What You'll Find: Older Workers/Age Discrimination
Notes from the Editor
Main Feature: Seniors Survive in the Workplace by Knowing What Works for Them
Special Feature: Mature Job-Seekers: Are You Practicing Reverse Age Discrimination in Your Job Hunt?
Bonus Feature: 15 Quick Tips for Fighting Age Discrimination
Quintessential Reading: QuintZine's Review of Career Books
Quintessential Site: Featured Career Web Site of this Issue
Latest Additions: What's New on Quintessential Careers
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search and Work Life
Editor's Note: About this Issue...
This issue addresses a group especially hard hit in the current economic climate -– the mature job-seeker.
Rita Ashley, who has done some eye-opening research on age discrimination, leads off with a
terrific article about what makes mature workers successful in the job search and workplace.
Susan Jepson provides an interesting perspective as she examines whether some mature workers
practice reverse discrimination.
We continue our 15 Quick Tips series marking the 15th anniversary of Quint Career with my collection of tips
to fight age discrimination.
Tim Tyrell-Smith's new book, HeadStrong, is for job-seekers of any age, but since it's about maintaining
a confident and positive attitude in the search, we feel it's especially well-suited to mature job-seekers and have
reviewed it in this issue.
--Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., Master Resume Writer, Credentialed Career Master,
Certified Electronic Career Coach, and editor at
kathy(at)quintcareers.com
Feature Article: Seniors Survive
Seniors Survive in the Workplace by Knowing What Works for Them
by Rita Ashley
My friend, Joe (not his real name) is 69 years old. He is advising six startup companies, sits on the board of three.
Four companies want him as CEO. He is routinely sought out for advice, teaching, and speaking on entrepreneurship.
Why is Joe, so squarely identified as a boomer or senior citizen, so much in vocational demand; why is he so popular?
I have learned that my popularity comes from being me. The fact that I know stuff helps, but my interest in other's success
plays a bigger role. -- Joe C.
How is it that some "grey hairs" are fully employed and others are long-unemployed, complaining and angry? What makes
the difference?
Surely, geography and area of expertise enter into the equation, but even there, many people over 50 are employed. What can
we learn from those who are in demand and gainfully employed?
Have Your Resume Ready in Case of Job Loss in the Current Economic Climate.
QUINTESSENTIAL RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS, powered by About Jobs Resume Writing Service, provides solutions
with unmatched quality in the areas of professional resume writing. In fact, in 2009, during one of
the worst recessions in history, they still achieved a 98.7% effectiveness rate!
Mature Job-Seekers: Are You Practicing Reverse Age Discrimination in Your Job Hunt?
by Susan Jepson
If you are an older worker who has been unemployed for more than six months, you are likely feeling the pain
in your confidence, your psyche, your wallet, your relationships, and your sense of yourself as a productive, contributing
member of a profession and/or society.
It may be tempting to pin your unemployment status on age discrimination. Job-hunters tell me all of the time,
"They don't want to hire older people" or "There is too much age discrimination," or some variation of why they
have not yet been successful in their job hunt. In 12 years of management in programs for older workers, I don't doubt
the existence of discrimination because of age. Or because of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, or
physical appearance. People discriminate, and while laws and legal rights exist, it is almost impossible to eradicate
discriminatory behavior.
I have also learned, however, that what I call reverse age discrimination, or reverse age bias, may derail the
mature worker in the job hunt. In addition to age bias, older job-hunters can sometimes think themselves exempt
from certain requirements because of their age. They can be guilty of failure to make the effort to "skill up" and behave
appropriately in the job hunt. Too often I think we assume that we are doing everything "right," so the only reason for
lack of success has got to be age discrimination, right?
Find Your Career Future. Learn More About Yourself
Career Maze is designed to help every job seeker, at every level, make smarter
career choices. Individualized to reflect your unique personality and written in
"plain English," it is thorough and easy to complete.
Once completing the assessmemt, your 2-part report includes:
A specific, career-relevant discussion of your workplace personality
A list of job types compatible with your personality
Career Maze encourages you to think about tapping your full potential to find your future.
Age discrimination in employment has long been a challenge for mature workers, but a number of factors have converged
to exacerbate the challenge. When the economy melted down in 2008, mature workers were often the first to be laid off;
age-discrimination complaints to the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission spiked. Folks are also living longer, postponing
retirement, and re-entering the workforce after retirement.
