What do Halloween, Love Search and Job Search All Have in Common?

Boo! They are all scary. So it seems most appropriate to make some parallels between a search for "Mr. or Mrs. Right" and the search for "The Ultimate Job" on this scariest day of the year...Halloween!

On one of my other blogs, Love for Boomers and 50 Plus, I posted on online dating and the sheer terror that many of us feel putting ourselves on the market for love.

"One of my ventures, Gen Plus Singles, is an online dating service, niched to 50 plus. Interestingly, women (who, incidentally, men are TRYING to find) will happily put up their profiles and browse amongst the men, but are incredibly tentative about actually signing up so they can email a fella. Men, on the other hand, are bold. They know what they want, they see it, they sign up, they email. If the woman doesn't write back, they move on to the next woman. So I always wonder, what is it about women (and, yes, I'm one) that makes us so fearful of putting OUR best foot forward? "

Well this got me thinking about the parallels between online dating and job search. About 1/2 of all jobseekers search for work online. (I wonder if 1/2 of loveseekers also search online.) And just as with online dating, it can often be a numbers game. The more resumes you send out, the more jobs you apply for, the better the odds of getting a call. Just as great jobs attract hundreds of resumes, great online profiles also attract many interested potential daters.

So, from my own experience, here is my approach to becoming less fearful in both online dating and online job search.

1) Have a great resume. Just as your online dating profile needs a good photo, a great smile and some compelling description of who you are, your resume needs to function as a good photo, great smile and a compelling description of your career accomplishments.

2) No one wants a fuddy-duddy. Take a look at online dating profiles. Haircut from the '80's? Pass. Glasses from the '70's? Pass. If your resume is simply an updated version of your jobs since 1982, then you are on the wrong track. The new format includes:

• punchy, active, dynamic descriptors
• results of accomplishments (not just responsibilities)
• impactful action words
• bullet points

3) You need quantity to get quality. If you only email once potential love match, your odds of getting a reply are very, very low. If you email 25 interesting candidates, someone will likely write you back and you may end up on a date!

Ditto for job search. If you are on a targeted job search (i.e. you need a new job...now), then you must apply for as many jobs as fit your talents. Look above the box, under the box, beside the box...but look out of the box. Just as you can't really tell the quality of the person from a picture, you can't tell a company from its job description. If you think there might be a fit?....well....there might be.

Again, from my previous post:

"Anytime I've online dated, the only true successes I've had is when I've paid for a membership, searched for the men I liked, and then emailed and emailed until I heard back from the ones I was interested in. Just as men prefer to choose, I prefer to choose. So, if you've been sitting on the fence (and this is for the men, too!), getting bored on your Saturday nights, take a gamble. Put your money where your mouth is, and start emailing. You won't know if you don't try. "

The scariest part of job search or love search is getting started. So get cracking. Fix up your profiles, show the world the best of yourself and say "Boo!" to the ghosts of Halloween!

Blogging Boomers Carnival #44

Hear ye, hear ye...read all about it. BBC 44 is up and running over at Life Two with a moveable feast of boomer bloggers tids and bits from the past week.

Choose 2 Lead Survey and Press Release

Many of you have already contributed your thoughts to the Choose 2 Lead survey I'm running on the blog (see the top of the main blog page). Shirley Clark, one of the founding members of Choose 2 Lead has passed along their recent press release detailing the goals of the survey. I've included a link as well as the body copy below. The survey will only run for two or three more weeks and your experience is vitally important, as survey results are being used as part of a commissioned report on jobs for older workers. If you've been meaning to take the survey, but haven't yet, please click on the link and take the survey. Takes about 3 minutes and the contribution of your information is valuable and needed.

Are tools available to help over-50 job seekers find flexible work?
2007-10-25
By Shirley Clark and Patty Reed

What is being done to help older workers find jobs that meet their needs? Choose 2 Lead is examining the tools available to the over-50 job seekers in a new study sponsored by the Sloan Foundation.

For_Immediate_Release:

Oakton, VA, October 24, 2007 –Workers over aged 50 are staying in the workforce longer than ever, due to desire or economic necessity. In fact, from 2000 to 2006, the proportion of the nation's 65- to 74-year-olds that remained in the labor force increased from nearly one in five to one in four, according to census figures. While looking for a job can be a challenge at any stage in life, it is difficult particularly when you are over aged 50.

