Addressing Ageism in Your Job Search

I spend as much time as possible online, reading blogs and keeping a finger on the pulse of what I call the “career space.” Lately, on LinkedIn, the “Answers” in the “resume” section is populated with questions pertaining to ageism in the job hunt.

If Father Time is catching up with you, read on for some tips to consider for your job hunt…

This week, a question on LinkedIn reads:

A friend just confessed she is facing age discrimination when looking for a new job. She is very experienced, very professional, keeps in great shape and looks around 40 years old. But she’s in her early 50′s and since the CV precedes the interview, that is what a recruiter or HR person sees even before meeting her: HER AGE.

And that is enough to get her CV rejected.

My answer:

Yes, there is ageism. No question about it….More experience typically equals more pay, and if a company can get by with a less mature, less seasoned professional, why not?

However, the fact is, your friend cannot know for sure that age is what is preventing her from landing an interview…In my experience, the resume itself is often half of the problem, not the years of experience.

If I were to advise your friend, I would also suggest that she first ask a professional to evaluate her resume. If she is sending out the same thing and not getting results, it seems like a good time to take stock.

Once the resume is top notch, I would advise that she focus on growing her network.
Everyone should know that 80% of jobs are found via networking, and not all of those networking connections are “close” connections. Web 2.0 offers so many opportunities to grow a network and to demonstrate expertise…Job seekers should take advantage of them to stand out in a crowd!

While resumes need only demonstrate the last 10 or so years of work, taking years off of degrees is a bad idea. Face it – if there isn’t a year, won’t everyone reading it just assume your friend is older than her years?

Let’s assume that ageism, not a poor resume combined with ineffective job search strategies, is the problem. I’ve written about how to use your digital footprint to make yourself look younger. There is a link in the blog to a NYT article which has a great clip from the Today Show. You may be surprised at the control that you really have when you drive your own career bus!

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Need help with your hunt? We can help you get your job hunt in gear! Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

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How to Use Facebook for Your Job Search

Last week, I reported on an experiment that Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job conducted with new college grads who posted ads on Facebook advertising their interest in working in specific industries.

The technique is bold, a bit different and did result in some networking opportunities for the 20-somethings who participated. However, the fact is, advertising a job search on Facebook isn’t a strategy for every job seeker, as you run the risk of looking a bit desperate, which isn’t exactly the persona most hiring managers seek.

So, is Facebook useless for your job hunt? Absolutely not! Networking is the #1 way people find jobs, and, contrary to popular belief, not all of those networking connections are the result of “close connections” – such as your brother-in-law hiring your next-door neighbor. In reality, making connections in a variety of settings will help propel your search.

In fact, the New York Times recently published an article, The Brave New World of Digital Intimacy, which emphasizes the importance of expanding your network beyond your immediate circle:

This rapid growth of weak ties can be a very good thing. Sociologists have long found that “weak ties” greatly expand your ability to solve problems. For example, if you’re looking for a job and ask your friends, they won’t be much help; they’re too similar to you, and thus probably won’t have any leads that you don’t already have yourself. Remote acquaintances will be much more useful, because they’re farther afield, yet still socially intimate enough to want to help you out.

This idea is also proven in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point, an excellent read for those interested in being connected!

Facebook offers many opportunities for connecting and expanding your network. Phil Rosenberg recently suggested the following ideas to use Facebook groups to expand your network:

Post the right message:
Commenting and posting links to industry articles in the spirit of sharing shows you as a giver and an expert at the same time. Make sure that the article or message is relevant to the group.

Start the conversation:
Brag. If you’re creative, write about successful projects you’ve been involved in (you may not be able to include the company name if you can’t disclose). Again, this is sharing with the audience, and is both appreciated, and demonstrates your expertise.

Continue the conversation:
Comment on posts that others have started. Include more ideas than just “I agree”.

Include links:
Sign your post or comment with your signature block with live links to your Facebook, LinkedIN, personal Blog, personal webpage, etc. Why? Links get you Google and Yahoo rankings.

So, while you may not be a 20-something willing to advertise your job hunt, don’t discount Facebook as a place to propel your job search!

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Need help with your hunt? We can help you get your job hunt in gear! Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Facebook May Propel Your Job Search Networking

Willy Franzen, from One Day, One Job, “an insider’s guide to unique and exciting entry-level job and career opportunities for recent college graduates,” recently ran an experiment with new college grads to see if posting ads about their desire to work in certain companies (Disney, Sprint) or certain fields (publishing, entry-level) could propel their job searches to the next level.

Although none of the 5 new grads who participated in the experiment landed a job as a result of their ads, they did have some interesting results. Willy notes some key takeaways:

1. The most successful students were those who targeted a single company with a very specific ad that mentioned the company’s name in the text.

