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By Jenny Cohen | Edited By Ellen Cannon 

Find ways to turn your age into an asset as you search for that dream job after 50.

Just because you’ve been working for decades doesn’t mean you have to give up the idea of landing that job you always dreamed of. There is still plenty of time to switch jobs, grow your wealth, or go into another field. The best jobs aren’t limited to the young, and there are plenty of openings available to workers over 50 years old. However, you may have to take a different approach to land that dream job than you did when you were 20 or 30. Here are some things to consider if you want to make a change after 50.

1. Shorten your resume

You may want to list all of your accomplishments over decades of a successful career, but try to curate your resume to focus on your most recent achievements. Potential employers might not want to wade through pages and pages of your resume searching for relevant experience. A longer resume could also bore hiring managers before they get to the important pieces for a particular job.

2. Emphasize your expertise

When you edit your resume, make sure you still have relevant work experience on there that could be vital for a new position. Perhaps you increased revenue for your current company or added more customers to a previous employer’s roster. You may also want to have multiple resumes that emphasize different expertise depending on the position you’re applying for.

3. Drop the dates

As part of your resume refresh, think about dropping the dates on things such as when you graduated from college or when you worked at a particular job. There isn’t always a need to mention when you worked for a particular company or even list your length of time there. As part of your work to shorten your resume, you may also want to simply cut out positions you had more than 10 years ago to make your resume look less dated.

4. Optimize for search engines

Search engines have become more important to hiring managers as they try to handle hundreds or even thousands of resumes sometimes. So managers may weed out resumes based on keywords they’re looking for — or hiring software might do it automatically. A good way to make it through the search process is to check the job listing and see which words or experience they’re specifically searching for, then add those words or phrases to your cover letter and resume.

5. Mention technology

It’s a sad fact that many employers think older workers don’t know technology. Show a potential employer that you are plugged into new and innovative technologies. Make sure to include a section on your resume for programs or programming languages that you work with already. Add any certificates that you may have earned for technology specific to a possible position. You also may want to check out free online education programs that can get you up to speed on the latest things you may need to know.

6. Network

This may have been something you did when you first started your professional career, but it could still be important when you’re a few decades into your career. Work your current network and find out if colleagues, friends, or other acquaintances in your profession may have leads on open positions. And consider joining and being active in professional organizations or local groups. This may help you get your name and face in front of potential hiring managers.

7. Update your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn is a great professional resource for workers regardless of age. You can create a new profile or refresh your existing profile to make it more appealing to hiring managers and recruiters. Remember to add search-engine keywords that will help them find you on the networking site. LinkedIn also has a jobs section listing open positions that may be a good fit for you.

8. Prepare for hard questions

Some recruiters may bring up your age during the interview process; that is illegal. Workers over age 40 are protected by the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. If a recruiter says you’re overqualified or may want a higher salary than a younger applicant, remember to emphasize your experience and willingness to share your experience with other employees.

Perhaps you might want to talk about your experience as a mentor to younger co-workers as a way to pass what you’ve learned on to others. You might also want to mention your ability to adapt and try new things on a team with other employees who may not be the same age as you.

9. Update your wardrobe

While you should be judged on your experience, it is possible that a hiring manager or recruiter may also look at what you wear or how you look as part of their decision making. Try to find business clothes that are modern instead of relying on a suit or skirt you may have bought 20 years ago. And if you’re doing video interviews, think about using a neutral background and perhaps investing in a light that may brighten up your face and work space.

10. Start your own business

If none of these options work, it doesn’t mean you have to give up the idea of landing your dream job. Instead, consider creating the job you want by starting your own business. Do research on how to start a business and take into consideration issues such as a business plan, ideas for funding, and how to market your new business. You’ll also want to look into the legal aspects of a new business such as getting a license, filing paperwork for an LLC, or figuring out accounting issues related to running your new endeavour.

11. Bottom line

There are plenty of great opportunities for workers over 50, and that dream job is within your grasp if you approach it in a way that emphasizes your experience and desire to work. So think about little changes that can make a big difference in helping you move forward to a new job and potentially earn more.

By Jenny Cohen | Edited By Ellen Cannon 

Sourced from Finance Buzz

By Sarah Dillon.

Job hunting is an arduous process that ranks pretty low on the list of things people love to do with their spare time. The one thing I can think of that I enjoy less is waiting in line at the DMV.

It’s important to know how to utilize the digital tools we have at our disposal. Luckily, for people looking for work nowadays, companies everywhere are “very online.” It is more likely than not the company you’d like to get a foot in the door at has a social media presence.

We’ve created a guide on how to strategically interact with the company of your dreams through social media channels, below.

Connect with industry leaders on LinkedIn

One important step to take when job hunting is to find the thought leaders in that industry on LinkedIn. The leaders of the companies you are interested in joining often post relevant articles related to changes happening in the company, what direction they are moving towards, and what kind of people they are looking for to help them complete their vision.

Employers and the employees working at the company will often post about what company culture is like. This is important information to gather to see whether or not you’d be an ideal fit at this company.

You also have the ability to comment on any articles they post related to the company to gain more visibility in the field. Another great feature on LinkedIn is the industry-specific groups to connect with other professionals passionate about the same things you are passionate about. This is a great way to make initial contact. After offering helpful feedback on the topics they post about will make you more memorable when you message them directly on LinkedIn. Instead of merely sending someone an invite on LinkedIn that sends a default, generic message go to their profile to send a direct message that has a more personalized message.