“Finding a position that will utilize my talent and experience and allow some flexibility is my goal. While I don’t want a prospective employer to focus on the fact that I am over 50, I do want to be given the autonomy that I have earned at this point in my life,” said Susan during a recent interview. Susan, an executive in the financial services industry wants a full-time job, but needs flexibility in the position she finds, as both of her parents are ill. Just how realistic is her goal?

“There is a concern that employers don’t advertise flexible positions as they often equate “flexible” with “part-time” or “partially engaged”, said Shirley Clark, co-founder of the non-profit Choose 2 Lead. “The fact is that older workers, just like many women with children, want to work full-time. They may just need an element of flexibility or control to effectively tend to their personal lives.”

In fall 2007, Choose 2 Lead Women’s Foundation received a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to assess the information and resources available to older workers to help them find flexible employment.

As part of the study, Choose 2 Lead is conducting a survey of workers over the age of 50 who are currently seeking or have recently sought flexible employment. Wendy Spiegel, founder of Gen Plus, a website catering to the needs of the over-50 set, has posted the survey on her site and responses have been rolling in.You can access the survey by going to www.choose2lead.org and clicking on “Take our Survey Now!” or by visiting the Gen Plus blog at http://genplus.blogspot.com

Choose 2 Lead is a women-owned 501(c)3 corporation that advocates for personal leadership and organizational choices that lead to a more integrated approach to work, life and economic prosperity.

####

For more information:Keywords: Older Workers,FlexibilityContact us: P.O. Box 176 Vienna, VA 22183 703.395.6337

THAT time of year...

If you are a single and working (or single and NOT working), then this may be the time of year that you dread...the holiday party season.

Hallowe'en to Thanksgiving to Christmas and Chanukah to New Year's...if you are alone, then this can be a torturous time of year. There are parties at friends, Hallowe'en invites, parties at work, New Year's Eve celebrations -- you name it...another reason to curl up on the sofa with a bag of chocolate chip cookies, a comforter and a good book or movie. I'm not married, but when I was, there was the pressure of all the festivities but in more of a performance anxiety way (but that is fodder for another post.)

Wallowing in self-pity never works -- hasn't worked for me and I'm sure it won't work for you. And there are several ways to move around the game. You can avoid or you can join. So let's talk about both options.

There is passive avoidance -- doing nothing (the curl up with cookies/book deal), but that is always so last minute that it can devolve into self-pity.

I'd choose the route of active avoidance. A couple of years ago, a good friend invited me to join her and her son for a family winter camp...that ran over New Year's Eve. Initially I resisted, thinking I wouldn't be able to bear being at a New Year's Eve party with having no one to kiss at midnight. But she convinced me that we'd hang out together and enjoy a bottle of wine withour kids.

It was a FANTASTIC idea. I went, had a wonderful time, went to sleep at 9 pm on New Year's Eve with nary a tear of self-pity within 50 miles of the place. That is active avoidance.Then there is the join in strategy, which involves a high level of proactivity starting now. You pull up your socks, get some good pics of yourself, some top notch copy, and start online dating. There are many sites out there, so make the investment of a couple of bucks and start dating. If you date aggressively for the next month, you'll have a date with a decent person (even if not the love of your life, you might be tempted to go for a NYE kiss) who will also be grateful to have someone to hang out over the holidays with. If you are over 50, I'll recommend my brand, www.genplussingles.com. Jewish? www.jdate.com Quick return on investment? www.match.com Slower process? www.eharmony.com

Keep on your toes to avoid the married guys and gals who don't disclose their status. And if you find red flags, move on to the next one. Have fun and let me know how you do. I really want to hear proactive avoidance suggestions!!!

Finding Your Bliss in Job Search or Career Change

One of the most frustrating challenges jobseekers over 50 face is finding a way to redefine who they are for the current job market. Without that redefinition, simply put...they can't find a job. This past week, Amy Z (A-Z International) invited me to take part in a phone conference on career change issues. One woman's dilemma particularly stood out and we had an interesting exchange that I'd like to share.

