Why Are Older Workers Struggling To Get A Job?

The following blogs about older workers were submitted to reporters for their use. One of the articles, with extensive quotes from me, was published in the LA Weekly earlier in the month. While I am working on a major new series, I thought that I would share these with you. Please keep in mind that even young adults can learn from these comments.

Older workers have a lot to offer but are not usually aware how much the world has changed.  The old paradigms of resumes and hard work have been replaced with having to develop oneself as the product, communicate their message and value, and be known as a trustworthy employee who is looking out for the interest of the company.

Most older workers are seen, correctly or not, as displaying little passion, believing that much is owed to them, and watching the clock.  Developing oneself as a product requires really knowing who you are, what your passion is, and what the picture looks like for what you want to do and can do in the industry, profession, and company that matches you. In other words, “Why should I hire you?”

Most older workers are seen as out of touch, waiting for retirement, and not strong team players.  Developing your message and value requires understanding what you can do for the company that is better and quantifiably more impactful than your competition.  Even if you are a superstar, if you cannot communicate your value in terms of helping companies increase revenue, profit, cash, or customer satisfaction, then who will ever know that you may be superstar for them?

Most older workers have value systems that do not mesh with today’s company cultures.  Often that includes the senior executives.  Whether the older workers are right or wrong does not matter to the senior managers whose careers depend upon subordinates following their lead.  The question is, “Can I trust you or do I have to watch my back?”

The world has changed.  Older workers can keep their value systems but have to learn to know what they bring to the table, be enthusiastic, communicate their value, and demonstrate that they understand the ground rules and are there to serve – or to find the company whose culture and values are a better match for their own.

If you do these things, imagine how much better your chances will be to land a job or to keep a job.

 

The Libyan Effect on Job Searches

When a major news story breaks out, most people have some interest but it normally does not directly impact their life or business. However, when a huge news story is developing several events occur:

• People begin to talk about it at work, lowering productivity
• People begin to wonder what it might mean to them, e.g. the price of gas
• Wall Street immediately reacts to major rumors and market trend implications, e.g. the price of oil
• Executives begin to wonder how it might impact their business, their customers, or their future expansion plans

One common occurrence is that these huge stories take the wind out of smaller stories and may stall major financial or business decisions. In other words, business and hiring can come to a stand still until the air clears.

Prior examples included the Bush/Gore and Bush/Kerry election results or the September 11^th terrorist attack. Each of these demonstrated a noticeable business impact. I know, I saw the impact on my friend’s business and my business.

Other huge stories have a smaller US business footprint, such as the Haiti, New Zealand, and Japan earthquakes.  These impacts are seen as “over there.”  Even the Hurricane Katrina was noticeable in the South but “over there” to most other states.

But the Libyan situation may be a sleeper to businesses. The reason is that it is a domino that could have a huge impact in the Middle East and the direction other dominos (rebelling populations in oil rich countries) eventually fall. At a minimum, the price of oil has gone up which will drive up the cost of commodities and may act as a brake to the US economy. Even though most of the Libyan oil goes to Europe, the Europeans are now competing in the world oil markets to make up for the loss. That could give businesses a second thought before hiring new staff.

However, the larger issue is how Libya is being handled. When bullies are threatened by superior force, they usually keep a low profile. Today, the way the UN, NATO, and allied countries are handling the Libyan “humanitarian action” (war) is likely to result in a protracted conflict which could fuel the fire further. How? If the bullies perceive the superior forces are half-hearted and backing away. Long live the bullies.

For this to happen in the oil rich Middle East is bad enough. But there is also a risk of power shifting to the Muslim Brotherhood. If that happens, oil prices (inflationary pressures with a declining US dollar) could seriously threaten or even reverse the current economic recovery that businesses are hoping for and impact hiring trends.

So, what does that mean for the job seeker? It means you should continue what you are doing. You can’t change the world, so focus on what you can change. Even in the worst of times people can get jobs – and so can you. Just be aware that the most competitive and the most connected are usually the ones who win.

So, despite Libya, Japan, inflation, currency devaluation, Middle East Turmoil, or even if the sky does fall, what are you doing today to become more competitive and more connected to the right people?

Share some tips with us on what you are doing.

Pursue Your Real Dreams

Do you know anyone who “has it all?” I personally believe that depends upon how you define “has it all.”

Everyone has challenges to face.

Do you have as much money as you want?

Do you have as much power as you want?

Do you have the perfect looks that never needs improvement or updating?

Do you have the biggest, most modern, best location, best designed, best built…house on earth?

Do you have children? Are they perfect angels all the time?

Is your marriage perfect with no need to grow or to continue learning?

Is your job your chief joy with the right amount of rewards, excitement, prestige, control, recognition, and freedom?

Is your spiritual life, mental life, hidden heart and emotional needs without flaw or need?

I could go on forever, but my guess is that no one on earth really “has it all.” They may say they have it all. They may think they have it all. But…really?

The pursuit of riches can be a curse. Having too much power can destroy you and those around you. The best looking person at twenty looks much different at eighty. Houses and possessions get old, destroyed, stolen, or can control you. Children and spouses will always have their bad days; just as you do. Jobs come and go. You will have good bosses and bad bosses. You will never have enough time to spend at work, with your family, and your hobbies. You will lose your job, be fired, be outsourced, be downsized, or be replaced by the new boss’ friend. Your spiritual life could easily become an outward appearance of wrong inward thoughts, feelings, and actions. Even if you think you “have it all today”, just wait a few days.

You can decide what is most important to you. However, your dream may be an illusion not backed up by facts, hard work, and life’s circumstances that are outside of your control.

So, what do you do?

I recommend you start by taking stock of what is really most important to you.