I haven't before seen a career/job-search book quite like HeadStrong. It's a basic, step-by-step guide to the job search --
and I've seen dozens if not hundreds of those -- but those basics are the filling in a sandwich in which the chewy, nutritious,
artisanal bread is all about keeping your spirits up and maintaining a positive attitude while looking for a job. Not only is the
emphasis on positive attitude unusual and refreshing, but Tyrell-Smith's ideas on how to do so are unique.
Enhanced by an attractive, readable layout, the book offers discussion questions at the end of every chapter. Chapters are
short, and anywhere from four to eight of them make up each major section.
Among many features job-seekers will find invaluable in the book are:
the author's formula for a "Killer Elevator Pitch,"
the concept of the Target Network Profile that identifies exactly what you're looking for so you know whom to
target in networking situations and how to explain precisely the type of opportunity you seek,
a concise list of specific goals to have in mind in networking situations,
a list of ideas for how to talk to strangers while networking -- and how to keep the conversation going,
a wonderful list -- also for networking venues -- of questions to ask yourself to get at "what's memorable and
interesting about you,"
the first and only content I've ever seen about succeeding in a Webcam job interview, and
an inspiring chapter called "One Day in Job Search" that provides the job-seekers with positive affirmations
about successes achievable if they keep working at it.
Ad: Increase Your Marketability with More Education
Increase Your Marketability by Obtaining Additional
Education, Training, Certifications
The number people enrolling in online education programs to advance their knowledge and their career
is increasing enormously.
Should you be one of them?
Programs range from business to management to computer
information systems and students can choose from accelerated
courses and full or part-time programs.
Find programs from all the best schools in the country
-- to best fit your personal, educational, and career needs.
Workforce50 features expert writers and articles on topics such as the art of job transition, exploring franchising,
federal job search, finding meaning and purpose, home-based businesses, leveraging your military background
to build your civilian career, resume writing and career marketing, strategies to build confidence,
surefire strategies for midlife jobseekers, veteran's employment and transition, and lots more.
A bigger draw perhaps are job postings from employers who want to attract those from the over-50 talent pool.
States the site: "Employers of all sizes from all industries submit their jobs to get in front of our audience of
over-50 job seekers. "
Find a Job, Post Your Resume -- on our Job Portal!
Even in a bad economy, there are still job postings and career opportunities!!
Go now to search for jobs, post your resume, build an online portfolio, receive career consultation,
and learn about continuing education opportunities.
ExpatHiring.com --
a job site for helping expats find your next international job -- whether it be English-speaking jobs in Europe or
a bartending job in the Bahamas. Job-seekers can browse (by country, city, industry sector, language) or search (keywords)
job listings. Also includes international career advice and job searching tools. No cost to job-seekers for basic services.
Flagstaff Jobs --
a job board with a mission to be the top local job source in Northern Arizona, with a primary focus on Flagstaff,
Arizona. Job-seekers can search job listings (by keyword, job category, zip code), as well as register for job listings
email alert. Also includes some good career and local resources. No cost to job-seekers.
lawjobs.com -- where legal and
law professionals can find attorney and paralegal jobs. Browse (by
category, location or employer) or search (by job type, location, keyword) job listings,
post your resume, and create a job-search agent. No cost to job-seekers.
SecondAct --
a site tailored to the needs and interests of readers above age 40, with a mission to provide the inspiration,
information, and hands-on know-how you'll need to get the most out of life in the years leading up to and
following retirement. Special section for finding your second-act career and/or opportunities for making a
difference in the world. No cost to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest Additions section.
We'd Love You to Link to Quintessential Careers!
If your school, organization, business or other
entity has a Website, we welcome you to link to Quintessential Careers.
If you already have a link from your site, we want you to know we
appreciate it. If you don't have a link to us, please
send a request to your site's Webmaster to establish a
link to Quintessential Careers. Thanks so much!
For more details (including sample HTML copy), see our
Link to Us page.
Q TIPS:
Quick and Quintessential Tips to Guide Your Job Search and Work Life
In "Botox for your Resume and other Job Search Tips to Combat Ageism," Matthew Levy offers a number of ideas
to assist mature job-seekers. Here's what Levy suggests for resumes:
Remove graduation dates from your education.
The year you graduated is no longer relevant and allows the resume reviewer to calculate your age by
adding 18-22 years to the date.
The same concept applies to the first position(s)
you held in your career. Why list that early job on your resume? After 20+ years of experience I doubt that job
is relevant any longer. Also, junior jobs, early in your career devalue the brand that you have likely created over the years.
[Editor's note: Be careful here. Many employers and recruiters want to see your entire history, which will be revealed anyway if
a background check is conducted. A safer strategy is not to leave off old jobs but to list them in bare-bones fashion without dates.]