Emma (not her real name), from Georgia, was currently working as a sales associate and was very unhappy in her job. She didn't have a college degree to back up her resume and was considering going back to school in order to have additional qualifications to find a job. I didn't think she sounded too excited about that prospect (and going back to school certainly doesn't guarantee a job at the end of the day), so we chatted for awhile. I started digging in to what she loved and it turned out that she was a craft whiz -- she loved making cards, friends asked her for her creations -- and most importantly, when she started talking about this love, her passion, her voice became animated, you could hear her smiling and her vibrancy was palpable over the phone. Other experts on the call also remarked on this.

Our conversation focused, for a time, on how she could start a business, but I could sense that was overwhelming as a concept and not on track with her desires, so I suggested that if she had skill in sales, that she could look for a job in a craft store and start to build up a reputation and connections in an industry that she loved.

With a smile in her voice, she said that she had, in fact, just applied for a sales job in a craft store. But now, she felt proud of that decision and that if she could get a job in a craft store, it would act as a stepping or positioning stone for the next stage of her career.

Granted, we don't all have the luxury of spending an hour on the phone with several experts giving free advice, but there is incredible value in giving voice to your innermost desires. You need to write them down, talk about them, shout them to the world, and you might be very pleasantly surprised to see what ideas can really spark!

Too Many Newsletters or What?

I'm SOOO sorry. For some reason, when we upgraded on our Feedblitz news aggregator, instead of overwriting existing subscriptions, most of your email addresses were duplicated. Which means for every message I've been sending over the past few days, you are receiving TWO of the same message.

This will be fixed up over the next few days, promise. All duplication subscriptions will be deleted and that should stop the double emailings.

Danged technology. You gotta love it and you gotta hate it all at the same time.

Fires are Raging

If you are one of the thousands affected by the fires in San Diego, Orange County (Buckwood Fire), Malibu or Stevenson Ranch, (Magic Fire) my thoughts are with you in this tough, tough moment.

I live in Encino, a suburb of Los Angeles -- in between the two major areas -- and looking to either the north or the south, all you can see is gray smoke covering both horizons. The smell of smoke has settled over into our neighborhood, and my sister (about 10 miles north) has ash falling on her community. The winds are very strong -- 2 trees on my street split and fell over the past few days, and my sister's neighbor is facing a split tree (about 100 foot) in jeopardy of falling onto his and my sister's roofs. My cousin, in Malibu, has been advised to be ready for evacuation, has her car packed and is minutes away from leaving and will likely end up on our doorstep in a couple of hours.

The danger with the winds is that when the trees fall, they land on power lines, which then arc and the embers quickly fly into the very dry brush. Once the fire ignites, the winds are fanning the flames extremely quickly. In one area 1 mile burned within 5 minutes...faster than a person can run away. If you are in an area that is experiencing very fast moving fire, you can get caught with a car that cannot start due to the lack of oxygen. Much better to leave before the fire is too close. It's a bad night in Southern California. A bad, bad night.

Blogging Boomers Carnival #43

Wow. Does time fly. This week's 43rd!! BBC host is Your Drum with an interestingly bi-polar look at all things boomer!

Community-Building Conference Call in a New Way!

Amy Z, of A-Z International, and fellow expert blogger on Eons, is hosting a unique phone conference tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct 23, and you are invited!

We all have a lot of concerns, issues AND suggestions for career and business. So, a few weeks ago, Amy hosted her first phone conference to members of her Eons group, and it was extremely well-received. In fact, the information that was shared was so valuable to the other callers, that she and I have joined forces for this one. Amy's expertise is in marketing and building virtual business, and mine is on career and job issues surrounding the Boomer and 50 Plus demographic and we are happy to share our information with you freely, because it is so darn fun!

The call starts at 5:30 pm PST (8:30 pm EST). To control the call, Amy asks that you email her directly for call-in number and password. You can email her at az@a-zinternational.com or me at wspiegel@genplususa.com and one of us will send you the coordinates!

So, if you want to hear what your online buddies sound like and share information in real-time, if not in person, then join us. Amy will be moderating and it should be fun, informative and interesting. The only charge to you is the cost of your long distance call in.