2. Targeting by location draws too many extraneous clicks and seems to have a low return on investment.

3. Spending more on ads leads to more responses.

4. This method is best suited for targeting larger employers with significant populations of Facebook users.

So, should everyone advertise their job search on Facebook? I don’t think so, but I think there is a lot of potential for expanding your network as a new or recent college grad. For a more senior person seeking an opportunity, I think it may border on seeming desperate!

Some other important points…
Consider this type of marketing as part of your networking plan. I believe the best way to approach this is to hope to make connections who may be willing to help you with your job hunt.

Spend some time sprucing up the site where potential connections will wind up when they click through your ad. If that site is your linkedin profile, optimize it before you set up a campaign. If that site is your blog, make sure the blog is up-to-date and current and would appeal to your target audience.

Willy also notes (and I agree) that sealing the deal is key in this strategy. Just because you have an ad and people click through to learn more about you doesn’t mean that you will get a job. Your follow-up and ability to demonstrate why you are a great networking link (and a great hire) depends on how you manage the follow-through.

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Need help with your hunt? Did you know we offer a resume consulting service? We advise, you write! Or, hire us to write your resume for you. Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

Quantify Accomplishments on Your Resume to Stand Out in a Crowd

So, you are convinced that accomplishments are important for your resume? Good! The next key step is to quantify your accomplishments. The point of your resume is to entice the reader to want to know more about you. Demonstrating how you stand out in a crowd by quantifying your accomplishments is a great way to generate interest.

When you start to quantify, think about the following categories:

• Money (especially as you saved or earned it)
• Time (more efficient, less wasted)
• Amounts (sales, customers, etc.)
• Situations (fast-paced, difficult economic environment, etc.)

What do you think is more interesting or persuasive?

Before: Conducted patient interviews and managed data collection for survey.

After: Demonstrated analytical skills and cultural sensitivity as leader of team conducting, coding and verifying 1000 patient interviews using SAS in deadline-driven environment.

Before: Met all sales quotas.

After: Only salesperson to meet 100% of quotas in down-trending economic environment. Won top award for sales closed (2008).

By contextualizing what you have to offer, you help the reader gain a clear picture of your value.

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Not sure how to implement good resume advice? Need some help to give your job hunt a boost? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services, including resume writing, interview preparation and job hunt coaching: www.keppiecareers.com

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Accomplishments for Your Resume

Almost every resume I see reads like a laundry list of “stuff” the person has done at work. The problem is that everyone applying for the job you seek probably has a similar list of “stuff.” What makes you stand out? Why are you special – why do YOU deserve to win an interview and the job?

It certainly isn’t because you were “Responsible for” something or that you were “Recruited to” do something. A prospective employer wants to know what you’ve accomplished. What impact have you had on past employers? What obstacles did you overcome to achieve a positive result in the past?

Quintessential Careers compiled a comprehensive list of accomplishments employers seek. (Hat tip: My Career).

Describe how you:

• Make money
• Save money
• Save time
• Make work easier
• Solve a specific problem
• Help the company become more competitive
• Build relationships
• Expand the business
• Attract new customers
• Retain existing customers

I suggest you answer the following questions:

• What problems did you solve?
• How did you improve your organization?
• What innovative ideas did you introduce (and what were the positive results)?
• How did you make a difference?

When you re-focus your resume spotlight to shine on what you have to offer instead of just listing what you’ve done, you will be much more marketable.

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Not sure how to implement good resume advice? Need some help to give your job hunt a boost? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services, including resume writing, interview preparation and job hunt coaching: www.keppiecareers.com

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Avoiding Age Discrimination in the Job Hunt

So, you’re not a 20-something, right out of college? Not a spring chicken when it comes to the working world? Are you worried about age discrimination in your job hunt?

Recently, I contributed my 2 cents to a discussion on linkedin about the pros and cons of listing a date specifying when you received your degree on your resume. (Thus, presumably revealing your age.) The questioner had been told that he should remove degree dates for any degrees ten years or older.

Coincidentally, last week, I worked with two clients in their 30′s, both of whom asked about removing graduation dates. Maybe they are all getting advice from the same source!

I disagree with this advice.

My research on the subject indicates that if you leave off your graduation dates, it will only raise a red flag to a recruiter or hiring manager. The fact is, when you don’t list a date, the reader will automatically assumes you are probably quite senior. If you were trying to look younger by omitting a date, the result has the opposite impact.

Yes, there is age discrimination in the job hunt, no question. The fact is, you can’t hide your age forever! Being honest from the beginning could be the best approach, no matter how long ago you earned your degree!

There are a lot of ways to help you look younger in a job hunt. I’ve written about how managing your digital footprint can make you appear more youthful. I believe that what you DO, how you ACT and what you KNOW is more important than what dates appear on your resume. I’m not alone!