Consider using fonts such as Georgia and Verdana
and steering away from overused fonts like Arial and Times New Roman.
An “objective” heading is out; a “summary” heading is in.
“References available upon request” is no longer used on resumes.
It’s not necessary for experienced job-seekers to cram down
to a one-page resume. Multiple pages are fine. After all, most resumes are read on a computer with a flick of the mouse.
[Editor's note: Two pages are fine, but the trend is toward shorter resumes, so try to avoid "multiple" pages.]
In a similar vein, from a recruiter perspective, is Should My Resume Disguise My Age?, in which Harry Urshel
says it's "a bad idea not to acknowledge your entire career on resumes you present to prospective employers."
Reasons? The employer will discover your age (at least approximately) at the interview and may feel deceived
if you've hidden part of your job history. If an employer is inclined to discriminate, leaving content off your resume will only
delay the inevitable (and would you want to work for an organization with such a bias?).
MoneyRates.com identifies the best and worst states for making a living after analyzing four factors in each
state that affect an individual's ability to make a living: average wage, unemployment rate, state tax rate and
ost of living. These four factors were combined to form an adjusted average income for each state, a representation
of how good or bad a living the average person in that state is making.
Job-seekers who consider relocating for work may want to investigate their options to ensure they're not simply trading
one bad set of employment conditions for another, advises Richard Barrington, spokesperson and personal-finance
expert for MoneyRates.com. "You might want to avoid some states if you're thinking of moving to improve your career."
The 10 best states for earning a living, as well as each state's corresponding annual adjusted average income, according to MoneyRates.com:
We are honoring our 15 favorite career gurus with the title of Quintessential Careers Career Mastermind.
In turn, they are honoring our readers in a number of ways throughout the rest of the year ... with articles,
tips, and a special feature in our 15th anniversary issue of QuintZine in November.
Quintessential Careers Press Announces Our Latest Book: The Quintessential Guide to
Job Search 2.0: Advancing Your Career Through Online Social Media.
The
Quintessential Guide to Job Search 2.0: Advancing Your Career Through Online Social Media,
by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., and Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., provides six chapters to guide you
through the next revolution in online job search. Since job boards, vestiges of the first
revolution in online job search, should still be part of the job-seeker's toolkit, this
book helps you navigate those while also considering the future of job boards. The book
looks at building your personal brand, teaches you to make the most of social-media venues
in the job search, guides you in creating a digital presence, suggests you consider blogging,
and discusses ways to integrate multimedia elements into your job search.
Ad: Does Your Organization Have Positions to Fill?
Find Qualified Candidates Today!
The Quintessential Careers Job-Hunting Portal is a great place for organizations that have job
openings to post those openings and review job-seeker resumes.
Our national resume database contains more than 500,000 active resumes of candidates seeking employment.
Numerous job-posting packages are available.
If your organization is looking to hire, use the power behind our
portal! Learn more today!
Follow QuintCareers; Read the Latest Advice
Follow QuintCareers Latest Job Tips and Career News on Twitter
Also follow @KatCareerGal for regular career-related tweets.
QuintCareers Network of Empowering Blogs
What are QuintCareers empowering blogs?
The Career Doctor Blog:
Especially for those who miss our former regular feature, Ask the Career Doctor, this blog each day features a question and answer from The
Career Doctor, Randall S. Hansen, PhD.
Need a career expert for a story or article you're working on? Searching for college,
career, and job news? Interested in learning more about Quintessential Careers?
Our Press Room
is your one-stop location for getting the information and resources you need.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming issues of QuintZine:
* Warning Signs You Won't Like Your Next Employer
* New Grads: Roadmap to Work and Play
* Working Night Shifts/Odd Shifts
* De-Stressing Before an Interview
* More Cover-Letter Components
* Crafting Transferable Skills Stories
* Empty Nest Job-seekers
* How to Stay Motivated at Work
* 15 Quick Tips for Gaining Valuable Experience in College
* Major Stress: Quiz for Choosing a Major/Career
* 15 Quick Tips for Excelling at Work
* 15 Quick Tips for Obtaining Your Next Promotion
* 15 Quick Tips for Getting Accepted into College
* Another Option After High School: Vocational/Trade Schools
* Fourth Annual Job Action Day
* 15 Quick Tips for Career Branding Success
* Career Branding Checklist
* Special Quint Careers 15th Anniversary Issue
* 15 Career Gurus
* 15 Indispensable Career Books
* 15 tips, samples, tools, and more.
* 15 Quick Tips Strengthening Your Career Network
* 15 Quick Tips for Working with Headhunters
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more...