And if you can't spend the whole hour, no problem. Check in and then check out. Amy will be keeping the conference line open from 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. EDT.

Gen Plus Town Hall Forum

It's official. Our forum in LA in January has a home. Here are the details:

What:

A very different town hall/forum event than you'd expect and probably than you've ever experienced -- very informal in tone (open, friendly, accessible), but with a formal agenda.

Focused on issues that Boomers and 50 Plus are facing in job search, career issues and reinvention at this next stage. Experts will be there to provide a much needed resource. You will be expected to participate in the spirit of community.

All of us will walk away with value-added information and ideas to get you going for 2008. I'll follow up the email with an electronic recap of ideas generated for all who attended.

Fee:

None. (However, please plan on spending at least $5 each on a menu item to help the venue recoup their costs of supporting us with staff.)

How is that possible?

Because I'm donating my time in order to mobilize the energies of disenfranchised and/or frustrated jobseekers/career reinventors, to wake up employers, and to give a helping hand in the best way I can...by sharing resources with all of you. This program is a portion (but a good one) of a 1-day program that I do charge for.

Because I have the support of a local business who believes in this cause (our venue).

Because it is needed.

Because there are other communities who would like me to set something like this up for them, but I need to see what your voices need to share.

Because this is an election year and what you are experiencing is very, very important in shaping the next decade.

Because I really care about the challenges facing Boomers and 50 Plus in the job market...looking at another 20 -25 years of needed income and few willing to make the hires right now.

When:

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Time:

2:00 - 4:30 pm. We'll want to go longer, but that is the limit on the venue availability. I've chosen this time and this date because it is a light traffic day in Los Angeles. If you currently work and would like to attend, plan on calling in for an afternoon off and get proactive.

Where:

The very lovely Balboa Encino Clubhouse. We'll have the deli-style restaurant all to ourselves, along with table service, a very reasonable and yummy menu, and some 50 plus staffers, too! The grounds are lovely, so plan on a few extra minutes if you want to stroll along the path around the gorgeous Balboa Park or head over to Balboa lake for a visit with the ducks! (Once I have your reservation, I'll be forwarding you address and driving directions.)

How to sign up?

Quickly. I've started getting reservations and we've got limited space available in this venue. Simply send me an email at wspiegel@genplususa.com along with your name, correct email address and best phone number to reach you. Reservations are being taken on a first-come, first-served basis, so if you'll need more than one spot, please let me know in your request. We have very limited seating, but I'll start taking a wait list once we're full in case I'm able to get more space. If you plan on coming in from out of town, please let me know. I'll have slightly different instructions for you.

A big thank you to Balboa Encino Restaurant for their support and help. Can't wait to hear from you. Let's get going.

What is it about this time of year that turns your head to new directions?

Every year, just around this time, I get the urge to "Go West." One year, about 12 years ago, I heeded that advice and left my home in Montreal and headed to Los Angeles. I had a breaking point. One where I knew that I could no longer stay in current situation. There wasn't even a pivotoal breaking point. It was just that when the last straw came, my decision was made. It was very easy and at the same time one of the most challenging (I know, doesn't really make sense) periods of my life -- I chose to reinvent my life.

At this time of year, the same phenomenon happens in the workforce. Many companies have performance reviews coming up, bonus plan payouts, budget cuts or budget plans for the coming year...but a lot of employees get the urge to "Go West" or, in many cases, "Get Out of Dodge."

A terrific article in my favorite paper, the Wall Street Journal, by writer Jared Sandberg, Had It Up to HERE? Despite Risk,Some Say Quitting Is Way to Go. I'm not telling you to read this article and quit your jobs! An emphatic NO! But I guarantee the article will resonate with you.

How Long Will You Be Working?

If you spend any time talking to 64 1/2 year olds, you'll find out pretty quickly that retirement is not an option. Regardless of what their social security might give them, it will likely not be enough to live on. Offset the costs? Certainly. But be a fallback? Nope...not according to those I've talked to recently.

64 1/2 year olds are planning on working till 70 and even 80 if they think they can keep the work. On one hand, they need to continue to feel useful. On the other hand, they need to pay the rent.