You can’t have it all. But you can strive for what is most important and try to balance the rest. For me, my priorities are God, family, helping others, and paying the bills. I am blessed with other rewards but if I die with my priorities in order, then I am truly blessed and thankful for what I have and what I have done.

How about you? What are your dreams and priorities? How is that impacting your job search or career?

Conquering False Optimism

We have all heard that we need to consider the glass half full, stay positive, think positively, surround ourselves with positive people, and look at the good in everything.

We should!

But that does not mean we should ignore reality and not take proactive measures to deal with reality.

For example, if you are on a railroad track and you see an oncoming train, hear it’s whistle blowing, and decide to either ignore it or to use the power of positive thinking to imagine it disappearing, then you are right. Someone is going to disappear.

A prudent person would decide to be thankful for the warning, get out of the way of the oncoming train, and then think positively about what they should do for the rest of the day.

In other words, having a positive attitude does not mean that there are not challenges, threats, or actions to be taken. It means a choice of taking positive actions with a positive attitude to deal with life’s circumstances, persevere, learn from the situation, and become stronger – and more competitive.

Getting run over, sticking our heads in the sand, or waiting for others to take care of us usually means we are not taking control of our future, not planning ahead, and assuming that the train will jump off the tracks and go around us.

We have to deal with reality to become a victor, not a victim.

So, how do we become victors?

Here are a few tips:

1. Do your SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat assessment). A strength in one job could be a weakness in another job. A threat is often an opportunity to overcome, become noticed, and succeed.
2. Learn as much as possible. Realize that most people have only “part of the story.” There are many sides to most issues. Many vested interests spin truth to gain advantage or accomplish their agenda. The more facts, truthful understanding, and insider wisdom, the greater your chances will be to win.
3. Pick your advisors and friends carefully. Try to join groups who really understand what is going on behind the scenes rather than merely repeat the propaganda frequently spread to the masses. I know I just offended some of you, but think about it. Most people’s agendas are to get what they want – that means from somebody else. Those are not who I want for advisors or friends.
4. Find older insiders who have seen cycles, learned lessons, and know other insiders. They may still miss interpret sea change events but are less likely to be fooled. In other words, they have been burnt at least once and really don’t want to get burnt again.
5. Assume that “Life Happens”. We cannot control the riots in the Middle East, the weather, or most of what can happen in the world. We can control our reactions, seek to understand how that may impact us, and take any steps that might be appropriate.
6. Realize that wise people are also taking steps, from their perspective, that might impact our steps. For example, a company may stop hiring until they feel they can forecast business and political winds. If the winds are gusty and uncertain, they may batten down the hatches to weather the storm. It doesn’t mean that they would not be willing to hire the right person. It does mean that the public might assumethat they are not hiring. There are ways of getting in the door even when the hatches are closed.
7. Assume that your plans will take longer to accomplish than you would like. Most get-rich-quick schemes fail for 99.9999999% of the population. That 0.0000001% who win usually lose their fortune within 10 years. Lifetime success is from learning, planning, doing, failing, learning more, planning more, doing more, and learning how to win. Anyone can win if they are willing to pay the price.

HAVE A POSITIVE MINDSET. HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. THEN TAKE POSITIVE STEPS TO TURN YOUR DREAMS INTO YOUR REALITY.

What A Resume Is – and How To Use One

We talked last time about resume myths. Now, let’s take a look at what a resume really is. Most people will probably argue with me, but I am going to speak from a CEO perspective.

A resume is a response to a request for proposal.

Let me explain. A company needs to buy something. If it costs a lot of money or has unique requirements, there are usually policies of how to go about the buying process. The buying manager or hiring manager is usually too busy to personally go find the product, service, or person to buy or hire, so they use representatives to help them. For products and services, these people are usually called purchasing, procurement, or supply management. For hiring employees, these people are usually referred to as recruiters (internal or external) or HR. Interestingly, for outsourcing of entire departments of employees or hiring consultants, procurement is usually the buying representative.

The point here is that both HR and Procurement are representatives of decision makers. They are the gatekeepers who screen and recommend the best value at the lowest cost that they can find. These roles are critical and should be honored.

However, most of us have never heard “the rest of the story.”

The decision maker (hiring manager or their boss) usually does a poor job of describing what they really want. They are usually so busy that they are vague and often resort to standard product / job description language. So, HR or the Buyer, get a generic description that they set out to fill. The higher the position level or the more complex the solution, the more complex the request is to fill.

It is not unusual for people to be brought in for interviews and the decision maker to then realize that they need to change the specifications (job description) of what they really need. HR or the buyer then changes the requirements and starts over again to find the “best fit” for what the decision maker told them that they are looking for to hire (buy).

In both processes, the requirements are communicated to the public in a job description or a request for you to propose why you are the “best fit.”

By definition, the resume is a response to a specific company’s needs as communicated to the public in the job listing or job description.

If your resume (response to the proposal / job description) does not address the key words and key points of the job description, then it is tossed. The much smaller stack of resumes that are pertinent to the stated business requirements are then reviewed to see which ones should be called for a brief phone screening to see who might be a potential fit for the job. Getting to this stage is what I call getting on first base, getting a nibble on your fishing line, or standing out in a crowd.

But used properly, a customized resume is like a sales person writing a customized proposal for what the company has publicly stated that they want to buy. How many a sales reps would submit the same proposal to every company, regardless of the company’s stated requirements? Only those who want to starve.

So, what is your track record? How many hits and nibbles are your getting?

Is there a better way? Absolutely! We recommend the Jobpreneurship™ Way. It is not rocket science. Jobpreneurship™ is merely how businesses really operate and how you can learn to take control of your job search and career.