Facing discrimination in your job hunt? We can write your resume to make you look younger. Need help navigating social media and online networking? Keppie Careers is here for you!

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Don’t Make the Same Mistake Twice – In Your Job Search or Otherwise!

What an incredible coincidence (or maybe it isn’t?) that, just as the U.S. Gulf Coast areas hit by Katrina three years ago should be pausing to remember the victims of that horrible disaster, Hurricaine Gustav threatens the region still struggling to recover three years later.

This time, it seems as if people aren’t taking any chances. The AP reports that 1 million residents fled the Gulf Coast, well ahead of any official orders to evacuate the area. The mayor of New Orleans has told tourists to leave, hospitals are preparing and shelters are being set up. (The Superdome NOT being one of them.)

Hopefully, lessons learned from the Katrina disaster will inform and improve the response to this oncoming storm. People have not forgotten Katrina and will do what they can to avoid getting involved in a similar situation.

Does it always take an epic catastrophe to learn from our mistakes? Ideally, we will all be able to recognize that there’s something to be learned from every mis-step, especially as mistakes pertain to job hunting.

In my networking, I’ve recently spoken with two job hunters who face similar situations. Both out of work, they desperately needed jobs to earn income. As a result, both allowed themselves to be sucked into interviews and positions that were not well suited to their skills and experience.

“Amy” said to me, “I knew that I didn’t really have the experience to do the job. There were red flags, but they were willing to hire me, so I signed on.” Unfortunately, the result was that the contract to permanent position did not become permanent when the organization realized that their hire couldn’t manage the project they had in mind. While she had a paid job for several months, she stopped job hunting while employed, and when her concerns became reality, she realized that she had wasted several months when she could have been seeking the permanent job she needs.

“Kris” describes a similar situation. She took a job that she knew she couldn’t really do. She’s not sure how she landed the position, but after only four weeks, faces being asked to leave.

“Amy” is back on the job hunt, and finding that things haven’t changed…She’s still being recruited for jobs above her qualifications. “Kris,” facing her worst fears, now wonders how to approach her job hunt.

Maybe these stories are not familiar, but you have a different recurring job hunting problem? I met “Bill,” who says he “keeps coming in second” in his search. Others keep sending out the same resume to literally 100s of jobs, but don’t get a single interview.

Job seekers need to take stock and learn from their mistakes. Maybe trusting their own instincts will help. Maybe asking for help with a resume or interview coaching will make the difference. Recognize that doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result, isn’t smart. (Not a political statement, but I can’t help but think that this sentiment is relevant here!)

Just as you (hopefully) wouldn’t hole up in your New Orleans home as a huge storm approaches, don’t make the same mistakes over and over in your quest for a new job. Take some time to evaluate your plans and consider seeking some help. Otherwise, you may find yourself facing a job hunting disaster, partly of your own making.

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Tired of making the same mistake twice? Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services, including resume writing, interview preparation and job hunt coaching: www.keppiecareers.com

Salary Transparency in the Job Hunt and On the Job

Have you heard the new tread in career-ology? Lisa Belkin of the New York Times recently wrote about it. It’s called “salary transparency,” and the point is that everyone in an organization will know what everyone else in the organization earns. The thought is, if everyone is paid what he or she is worth, there is no need for workers to be secretive about salaries. A key point for job seekers, true transparency will offer more than one leg up when it comes to negotiating compensation.

Some workers have always had salary transparency. Government workers’ salaries are public, as are many non-profit employee salaries.

The JobBoard reminds us that there are a variety of tools to help workers learn what their jobs are “worth,” such as Salary.com and “next-generation competitors like PayScale, GlassDoor and SalaryScout, [who] are taking things even further.”

Portfolio.com notes that actual salary transparency raises “prickly privacy issues and lets rivals poach more easily (they know what to offer to snag desirable employees).”

However, the site also notes benefits of salary transparency:

• A fair compensation system based on actual performance.
• Employee understanding of the business (e.g., why payroll is usually the largest cost; why certain employees earn more).
• A culture of trust, as employees and senior managers share more information.
• Pay would not be a primary weapon in the fight for talent.
• Organizations could create a more collegial, open system with some salary transparency.
• Companies would be able to create a rigorous performance-based pay system.

So, what do you think? Is it a good idea for everyone to know what everyone else earns? Would it encourage fairness in compensation? Or is it a train wreck?

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You have no idea what you’re worth? Can’t even get your resume underway? Keppie Careers is here for you! Did you know we offer a resume consulting service? We advise, you write! Or, hire us to write your resume for you. Visit Keppie Careers online for information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

photo by Tony Ciranjiiva

How Can You, Uh, Communicate Better?