I remember when my mother, at 50, set out on her own, after divorce. It never occurred to her that she might be considered unemployable. And after many, many, many attempts at finding a paying job, she realized she had to start her own business. Which she did. Quite successfully. At 71, she is still working...granted, not as much -- her energy isn't as high as it was even five years ago -- but she has a loyal client base, loves her craft and generates income.

She isn't the only one. Far from it. There is the gentleman I know who took a job as a night watchman, finally got a placement in a city job and is working his way up the ladder...at 62. Then there is the woman I've corresponded with, who after years of fruitless job search, finally landed a part time job with a non-profit -- and she is grateful to have the supplemental income.

Who else? The sales manager who had been unemployed for four years and recently was brought in as a top manager for a sales organization. A 57 year old corporate exec who went back to school to become a teacher and is now working his way up into management. And I could go on and on and on.

We are living much, much longer. It's a great thing and a very scary proposition at the same time. Our needs will be growing exponentially in the next twenty years -- for income, for medical support, for long term care, for acknowledgement and for a place to contribute back to the workforce.

The changes and support are not going to come about through government. By the time the bureaucratic initiatives (oooh..that's an oxymoron) on aging come into play, we'll all be dead and gone. So the time to act and work toward change is...well...now. I know I'm planning on being around for a long, long time if I can. And that means, I'll be working, whether employers want me or not, well into my seventies if not my eighties. What about you?

Don't forget to email me at wspiegel@genplususa.com if you want me to include you in our Gen Plus Town Hall Forum on January 22, 2008 in LA.

Blogging Boomers Carnival #42

We've got a wonderful line up of posts for this week's Blogging Boomers Carnival #42. I'm pleased to host again. If you want to know what's up in Boomer world, then stop in and see who is talking about what. So...from some of the best boomer bloggers around...a little bit of life, death, finance and some downright sexiness.

Fall is here and if you are feeling a bit blue, Your Drum would like to help you get out of the doldrums with seven tips to a much better mood.

Shocking! The more sex, the happier the person. So says the results of a 16,000 person study. Read about it at LifeTwo. (That put ME in a better mood!)

If you need a little oomph on the sexy front and you’re a mature fashionista, then sharpen your style this fall and try a pencil skirt. But don’t worry you don’t have to be thin as a pencil to wear one. Deborah and JoJami at Fabulousafter 40 have some practical fashion tips for how to make this timeless classic work for you. (Feeling better and better!)

Now if that didn't give you some good ideas, The Wastrel Show gives you the in's and out's of maintaining a rich lifestyle...on just pennies a day! "After living a long life, only now do I know how to live well." (Especially if you spent a lot of money on that fab pencil skirt!)

So Baby Boomer focuses on today's, boomers' kids and grandkids who are entering college and gaining some freedom from their helicopter parents. These new consumers are a marketer's gold mine.

The Boomer Chronicles reports that in just three months, the first baby boomer will reach retirement age and begin to collect Social Security benefits. What will the future bring for the rest of us? (Good timing!)

When you're on your deathbed, do you think you'll spend your final hours wishing you'd spent more time at the office? Probably not! So where will you wish you'd spent more time? Head over to Contemporary Retirement and find out.

And just a bit of nostaligia to finish up the week from I Remember JFK:

When Microwave Ovens Were New: It would be difficult for me to imagine life without a microwave oven. I probably use one twice a day minimum. Yet, I grew up without one of the expensive, newfangled, radiation-emitting appliances. We didn't get a microwave oven until the mid 70's. But many of us Boomer kids recall having them as far back as 1967, when Amana introduced the Radarange home model. (I remember that one...wow. That's a blast from the past!)

And from yours truly, if you haven't voiced your opinion in our Gen Plus survey for Choose 2 Lead, then pop on over and get counted in their upcoming report on job flexibility AND if you haven't signed up yet to join in on our Town Hall forum taking place in LA in January, then you'll want to get informed.

Navigating the Financial Blogosphere -- a New Book by Russell Bailyn

What do you get then you mix together traditional print, new media, financial expertise and bit of innovation? A terrific financial resource -- a new book by Russell Bailyn, titled "Navigating the Financial Blogosphere."

