A great re-brand

Nothing like an excellent re-brand to get my attention. As you may know from my earlier posts, we suffered a family tragedy. It is really hard to function in the normal day-to-day sense as your mind tries to comprehend and process the information, emotions and necessities of moving forward.

In the spirit of moving forward, one of the unavoidable facts of life for a 40/50/60-something woman is that your hair grays. It doesn't matter that I didn't want to pay any focus to my graying roots, but they seemed to take on a life of their own and screamed for a quick home dye-job. So, in an effort at a return to normalcy, I tackled my hair. For those of you with graying tresses, you'll understand what I mean by tackled.

Gray is stubborn. Gray is coarse. Gray would prefer to remain gray. And I would prefer that it beats a hasty retreat. If you have ever home-dyed, then you, like me, will also have tried just about every brand there is on the market. Feria, Preference, Nutrisse, Nice'n'Easy...and on and on. And, if your gray is like mine, within days of torturing your hair, the gray brazenly peeks through, daring you to last three weeks until your next dye job.

I was very curious when Clairol came out with Gray Solutions and promises of 100% gray coverage (and skeptical, of course), but I decided to try it. The product was very good. My coverage was solid. The gray didn't peek through. But the packaging and the experience of the product? Not as good. The packaging looked old. What can I say? I realize I'm covering the gray, but I'm an almost 50-something. I'm not yet my mom's age of 72. But the packaging made me feel old. The pre-treatment worked, but made me look like some sort of a drowned rat after application. Good end result, but not a feel-good experience. It worked, so this became my reluctant brand of choice.

So imagine my surprise when I opened the package to start the process just the other day. I'd noticed the exterior branding had changed a bit -- skewed to a bit younger demographic -- but the entire interior packaging had been reinvented. Instead of boring foil packets, the packaging had changed to a gorgeous new age blue (think paint job on all the new car models now). The pre-treatment gloppy paste had been reformulated to a lighter gel that could be used all over the head rather than just the ends (easier usage) and the conditioner had been lightened up. Oh joy, oh bliss...I WAS the TARGET MARKET. They had rebranded for ME! So now, a great product, intended to cover the gray, had been rejuvenated (literally).

Why all the waxing on hair dye? Because it was a perfect example of taking a great product (like you, the 50 plus jobseeker) and finding a way to re-package, re-tool, chunk, and retrofit your external presentation in a way that the buyer (HR recruiter) would find not only your product solid (your skill set), but how you were packaged (how you'd fit into a younger company culture, for example) and what you brought to the mix.

So my hair may have great coverage, but the re-brand reinvigorated me. Good job, Clairol. Good job.

PS. Incidentally, I have not been solicited by Clairol or paid by them to review their product. But it sure would be nice to get a lifetime supply of the product...my hair will only get grayer.

Over 50 and Want a Job with NASA? Yes...THAT NASA!

#1 -- Login to your Gen Plus account http://genplususa.com/login.aspx
#2 -- Search for jobs and look for keyword "NASA"
#3 -- Apply to the coolest job opportunity for all -- INCLUDING Boomers, 50 Plussers and retirees...

Huh? That's right. Our good friends at Kelly Services have passed along a spectacular opportunity and I'm spreading the word. Here is the job posting:

NASA (yes, that NASA, the National Association of Space and Aeronautics) is looking for a few good people for an amazing job opportunity! Are you up to the challenge? Kelly Services®, in partnership with NASA Space Camp®, is now recruiting camp counselors! This is a long-term opportunity to work on the NASA campus and be a part of Space Camp, Space Academy®, and the Aviation Challenge®.

What you’ll do as a camp counselor:

• You’ll be supervising, motivating, and teaching young people (ages 9 – 18) as well as adults in a highly educational, exciting, and fun-filled camp environment!
• You’ll lead a team of trainees through their weeklong camp experience.
• When assigned to the simulations area, you will train the students in Space Shuttle mission simulators or jet fighter operations. What you’ll get out of it (aside from a really cool job):
• Enhance your teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Receive valuable experience in the areas of education, space science, and military science toward a future teaching, engineering, science, or military/aviation career. • Free room and board (dorm style) for out-of-town counselors.
• $8 – $9/hour bi-weekly pay with direct deposit.
• Supplemental insurance is available with prescription discount card.
• Intensive paid training and NASA Space History lessons.
• Paid time off.
• Free meals.