In job hunting and in everyday life, there aren’t many things more important than the way you communicate. When I coach clients, I encourage them to plan and rehearse certain information that is common to the job hunt. For example, everyone should have an elevator pitch. Job seekers should be able to answer the “what is your weakness” question without missing a beat.

However, my cyber friend Walter Akana reminds us in his blog post, Conversations Without A Net, “we live in an unscripted world.” While there are a lot of things we can rehearse and plan, other times, we just need to be able to communicate effectively on our feet.

Sometimes, it’s easier said than done! That’s why I wanted to share information from Joey Asher’s blog, Speechworks. His recent post, How to, Like, Eliminate Filler Words, offered some terrific tips for anyone trying to improve their communication skills.

The following is a condensed version of the tips in Joey’s post:

“Ums” make us sound uncertain and ignorant

We’re afraid that if we get quiet, someone will interrupt us and we’ll lose our “conversational turn.” However, “filler words” are universally seen as signs of uncertainty and even ignorance.

One social scientist has shown than the words make us sound less intelligent. Robert Gifford, Ph.D., of the University of Victoria in British Columbia., taped high school kids answering tough questions and then played the tapes for other students. The students that avoided the “uhs” were perceived to be smarter.

To eliminate filler-words, first you have to notice them.

Most people don’t even hear their filler words. Why don’t we hear the words? It has to do with our “reticular activation system.” This is the part of our brain that filters out unnecessary sensory data. If we’re driving down the road, we can’t pay attention to every sensory input that passes through our line of sight. Otherwise, we’d get distracted and crash. Our reticular activation system helps us stay focused on what’s important. Similarly, we don’t hear every “um” or “er”.

How can we notice the fillers? We can program our reticular activation system to “let in” certain things. When I bought a silver Honda Accord several years ago, I immediately began seeing silver Accords everywhere. I had programmed my brain to “let in” Honda Accords. Similarly, you can program your brain to notice the “ums” and “ers”. Put a rubber band around your wrist as a reminder.

Once you notice the words, pause and force yourself to speak faster

Once you start noticing the words, the rest is easy. When you feel a filler word coming, just pause. Close your lips as you figure what to say next.

And try speaking faster. Speaking faster eliminates filler words by giving you less time to substitute the “uhs” and “ers.”

Don’t let filler words “clutter” up your speech and make you sound uncertain and ignorant. With just a little focus, you can be sounding smooth and confident.

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Should You Hire Someone to Write Your Resume?

Have you looked at your resume lately? Really looked at it with a critical eye? Does it highlight your skills and accomplishments? Or, is it a laundry list of “stuff” you’ve done? Are you sure that it demonstrates all that you have to offer a potential employer?

Sure, you’ve shown it to your friends, maybe even a colleague or two. They think it looks fine, even great! When is the last time they studied the art of resume writing? Do they realize that, in some cases, human eyes will not even see your resume until after it is screened by a computer? Did they explain that you’ll be lucky to get a 10-second glance for your resume on a first go-around?

The fact is, most people are not resume writing experts. While everyone has an opinion, we all know how useful an uninformed opinion can be.

Have you been sending your resume out but not getting any response? Blaming it on the economy or your experience level? Those factors certainly have a role, but it is more than likely that a professionally written resume would yield better results. Do you really want to face the job market with documents that are not optimized?

Many job seekers don’t stop to consider how much money a less-than-optimal resume costs them. Consider, if you are unemployed, how much money do you lose for every day that you are out of work? If your resume isn’t top-notch, you may not appear qualified for the salary that you seek or deserve. A professionally written resume will help shorten your job search and may qualify you for a higher salary. Your return on investment in yourself may pay off substantially!

Does everyone need to hire someone to write their resume? No, I don’t think so. If you are a great writer and have kept up with resume trends, understand how to focus the reader on the key points and can objectively assess your document to ensure that you aren’t letting misplaced modesty prevent you from incorporating your very best accomplishments, you might be a great candidate for writing your own resume.

On the other hand, who has the energy or the inclination to keep up with “resume-ology?” I do! Helping people successfully navigate their job hunt is my passion. I keep up with the market, learn about new technology and approaches and stay plugged in because you don’t have the time, expertise or desire to do it.

Do you want to achieve your career goals and save money? Your career is one of your most crucial financial investments. Whether you are actively engaged in a search, underemployed or unhappily employed, it makes sense to hire an ally for your job hunt. An ally tells it like it is and helps you get where you need to be. Are you committed to discovering what you have to offer an employer? If you are motivated to make a change, Keppie Careers is here for you!

For more resume advice from my blog, click here.

If you’d like a free assessment of your resume, feel free to email it to results@keppiecareers.com.

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

Visit Keppie Careers online for free advice and information about our services: www.keppiecareers.com.

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