Bailyn has taken tried and true financial information but approached it in a novel way. Not only is his book very user-friendly, and constructed in a sequence that takes you, literally, from understanding your relationship with banks, all the way through managing a complex portfolio, but he does it from the perspective of someone who believes wholeheartedly in the power of the resources that can be gleaned from the internet.

In a refreshing look at what education the internet brings to the table, Bailyn caps every chapter with a summary of websites, blogs and other resources that can help anyone make informed financial decisions. He even includes a focus on the 50 plus demographic (I'm very delighted to have been referenced along with two members of our Blogging Boomers Carnival: The Boomer Chronicles and So Baby Boomer -- chapter 25 if you want to find us!)

Well chronicled chapters and a robust index will help you find the resources you need. Bailyn is a widely popular financial blogger, as well as a contributor to several financial sites. As a result, he has been able to distill the often overwhelming material that can be found on the web and condensed it into bite-sized chunks that even the most timid, novice, or reluctant investor will find manageable. And for the more savvy, there is an abundance of resources that will keep them participating in their further education for years to come.

Very well done. And kind of fun, too!

Navigating the Financial Blogosphere is available in most local bookstores across the US and Canada.

From one Boomer to Another: Shame on you, Ann Coulter.

I am a Jew. I'm proud of it. I find my spirituality in my faith, just as Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and other believers in different faiths do in theirs.

"If it was good enough for Jesus to be a Jew," says my 71-year-old mother, a practicing Jew, "it is good enough for me."

So, what has sparked my indignation on this fine California morning? Why am I so upset?

Because of Ann Coulter.

Ann, shame on you! Earlier this week, the outspoken Coulter, offended interviewer, Donny Deutsch, and pretty much his entire wide audience, by declaring that the world would be better off if we were all Christians. She took it a step further by stating that the Christian view is that Christians are perfected Jews.

All I can say, is "Oy vey."

How can Coulter, a staunch Republican, so blatantly forget that the United States of America built up its immigrant base with people escaping all kinds of intolerance (and for many, religious persecution.) Coulter is a tail-end Boomer, but not quite a 50-plusser, yet. Maybe in a few years she'll have matured just a tad.

On the plus side, in one fell swoop, she destroyed the Republican base in America. As a Democrat myself, I've got to say, "Good going, Ann. See you in my version of heaven."

To read the full, completely offensive transcript of the interchange between Deutsch and Coulter, follow the link.

Town Hall and Survey Update

The Town Hall concept is coming along nicely. So far, I've received emails from a few of you to secure your spots. Please pass the word along to any 50 plussers who would benefit from this type of event. Just to give you an idea of how the afternoon session is going to work, I thought it would be a good idea to outline for you the objective and what the general agenda is.

For those of you who haven't read past posts announcing the Gen Plus Town Hall, in a nutshell, I'm taking social activism to a whole new level. I've found a venue that is going to partner with me and has offered to host an afternoon forum for Gen Plussers - in Encino (a suburb of Los Angeles.) It will take place on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 from 2 - 4:30 pm...at no charge. There will be food and drink available (and encouraged) for purchase -- most meals come in at under $10.

There is limited space, so this will work on a first-reserved, first-served basis. The objective of the afternoon is to bring the challenges of job search for 50 plussers out into the open and for you to leave with some tangible action items that you can incorporate into your job search or your start up (or existing) business. There will be a few industry experts (HR, Employer Relations, Marketing) who are planning on joining us. If you need some help with your resume or cover letter, bring a few copies with you and we'll try to make the time to give you some free advice.

We'll be starting off with a short panel discussion. Then you'll be breaking up in groups with specific assignments. Once your assignments are complete, you'll be sharing your findings with all the groups. Our experts will be joining the different groups and available to facilitate and answer questions along the way! Whatever action items or findings come out of this forum will be collated and then sent to each attendee so that you have a written document of our findings.

There will be some items for sale -- all geared to the 50 plus market and available for purchase if you need them, or available online at a later date.

This is a small segment of a one-day program that I would typically charge an arm and a leg for ;), but I truly believe in our ability to mobilize one community at a time and really positively impact how employers are looking at the 50 plus demographic.