What you’ll need to apply:

• Be available beginning in January/February through August (preferred).
• Completion of 30 college credit hours (as a minimum) in any major! Or if you have related life experience (e.g., being in the military), that will work too!
• A real desire to work with trainees ranging from ages 9 – 50 and over.
• You must be at least 20 years of age. Retirees are also welcome!
• Some experience working with children or young adults.
• Two letters of recommendation.
• Your most recent school transcript. [ed. note: your most recent may be from 1962...but that is OK!]
• An interest in space and aviation, and the ability to learn fast and retain information.
• Successful completion of four-week counselor training program (provided by NASA), and completion of required testing.
• Must be able to walk long distances.
• Must be able to handle the demands and rigors of long days and responsibility"

This is a GREAT opportunity. If you currently have NO job, or are looking for a meaningful change, are looking to have an incredible career experience, give back to others, save a bit of money AND have one of the coolest job histories ever, don't delay and apply today. Your life experience has a great deal of value. Go for it. And let me know if you become a NASA counsellor. I'll want to shout it out to the world!

Blogging Boomers Carnival #48 is up!

The always fascinating Baby Boomer Chronicles is this week's host to the Blogging Boomers Carnival -- chock full of interesting, insightful and sometimes insufferable boomer insights of the week!

And on a side note spaces are filling for the Gen Plus Town Hall in LA on January 22nd -- if you aren't working, looking to change your job/career, or just looking for a meaningful strategy for the next decade, we'd love to have you join us. Click on the link for more info on this free event.

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!

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.

Great article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal

One of the things that astounds me is that on one hand, global companies (in particular), and many mid- to large companies are already facing management shortages, and a general lack of skilled workers, while on the other hand, there are literally thousands upon thousands of qualified 50 plussers who cannot find a job. The challenge is in getting the two hands to cross over the great divide and shake -- connecting the hungry 50 plus worker with the strapped employer.

In Saturday's Wall Street Journal, writers Douglas Ready and Jay Conger, post a terrific article, entitled "How to Fill the Talent Gap", positioned for the employer. It struck a chord with me, particularly because I was communicating the other day with someone I'd not chatted with in awhile. His story had stayed with me because he was a bright, energetic, engaging person, who had reinvented himself in an entirely different career, as an alternative to unemployment. In our recent chat, he was very pleased that he had discovered how to take the best of himself and convert himself into the very person the company was looking to hire.

It is no longer sufficient to be great at what you do or what you've done. What is important is what you bring to the table.

So, reading this article, the one thing that struck me the most, was that the writers are encouraging (warning?) employers, especially the larger global organizations that are already in a hiring crunch, to bridge the gap between their needs and the available talent through their recruiter training, combined with jobs that make attractive sense to a talent pool.

When I read an article like this, I don't read it looking at the employers' perspective. I look at it from the jobseekers' perspective...what do I learn that I can use to shape myself into an attractive candidate? The writers explore 5 problem areas, ranging from Emerging Markets to Narrow Thinking, and give their perspective on the solutions -- which really boil down to matching your hiring decisions to your business goals. Again, if you can get into the head of an employer and see what they need you to bring to their table, then you'll find this an excellent article and worth the read.

The Wisdom of Experience

My father is 76. It really bothers him that he is heading into the last leg of this journey and cannot fully share the years and years of knowledge that he has with us, his kids, and with the rest of the world. He'd like to find a way to dump his brain into his kids. At 76 he can look at most any problem and see a solution -- more often than not, he'll have experienced a similar situation in the past and learned from having chosen a correct or incorrect path. What is frustrating is that he wants to pass that knowledge along to us while we are in the process of learning through our own experiencing.

I look at my own young child and realize there are many, many areas where she will not embrace my wisdom through experience because she will be learning through her own mistakes and trials. But, if I'm anything like my dad, it too, will irk me no end.

In 2003-04, there was a huge strike where first Von's (and ultimately Ralph's and Albertson's) 70,000 employees stayed off the job for endless months trying to make a deal surrounding wages and medical insurance. As the strike went on, brinkmanship and national financial leverage, against a shaky union strategy turned into the stalemate that wouldn't end. I remember that early on in the strike, my father tried to contact anyone at Ralph's management or on the mediation team with his solution (as a business owner, he became well known for his skilled negotation abilities, particularly with unions.) He felt that he could bring the two sides together quickly with a two-tiered program and he laid it out for me at the time. His plan was similar to the plan that was eventually accepted, but with a long term implementation program to keep employee morale up and production high.