Once the industry leader connects with you by messaging you back on LinkedIn this is a great opportunity to exchange numbers and email correspondence. The most important thing about learning to use social media to your advantage is through nurturing genuine professional relationships for the future. Now that you have someone valuable on the inside they can pass along industry tips, job openings, and other valuable connections in the field.

Staying up to date on your LinkedIn is also important because of the following statistics.

“As many as 68% of recruiters said job seekers need a LinkedIn profile in 2021, and 65% of hiring managers said that they don’t mind being contacted by potential candidates on LinkedIn.”

Engage with people on Twitter

Twitter is a great social media tool that can connect you to just about anyone in any field. While actively job searching career experts recommend focusing less on your personal accomplishments and more time spent sharing articles of interest in your field, starting a commentary on newsworthy topics in your industry, and starting conversation threads with other thought leaders. This will help you build your brand on Twitter and people will start to connect with you once you prove you’re a valuable, worthwhile voice in your field.

Feel free to show off a little bit of personality on your Twitter feed. Most hiring managers will do a google search with your name before the interview and your social media accounts will come up. Show them what a fun, enjoyable presence you would be if you shared an office together by sharing pleasant anecdotes, wholesome pictures of family and friends, and hobbies you enjoy!

You can also use hashtags on Twitter to search for jobs. Many companies are casting a wider net on digital platforms by tweeting out job applications with related hashtags. For example, Teen Vogue might tweet out “looking for a new editor in chief #writing #job #hiring #digitalmedia.”

Basically, all you need to do is type hashtags like #hiring #jobopenings #remotework and other hashtags related to the field you want to work into Twitter’s search bar. This should generate a slew of openings in your desired field.

Like and follow companies on Facebook

When you “like” a company or business on Facebook they send you notifications when any updates happen. This can be useful to you because they usually post job openings this way. Receiving daily updates about what is going on at the company you love could also give you some great talking points if you land an interview with them. This proves that you’re vested in how the company is doing and how you can add to their continued success.

Best of luck in your job search!

Feature Image Credit: BigTunaOnline / Shutterstock

By Sarah Dillon

Sourced from LADDERS

Before posting pictures of your late-night revelry or complaints about your job on social media, think again.

By MediaStreet Staff Writers

70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring, up significantly from 60 percent last year and 11 percent in 2006.

Here’s some other creepy stats.

– 57 percent are less likely to interview a candidate they can’t find online

– 54 percent have decided not to hire a candidate based on their social media profiles

– Half of employers check current employees’ social media profiles

– 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates, up from 11 percent in 2006

The national survey was conducted online on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll between February 16 and March 9, 2017. It included a representative sample of more than 2,300 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes in the private sector.

“Most workers have some sort of online presence today– and more than half of employers won’t hire those without one,” said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. “This shows the importance of cultivating a positive online persona. Job seekers should make their professional profiles visible online and ensure any information that could negatively impact their job search is made private or removed.”

What Are Employers Looking for?
Social recruiting is becoming a key part of HR departments – 3 in 10 employers (30 percent) have someone dedicated to the task. When researching candidates for a job, employers who use social networking sites are looking for information that supports their qualifications for the job (61 percent), if the candidate has a professional online persona (50 percent), what other people are posting about the candidates (37 percent) and for a reason not to hire a candidate (24 percent).

Employers aren’t just looking at social media – 69 percent are using online search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing to research candidates as well, compared to 59 percent last year.

Get that photo of you “resting” on a bar set to private right now!

Ponder Before You Post
Learn from those before you – more than half of employers (54 percent) have found content on social media that caused them not to hire a candidate for an open role. Of those who decided not to hire a candidate based on their social media profiles, the reasons included:

  • Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs, videos or information: 39 percent
  • Candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs: 38 percent
  • Candidate had discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion: 32 percent
  • Candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or fellow employee: 30 percent
  • Candidate lied about qualifications: 27 percent
  • Candidate had poor communication skills: 27 percent
  • Candidate was linked to criminal behaviour: 26 percent
  • Candidate shared confidential information from previous employers: 23 percent
  • Candidate’s screen name was unprofessional: 22 percent
  • Candidate lied about an absence: 17 percent
  • Candidate posted too frequently: 17 percent

Your online persona doesn’t just have the potential to get you in trouble. Cultivating your presence online can also lead to reward. More than 4 in 10 employers (44 percent) have found content on a social networking site that caused them to hire the candidate. Among the primary reasons employers hired a candidate based on their social media profiles were candidate’s background information supported their professional qualifications (38 percent), great communication skills (37 percent), a professional image (36 percent), and creativity (35 percent).

Don’t Delete, Instead Police
Debating removing your social media profiles while job searching? Think twice before you hit delete. Fifty-seven percent of employers are less likely to call someone in for an interview if they can’t find a job candidate online. Of that group, 36 percent like to gather more information before calling in a candidate for an interview, and 25 percent expect candidates to have an online presence.

Got the Job? Stay Vigilant
Just because you got the job doesn’t mean you can disregard what you post online. More than half of employers (51 percent) use social media sites to research current employees. Thirty-four percent of employers have found content online that caused them to reprimand or fire an employee.


This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,380 hiring and human resource managers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 16 and March 9, 2017.