I've had requests for Town Halls in Boston, DC, Chicago and Raleigh and I'm holding onto all names for future events. If you are interested, please send me an email at wspiegel@genplususa.com. I'll be relentlessly promoting this free forum because you need to be there, so you might as well email me now and get it off your plate. (I'm a little cheeky today, I know...but this program will really be helpful and I know there are tons of California subscribers just dying to spend an afternoon in Encino, some East Coasters and mid-Westerners who will need an excuse to get away from the cold, and some golfers who will want to stay on and take advantage of the venue the next day...)

On another note, thank you to all of you who are responding to the survey. This will be very helpful for Choose2Lead, a nonprofit, doing research on the 50 plus work demographic. The survey will only be open for a couple of weeks, so please make your voice count. (Just up at the top of the page.)

Finally, I'm still hearing from some of you who don't know how to comment on the blog. If you are a Feedblitz or Feedburner subscriber, you can't comment by replying to the email. You have to click on the title, which will link you to the blog. Once there (here) scroll down to the bottom of the post and you'll see a link called "Comments". Just click on the link, enter your comments in the pop up window, and sign in anonymously or otherwise. That's it.

I always love to hear from you.

Wendy

Blogging Boomers Carnival #41

So Baby Boomer is host for this week's BBC #41. From music to driving challenges to looking FAB...enjoy!

And a special thanks to those of you who are already so proactively filling out the survey. We need your input, so please click on the link at the top of the blog page and make your voice heard.

New Survey on Gen Plus -- What Kind of Work Are YOU Looking For?

Choose 2 Lead Women's Foundation is a non profit organization that is a catalyst for changing the paradigm of the 21st century workplace, bringing together facts, economics, and social needs to support informed choices by women, employers and policymakers.

We are partnering with Choose 2 Lead to gather information on job flexibility preferences in the workplace. We'll be running the survey -- open to both women and men (at the top of the page, or you can click here) and would love to have your input.

Results will be published as soon as we have a large enough demographic base. Thanks for participating.

Gen Plus will also be hosting a "Town Hall" forum, in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 from 2 - 4:30 pm. This is a no charge event with limited seating. To reserve your spot, email me. Your confirmation will be sent via email.

Pure Prevention, Breast Cancer Fund and Luna Bar -- a Powerful Combination

What do you get when you bring together some of the best and brightest bloggers for a web news conference with a couple of powerful, grass roots movers and shakers?

An hour of exciting, dynamic conversation supported by a wealth of experience and expertise. That is what happened earlier this week when top notch moderator Cindy Samuels brought together a group of influential bloggers to conference with Breast Cancer Fund’s Executive Director Jeanne Rizzo, RN, a nationally acknowledged leader in the field, and environmental health expert Dr. Janet Gray, editor of the Breast Cancer Fund’s newest State of the Evidence report and Professor of Psychology and Director of the Program in Science, Technology and Society at Vassar College. The Breast Cancer Fund published the landmark report State of the Evidence: What is the Connection between the Environment and Breast Cancer?, a ground-breaking report now in its fourth edition.

Pure Prevention is a joint effort of LUNA Bar and the Breast Cancer Fund, focused on bringing awareness and education about cancer prevention and treatment to women and men who want to (and need to) understand more about how what they eat, do and experience in their daily environment impacts their health and more importantly, the health of their children.

To listen to the full interview, visit the web podcast of the live conference (and you'll hear some of the questions and answers that specifically are directed to the 50 plus market.)

Here are a few areas that engendered LOTS of discussion -- environmental factors that are causing our young women to enter puberty at earlier ages than ever before; the types of environmental factors that ingested over a lifetime are causes for concern for the 50 plusser; discussions on the pill and Hormone Replacement Therapy on breast cancer; cosmetic ingredients and the type of advocacy role the Breast Cancer Fund undertakes...and much, much more.

This is an eye-opening, exciting discussion. I urge you to take a listen and also to visit and pass along the Pure Prevention website to others. An exceptional resource and one that we all need to support. Hats off to LUNA Bar and The Breast Cancer Fund for putting together a fantastic program.

Survey says...