In the news today, coverage followed the possible next strike by the same union group. Now, several years later, the union is upset about the tiered system. I called dad on the road this morning to tell him of this development. "But of course they'll strike again!" he blurted. "They didn't put the implementation strategy into place." If he'd been there at the time, who knows what his experience could have brought to this table.

Also in the news is the shocking revelation that Countrywide may have to go bankrupt due to the lack of ready cash for short-term needs. Of course, talking to dad about this latest development, he had a quick fix and a long term fix ready to discuss (I'm not a finance expert, but honestly, it sounded pretty good to me!)

This was a few minutes of a snapshot of a 76 year old retired businessman/consultant. It makes one take another look at the many 50 plus, 60 plus, 70 plus and 80 plussers who are the elders of our society. What is different in this society is that wisdom of experience is not really sought after.

Then, of course, I make the leap to the employment landscape and how it affects Gen Plussers (because doesn't it always go back to what you need?)

Right now, today, tonight, there are 60,000 Countrywide employees trying to figure out how to abandon ship before it sinks and get a new job. Which means that there will still be oodles and oodles of open positions that Countrywide will need to have filled throughout any bankruptcy protection, government bail-out, or restructure. So if I were 50 plus and looking for a job....I'd be setting my sights on Countrywide and applying to them like crazy...as of today.

Now that might just be a bit of wisdom of experience right there.

Education -- teachers in great demand!

In addition to running Gen Plus, I own/manage/moderate a group on Eons, Careers for Boomers and 50 Plus with over 825 members. One of the group members posted an interesting comment today, regarding teaching, that I want to share with this readership.

Substitute Teaching

"Good morning everyone...(you can always tell someone has been out of work for a while when their greeting is 'good morning' at 11:40AM.) I have seen many postings here that they have been through the wringer for more than a year - some, multiple years. At least a fair share have at least a bachelors' degree. I am looking at some independent contractor work - long story and perhaps/perhaps not going to pan out....but in the interim::::I am getting paperwork together to sign up for substitute teaching. Many school districts have a severe shortage of available subs. In the area I am living in, people signed up to sub tell me that they get called EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY DAY!!!So, thought I'd pass this along; a friend from church, who is full time, fully credentialed teacher, tells me that the districts are DESPERATE and have resorted to using minimally qualified people, so if your degree is old, knowledge waning, it appears you still have a shot at it. My friend also tells me that all the lesson plans are generally set up in advance for months at a time, so you are set to go - right through the door and earning a daily rate......GOOD LUCK FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DECIDE TO ATTEMPT THIS ROUTE... I will also keep you posted on my situation in re subbing... "

CHK

I've been hearing more and more about the real need for teachers, so check what the credentialing criteria is in your state...if you are in dire need of income, there may be students in dire need of your knowledge.

The value of understanding job boards

When you are looking for a job, you have to use a multi-pronged approach -- posting resumes, applying to jobs online, networking, setting your sites on specific companies and approaching them directly -- in other words, leaving no stone unturned, especially when facing the invisible wall at 50 plus.

It can be very difficult to identify with keywords OR with general search terms the types of jobs that match up with your skill set. I've received many emails from readers who can't decipher what job titles represent in today's marketplace. There are general job boards (like Monster, Careerbuilder, Craig's List), niched boards (like Dice, Gen Plus), and job feeders (like Indeed, Jobster, or Simply Hired) that gather online job postings from many boards and make them searchable in one place.

So, how to figure out where to spend your search efforts? I decided to do a bit of research in one place that I knew HR professionals frequented -- Linked In, a social network focused on employment.

Social networks (think My Space, Eons) are very interesting and ones that are focused on employment, of great interest to me. Sites like Linked In, have a fantastic forum (Answers) for asking and receiving information. As well, many Human Resource professionals and recruiters used Linked In as a means to broaden their own recruiting networks. What I found particularly interesting was their take on what each type of job board offered them.

