Tags: Common Interview Mistakes, Confident Interviewing, Interview Do's, Job Hunt Advice, Older Workers
March 21, 2012 Solving the Challenge of Older Unemployed Workers
By Margaret Smith, UXL:
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
Today I read a fascinating article published by the Urban Institute titled “Can Unemployed Workers Find Work?” that really changed the way I think about the challenge older unemployed workers face in today’s job market.
Let’s face it–we all know about our own experiences, but how did job loss affect Americans in a larger sense? Read on for the real story about how the “Great Recession” has affected the American workforce.
Who Really Lost Jobs
As we all witnessed, and in many cases firsthand, people rapidly lost jobs as the recession swelled. According to the Urban Institute, the male workforce was hit slightly harder than the female workforce, with monthly male unemployment rates averaging “10.3 percent in 2009 and 10.5 percent in 2010, the highest since reliable records began in 1948.” These percentages compare with women’s job prospects, “which were only slightly better… whose unemployment rate averaged 8.1 percent in 2009 and 8.6 percent in 2010.”
You know what else I learned? This unemployment stuck around—and it’s not just you. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a shocking 31% of unemployed adults had been without work for more than a year in the second quarter of 2010.
The Good News for Older Workers
Contrary to my expectations, if you’re an older worker, you’re actually less likely to be fired. Workers employed in wage and salary jobs in the second half of 2008 age 50 to 61 were “34% less likely than those age 25 to 34 to lose their jobs within 16 months.” And, what’s more, unemployment rates are consistently lower for older workers.
Unemployment among Older Workers Hard to Defeat
So there’s less of a chance that an older worker will be laid off, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t, and didn’t happen. Now what? Unfortunately, if you’re an older worker who’s been laid off, studies show it will take substantially longer to find employment. “Workers age 50 to 61 who lost their jobs between mid-2008 and the end of 2009 were a third less likely than those age 25 to 34 to find work within 12 months, and those age 62 or older were only half as likely.”
That means that although less older workers were laid off, it was 33-50% more difficult to get back on your feet again. No matter what your age, however, getting back to work was no piece of cake. Workers age 25 to 34 were faced with a 36% likelihood of finding a job within a year, compared to 24% likelihood for workers age 50 to 61, and 18% likelihood at age 62 and older.
Not only are older workers toughing it out to reenter the job market, they’re also settling for a lower wage.
(source: www.urban.org)
So how do older workers combat these daunting statistics? I advocate the active pursuit of training, taking advantage of employment services, and reaching out in new and open-minded ways. Let’s face it, being stuck in the job hunt—especially for a longer period of time—can really be a drain on your motivation and positive energy. If you think that your progress toward your next career could benefit from a guiding, professional career coach, contact me today to learn how I can help you find direction and energy once again.
Source: “Can Unemployed Older Workers Find Work?” by Richard W Johnson and Janice S. Park, Urban Institute
Tags: Career Coaching, Job Hunt Advice, Stuck at the Crossroads
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