Having run a survey on length of job search for the past several months, some of the findings were very interesting -- reflecting the stories and issues that many of you have been clearly identifying. Please read the full media release for survey overview. Please feel free to add your comments. I always love to hear from you.

Update: Gen Plus Forum -- Town Hall Meeting

As announced earlier, I'm planning a Town Hall type of meeting in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Jan. 22 (light traffic day in LA!) from 2 - 4:30 pm at the lovely Balboa Golf and Country Club in the also very lovely Los Angeles suburb of Encino.There is limited room for this event. There will be NO charge for attending, and food and drink are available for purchase. Agenda will focus on the career issues that are affecting you and we will work together (along with some great experts joining us) to come to some action items for everyone there. To secure your seat, please email me directly at wspiegel@genplususa.com.

If you've already emailed me you are on the list and I'll be sending confirmation emails once the date is firmly locked. If you are coming in from out of town, please wait to book travel until you receive my confirmation email.

This forum is to create possibilities for you. If the program works well, I'll host more of them across the country. So, if you live near LA, or have friends who could use the networking/input of confidence, or energetic direction, please pass the information along.

A Few Other Notes to Note

1) Over the weekend keep your eyes open for a new survey focused on the 50 plus worker -- I'll have a survey link on the blog. I'd love for as many of you to participate as possible. It will only be up for a limited time, so get your voice heard quickly.
2) A report on a wonderful webconference I was privileged to take part in as well as a link to the podcast.
3) An announcement of a fantastic new resource book on financial information for all you Gen Plussers -- through blogs!
4) Proud to be a Gen Plusser? Well, I know I am. And to celebrate I'll be releasing some terrific logo'd Gen Plus must haves -- for job interviews, for the office (at home or in someone's business), in addition to the items already available in the Gen Plus Shop (http://genplus.blogspot.com/shop.aspx)
5) More updates on the venue for the Town Hall meeting in LA in mid-January.

Coming up...What's on the horizon?

So much to write about and so little time!

First big piece of news: I've arranged to host a "Town Hall" for Gen Plussers, in Los Angeles (suburb of Encino) at a lovely venue. More details to follow, but here is some info to start getting the word out. Tentative date: Tuesday, January 22nd. (Very good traffic day!) Time: 2 - 4ish. We'll have the venue until about 5:30 , but a lot of you will need to head home before the traffic gets bad.
Who can come? If you are a Gen Plusser (i.e. a boomer or 50 plusser) who has something to say, needs some career help, or just wants to develop community, this is for you. We'll have some very cool guests joining us...all experts in their fields...and all coming just for you.

What's the cost? Nothing. No charge. There will, however, be food and drink available for purchase. So please help support this generous business and come hungry!

How do I register? I'll be sending out more info shortly, however, space is extremely limited, so I'll be registering people on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would like to be on the list, simply email me at wspiegel@genplususa.com and give me your name and contact info. I'll send you a confirmation email as soon as I have the date firmed up.

How Many Villages Does it Really Take?

Due to some requests over the past year, I'm putting together a Town Hall meeting in Los Angeles, CA in the next couple of months. An interesting concept (more on this later) and some exciting experts are planning on joining us to share their thoughts and concerns about employment challenges for 50 plus.

I'm soliciting a venue that will enable us to have a "no charge" or nominal charge event, however, food or drinks will be on you.

If you are like me, you are always hungry and always in search of interesting, thought-provoking conversation. So, please let me know if this interests you by adding your comment to this post or emailing me directly at wspiegel@genplususa.com

I've already started a wait list and will let you know date(s) and time as soon as they are set in stone. But, there will only be about 20 - 25 spaces available, so reservations are first-come, first-served.

If you are interested in participating in a Town Hall in another city or acting as host, please let me know and if there seems to be a compelling interest...you may see an event pop up a city near you, too!

Blogging Boomers Carnival #40

Contemporary Retirement Coaching is this week's host for Blogging Boomers Carnival #40. And it is a "Happy" week. Every post filled with something guaranteed to lift your spirits.

Who remembers the first Dr. Pepper commercials. "Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too? Be a Pepper...drink Dr. Pepper..." Do you remember that feeling of wanting to do the "happy Dr. Pepper" dance? Well...our Carnival this week...is kind of like that. But I digress...