Here, in a nutshell, is a very generalized industry opinion (from both jobseekers and recruiters) on the unique characteristics of the different job boards available to jobseekers and employers.

The most talked about boards are: Monster, Careerbuilder, Dice, Hotjobs, Net-Temps, Craigslist, Indeed, Simply Hired, together with internet sourcing to find candidates and social network boards (like Linked In) to make connections and get the word out. This is an interesting mix, because most of them are general boards and a couple are niche boards.

Monster is a solid general board but doesn't offer as much detail on candidate searches as some recruiters would prefer. Careerbuilder seems to be seen as better for engineering, manufacturing and clerical positions. Both have strong marketing campaigns and solid general databases (posted resumes and job postings). A few jobseekers have mentioned the irritating commission-only solicitation they get from both sites from insurance and financial planning companies, as well as by spam scammers through email.

DICE is much talked about -- it is technical niche board focused on IT positions. There is generally a great need for web-skilled staffing across the US and Canada and a marked shortage of qualified candidates. Tough for Gen Plussers, who may not have the skill set, but there is a lot of need in this market.

HotJobs is further down the list and seems to be a good backup board to search for resumes, although recruiters seem to prefer the search abilities on other boards. Jobseekers generally like Yahoo HotJobs.

Net-Temps is getting some talk, and Craig's List is still a strong hook for posting positions.

So, look for niche boards, check job postings, connect through social networking sites and make sure your resume is up -- on every board you can post on at no charge.

Judging a Book by its Cover

The other day, flying back from the East Coast to LA, I had a wonderful conversation with my seat mate, a 60 plusser, who heads up a non-profit association in the supply arena. Like me, she sees many 50 plussers who are finding themselves in a tough predicament -- even in this very particular niche of supply and distribution. They cannot keep a job and they cannot find a new job. There are a few reasons -- the first, is that the supply industry has changed and the smaller suppliers are quite simply getting swallowed up by the mega-giants (no different than the mom-and-pop retail stores getting overwhelmed by national chains). The second is that at 50 plus, they are finding themselves getting overlooked for positions. These jobseekers file into this woman's office (I'll call her Carol) and ask her for help in finding jobs. And no surprise to me, her number one, biggest piece of advice? Get a good haircut and buy a new suit -- something current. In the supply world, very little emphasis is put on looks -- unlike, for example, marketing, cosmetics, fashion -- however, when the job search gets tough, employers will typically make a judgement assessment based on first appearances. Fair? Not really. But no one said life is fair. There are so many debates over whether or not to dye hair. At a more fundamental level, the reality is, visual appeal and visual presentation is judged. Do you have to look current, be fashionable, get groomed? No. You don't. But when you were twenty and heading out for your first job interview, what did you wear? Likely your best suit, spent hours on choosing accessories, briefcase, polishing shoes, fixing hair (and makeup and jewelry if you are a woman). So why would someone find that so objectionable at 50 plus? Because of pride. Because of wanting your life and work experience to count for something. At twenty, without work experience to back you up, all you had was your smile, your enthusiasm and your outward appearance. The way you were judged back then has not changed.

If I were a jobseeker at 50 plus, I'd listen to Carol's advice. I'd dye my hair (OK, well, I already do that), get a good haircut, ensure my makeup, nail polish and accessories were perfect and I'd wear my best business suit...to make certain that once I got IN the door, the employer would only be looking at one thing...my qualifications.

You will be judged. It may not be fair. But your job, when looking for a job, is to put your best foot forward. Not try to make a generational statement. I love to read. I buy tons of books. And I can assure you, as shallow as it may seem, that if I don't like the cover, I don't open the first page.

On Finding Employment After Fifty

A very frustrated jobseeker on my group on eons had this to say (not reprinted in its entirety):

I need to vent on this subject. I live in NC, have been here since June 2006. I have my resume posted on HotJobs, CareerBuilder, and Monster. I am signed up with five different staffing agencies, two of them nationally known. I have more than 15 years of accounting/bookkeeping experience as well as eleven years as a social worker and more than five years of customer service experince in the healthcare field. I have been trying to find work since I arrived here and still have not found anything due to the rentless presence of discrimination, age and other wise. I am educated, my computer skills are above par, and I present myself well at interviews. I am failing to understand why I am unable to land a job, even when applying for positions that I am more than qualified for.

Another pet peeve of mine is that after an interview, I send out a thank you note, why is it that HR personnel do not acknowledge the fact you came in except to send you a reject letter? Why don't they tell you the reason why you were not selected? If there is anybody out there that can clue me in, please feel free to do so.
Signed, Frustrated in NC

Dear Frustrated,

A lot of good comments and I understand your frustration. So I'm going to address as many of your concerns as I can. Here is the bottom line. It is very, very hard to find work over fifty. I have been working for over two years to secure employers for Gen Plus and it is very challenging to get them to declare themselves 50 plus friendly.

The reality is that you may have to apply for 500 jobs or more in order to gain employment. I'm not sure how you are looking for work, but in addition to posting your resume, you need to be applying for jobs every day. Many smaller companies will NOT pay the money to advertise online, but they may put an ad in a small local paper. At 50 plus, every jobseeker needs to be extremely creative -- even going business to business if you have to, in order to get your resume in the hands of the right people. I've been running a survey on my blog to see how long it is taking 50 plussers to find work. Majority seems to be a year or longer. Don't give up. Try temp to permanent staffing agencies and accountemps, too.

As for HR departments not getting back to you, with the current high levels of litigation in the US, it is rare that a company will put in writing any reasons that you may NOT have selected for a job. However, good manners goes a long way. Keep sending your thank you cards. You are on the right track.

Last note: in addition to looking for national searches on Gen Plus, try searches on www.indeed.com and www.craigslist.org for jobs in your area. Indeed is great as it compiles many online listings in one place. Craig's List offers employers a very inexpensive alternative to traditional online job posting.

Is your Dream Job out there?

A warm article on finding your dream job on eons today.

http://www.eons.com/money/feature/careercenter/11511

Might give you some inspiration as you head into the rest of your week!

2005 to today. Where are the jobs?

There are jobs. But where? If you are 50 plus, how do you find them? According to the US Department of Labor, back in December of 2005, the jobs of tomorrow were going to be in some industry supersectors, primarily: education and healthcare, and professional and business services. To the tune of an overall 5.2 million and 4.5 million jobs respectively over the 10 year period from 2004 to 2014. We're in 2007 and there is no question -- the amount of job openings in education and healthcare is amazing. Great sectors to focus on. Doesn't mean you have to be an educator or a nurse or doctor. These are all businesses that have to be run and any type of position that you'd find in other business sectors pop up in both education and healthcare arenas. I highly recommend a strong focus in your job search on these sectors. 5.2 million jobs is nothing to sneeze at (pardon the healthcare pun.)

But how does that help our 50 plussers actually get hired? Sadly, we are still about 5 years away from employers recognizing the need to recruit specifically from 50-plussers. Most employers are still finding themselves drawn to the younger worker. I get many emails from 50 plussers who believe that they have fallen prey to ageism. I'm sure they have. Only I don't believe it is always deliberate, conscious ageism. For sure, there are some cases where blatant ageism has stonewalled someone from getting a job. In many cases, however, youth wins simply because it is appealing, less expensive and more malleable as a employee.

So it means you have to be that much more resourceful than the average job seeker. Get your resume posted everywhere you can so you can be seen. Network like crazy. Do your research and target companies that interest you -- particulary in the growth sectors.

A couple of other great resources to find out where the jobs might be in your neck of the woods:

• Again, from the Bureau of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, with links to information on industry by sector
• And, the Occupational Outlook Handbook, with links to specific occupations and job prospects in those specific occupations

Help! My Resume Has Fallen and It Can't Get UP!

Recently a reader asked me to give her feedback on her resume. Rather than charge her for a resume redo, I made a few suggestions that she could implement herself to develop a winning resume.

Some of the suggestions included pumping up her Highlights and Qualifications section by really homing in on her strengths. Another suggestion was to use stronger action words in describing her duties and responsibilities in each of her positions.

The idea was that she could incorporate these changes herself at no cost and end up with a winning resume. Her challenge was that she really didn't know how to identify her strengths or how to find the appropriate action words to describe her job tasks.

So, for any of you facing the same challenge, here are a few easy tips to get you on your way. Don't spend the money on a resume re-do unless you really, really can't do it yourself.

1) Read this past "Ask Wendy" article as well as the articles linked in at the bottom of the article: http://genplus.blogspot.com/2006/02/ask-wendy.html

2) If you are having trouble identifying your strengths, ask your friends, family and co-workers if you have them, what THEY see as your strengths. Use those as your starting point.

3) There are MANY lists of action words to be found just by a simple search on the internet. Google the term "Action Words" and you'll come up with a slew of sites, such as: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/p_skilist.html; or http://www.placementmanual.com/resume/resume-02.html

4) If you need action words specific to your job responsibilities, do a more specific search. If you Google "action words, administrative resume" and you'll come up with sites like: http://www.ocs.fas.harvard.edu/students/resources/resume_actionwords.htm

5) Need some sample resumes to use as your own template? No need to reinvent the wheel. About.com always has a wealth of information for you. Go to: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/sampleresumes/a/sampleresume2.htm for oodles and oodles of resume templates and sample resumes. Or Google "sample resume" and you'll be amazed at some of the resources you can find.

Who is looking to hire?

Is the tide starting to turn for 50-plus jobseekers? Are employers starting to feel the crunch?

Maybe so. Home Depot, self-declared 50-plus friendly, has been advertising on the radio. They are aggressively recruiting. On AM radio. Who listens to the news/traffic station? Me, obviously. Typically working commuters over 45. Driving, listening for traffic reports and news on the world at large. And ads for jobs at Home Depot.

There is a tough trend happening in the work force. Gen Y'ers aren't sticking around. Costs of training and turnover are very high, but from what I am seeing in many businesses, the younger generation (Gen Y, echo boomers, boomerangs), used to growing up with the internet and a high level of information and media flowing right toward them, is, frankly, getting bored. After a few months of work, if promotions aren't coming quickly enough, they tend to leave and find another position that will afford them quicker growth opportunity, higher pay, more work-life balance (as in 70% life balance against 30% work balance -- not official stats, just Wendy observations.)

So Home Depot is looking. Really looking. For sales associates up to managers. If you are an out-of-work 50-plusser, looking to get your foot back in the game, I'd take a look for a Home Depot near you and find out who they need and if you can fit their bill. Lots of people are listening to their radio waves. Yup...I think the tide just may be starting to turn.

How the heck can you catch a recruiter's attention?

Here is some great inside info for jobseekers looking to get noticed by recruiters:

FORTY-ONE per cent of recruiters say jobseekers can best attract their attention by engaging in regular social interactions, taking out membership in business or trade associations, attending conferences and seminars, and getting involved with alumni organizations.

For executives, the best way to attract recruiters’ attention is to:

• Work for a highly regarded company 36%
• Proactively develop recruiter relationships 29%
• Be the highest performer in a department 20%
• 42 per cent of recruiters said cultural fit gives an executive the biggest edge as a job candidate, but educational background came in last at just 1 per cent.

Source: Korn/Ferry International

Trendwatch -- hot industries for 2007

Just the other day I was listening to an broadcast report on the railroads. From what I understood (still searching corroboration for these figures) in the US, the Department of Transportation is anticipating about 5000 job openings.

Why is the railroad industry picking up? With gas prices ever higher, rail transport is becoming a more attractive option compared to trucking. "I've been working on the railroad" no longer has to mean pulling out the shovel and pickaxe. There are jobs in every sector -- from in-house lawyers, to administrators, to transport experts and engineers. And more importantly, they are looking to the 50 plus demographic to help fill positions.

The other industry worth watching is vessel transport. In 2006, ships ran almost 100% to capacity and research appears to be underway to construct even larger vessels to accomodate the PanAsian surge in import. Getting into the unions is a tough call, but there are a lot of support and management positions that are always needed to run any operation and as this sector of transport continues to expand, so will job openings.

So much to do and so little time!

What are your resolutions for 2007 and beyond? If you don't know what they are yet, don't you want to figure them out? And if you do know what they are, what plan do you have in place to achieve them?

Due to requests from many different cities and countries, I'm reworking my live course: "Keep Dreaming: Creating a Strategic Plan for the Rest of Your Life" for online use which will make it much more accessible for those of you outside of the major city centers. Release is set for the New Year or sooner.

The class consists of a small amount of strategic planning theory (enough to understand the task at hand!), followed by workbook exercises designed to help you focus and shape your plan, regardless of your objective.

Send me an email at wspiegel@genplususa.com if you'd like to beta test the new program at no charge. I've only got 3 slots left for beta-testers. The rest of you will be added to the wait list and an announcement and press release will be going out as soon as the program is available for purchase.

If you want to be added to the wait list for the live class, I'm currently scheduling classes in LA, NY/Boston and Chicago for late winter/early spring. The workshop will run as a full day program (10 am - 4 pm with a 1 hour lunch break) in each of these cities. Space is limited due to the highly interactive nature of the program, so make sure to indicate which city you are interested in.

Monday, Monday

Quick tips for all the 50 Plus Jobseekers out there.

1. The number one day for job search is Monday. (You'd think that people would search NOT on work hours...but interestingly, weekends are the slowest times! So...Jobseekers are searching for new jobs while working for their current employers. Ouch.)

Most companies schedule their jobs to post on Mondays. Typically, someone on a serious job search, will note all new job postings that appear on Mondays and will have submitted their interest within the first three days of the new posting.

HR professionals expect a deluge of applications within those three days. Our site works a little differently, because when you search on Gen Plus, you are usually directed to the career site for the hiring company. Once you hit their site, you can often customize how to look for jobs depending upon how they have their internal search engine set up.

2. There are two solid strategies in job search. Look for:

• Jobs posted within the past three days on the companies home site (if they have a career page) regardless of where you found the job listed. Make sure your cover letter and resume help you stand out in a crowd -- you are competing with all the active Jobseekers;
• Jobs posted within the past month. If a job is still listed within the month, that means that no qualified candidates were found. Don't ignore old postings, as many Jobseekers do. An HR professional will look at your resume, even if the posting is old. The position is still open and they will often have incentives based on the time it takes to fill the position. For an old posting, ensure that your cover letter and resume are tailored to the job posting so that a frustrated HR professional (when a job has been open for a month, yes...the HR professional will be frustrated) takes the time to notice you.

3. Keep current. Don't wait to act on new postings. Anytime you see a new posting that fits your search, get that resume in immediately while the HR professional is really on fire to fill. No one will hold a job waiting for you to decide whether or not you should or shouldn't apply. Once a good candidate is found, a hire will generally be swift. If you submit your resume and have not heard anything for two weeks, assume you are out of the running. Your resume will generally not be kept on file, so if you see a position come up that is relevant to your skill set at the same company, re-apply.

And you'll find newest postings...on Mondays.

Jimi who?

My mother doesn't know exactly who Jimi Hendrix was. My mother, an intelligent, well-read, politically-savvy, insightful and articulate genius, really is not sure who Jimi was. Why? Because while Hendrix was reinventing electric guitar, my mother was raising four children under the age of five years old. While the sixties revolution was in full swing, my mother was coaxing us from Romper Room to the bathroom with barely a moment for self anything.

The essence of many 50 plussers was the effects of the sixties and seventies on our psyche, our motivations and our aspirations. However, I couldn't help but make a parallel with this next phase...the 50 plus phase. The information revolution is to Gen Y what the boomer revolution was to us. A new way of communication. New language, new fashion, new love, mind expansion. Gen Y also has a new language -- instant messaging and email. New fashion -- gang banger and vintage (that would be the 1980's vintage, thank you very much). New love --cyberdating, myspace predatation. Mind expansion -- information explosion.

But just as my mother isn't quite sure who Jimi was, we aren't exactly sure what Gen Y is talking about either. (And if you don't know about MySpace, then that would emphasize the point!)

When Jimi played, he couldn't read music, he couldn't write music...but he could play. With his teeth, behind his back, with waawaa pedals, with his mind. His fingers and the instrument were one.

When our youth is on the computer, their language is cyberspace. Their information is peer-driven. Their community is online. They email rather than read. And we just don't get it. But they are no different than we were. They are redefining communication for the next generations to come. Just like Hendrix defined music for a generation and opened a whole world of different possibilities.

You cannot be in the job market at 50 plus and stay in the past. And yes, the 80's are vintage. Dot com is dot done. The millenium is more than a half-decade done in. So if you are not up to speed on all things cyber, then it is time to re-educate yourself. Get on the job boards. Redo your resumes. Investigate what Gen Y'ers are doing to get themselves noticed. And do more. Get out your guitar and play your song. Jimi would nod. Gen Y would say "hey".