Too Young to Retire – Too Old to Hire (TYtRTOtH) – If I follow the advice on job search strategies is that enough?

There’s lots of advice out here. And, it seems to me, everyone has a different perspective. For example, I attended a free workshop on how to harness the power of LinkedIn in your job search.  One presenter said, “put your picture on your profile and get as many connections as possible.” The other said, “don’t put a picture, so recruiters have to concentrate on your skill set, and only connect with those you know and have worked with over the years.”

A real dichotomy of thought and action.  And, that was just from two presenters.  The more information you get on this issue, the more likely you are to find more viewpoints and advice that runs the full spectrum.  It’s clear to me it is not possible to satisfy them all.  As a mature and experienced worker, you know what is likely to work best for you and in your profession.  Tap into your years of experience to serve you!

However, at this same LinkedIn workshop, I did pick up a few tips that seemed helpful, although I’m not convinced that they are all effective, and so far, have not led to a job for me.

·        Complete your profile on LinkedIn, remove the numbers behind your name on the link to your profile and add this link to your resume.  It functions as your own personal website.  Recruiters and employers immediately get a snapshot of you and see who is connected to you.  (You can also see who looked at your profile and how many times it showed up in searches in the past few days.)

·        Your profile also lets employers know you are current on job hunting strategies and can utilize technology (to some degree).  That’s one of the major complaints about older workers, not technologically savvy.

·        Brand yourself.  What makes you different from everyone else?  Some people have tag lines under their names on their profiles.

·        Get your connections to recommend you – NOT ENDORSE – recommend.  This gives you a reference that can be immediately accessed.  Only those with whom you have worked should give recommendations.

·        Identify your target employers – the ones you most want to work for – and see who you know working there  and/or who you know that used to work there.  If you don’t know anyone, find one of your connections who knows someone there and ask for an introduction; you’re allowed up to 5 introduction request at the same time.

·        Or, if possible, begin to cultivate a relationship with someone there you don’t know.  Connecting with someone inside your target companies is believed to get you on the inside track and a referral to the hiring manager – and – a job.

·        Utilize LinkedIn groups.  Some believe participating in the discussions will get you noticed and, eventually, a job.  I participate in the discussions because now I know about this subject and have passion and drive to help older workers find great jobs, not just something to keep the wolves from the door.

·        What I think is the main advantage of the LinkedIn groups is the job postings that don’t always appear on the popular job boards.  Join groups in your field and put them on a daily email alert.  You definitely want to see the new job postings daily and apply asap/pdq.

·        You probably don’t need to pay to upgrade you LinkedIn account.  There are plenty of ways to use it in your job search (all the above) for free.

These tactics may work for some of us (and I pray I’m one of them), but what about the rest of us?  Older workers, despite years of experience and backgrounds that meet, and often exceed, the requirements, are unemployed longer than any other segment of the population.  This situation is not likely to change any time soon — unless we do something.   I STILL THINK WE NEED TO JOIN TOGETHER and organize, advocate and lobby for change.

So, again, if you are an unemployed or underemployed worker 55+, or know of those in this predicament, please reach out to me here, or at greatjobsover55@gmail.com. There is strength and power in our voices. When we join together to bring this issue to the forefront we will be able to ensure we are treated fairly, respectfully and given opportunities that reflect our knowledge and backgrounds.

 

Next time, I’ll share ideas from those I have heard from on how to take action!   Great ideas.  I’d like to hear from you, too. 

 

Too Young To Retire – Too Old to Hire - Or One Blog and Four People Do Not a Movement Make

It’s been more than a week since my first blog, but not quite two weeks, and I’m back.  I thought the response would be greater, since hiring discrimination against older workers is certainly a major issue in America.  Both the GAO and the media confirm it and the government, in particular the Senate Special Committee on Aging, know it is a real problem.  But, there’s been little action, after all, the people who can help us all have jobs.  And, when it comes to the Senate, they are by and far, older workers.  Remember, the average age of a Senator is 62.  

Like most issues, it needs to hit home before most people pay attention, let alone take action.  You may remember from my first blog, I mentioned that a friend and I wrote the Senate Special Committee on Aging about this very problem more than a month ago.  NO RESPONSE.  And, we sent letters, the old fashioned kind, on paper, in envelopes, through the USPS, to both their Washington, D.C. offices and their offices in their home states.  I thought we’d at least get a form letter, but so far, N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

However, I did get a few responses, some on the actual blog sites, like Wordpress, but a few more on LinkedIn through the group AARP Mature Workers Network.  So, I’m not giving up!  I still want to reach out to older workers, 55+ and hear their stories, bring attention to this problem and join forces to make change.  This problem, according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, isn’t going away soon.  He predicts no improvement in employment rates for at least three years.  Since older workers experience longer terms of unemployment than other populations, this is especially BAD news.  I don’t know about everyone, but most of us can’t wait that long.

After all, it does not take long to lose the things you have worked your whole life to acquire.  We have watched our investments shrink, postponed medical treatment, exhausted savings, borrowed money, incurred debt, ruined our credit, withdrawn retirement funds and lost our homes.  Prolonged unemployment adversely affects our health and well-being in many ways.  It also prevents us from saving toward retirement, paying income taxes, contributing toward Social Security and reduces our lifetime Social Security payments because many will claim their benefits as early as possible just to survive.  Some of us may never retire.

But, if we can just get back to work, make a decent salary and are healthy enough to continue working, we may be able to defer retirement until 73,74, 75, 76 or until we drop dead on the job.  On the eve of what should be our retirements, after working hard, raising children and caring for our parents, our dreams for happy and comfortable aging are crushed.  SO SAD AND UNFAIR.  For decades we have been the employees who offered our professions and communities keen knowledge and skills and contributed greatly to the country’s fiscal health by paying a significant portion of the country’s taxes.  Yet, now, when we need relieve and rescue, we are subjected to discriminatory hiring practices, overlooked by our elected officials and basically ignored by our government. 

We want and need to work.   America can only benefit from our inclusion.  Our problem was losing our jobs, at no fault of our own, and trying to re-enter a workplace which has little value for experience and shuns older workers.  We cannot continue to suffer in silence or pursue solutions as individuals.   SO AGAIN, I AM REACHING OUT AND TRYING TO IDENTIFY UNEMPLOYED AND UNDEREMPLOYED WORKERS 55+.  WE NEED TO FIND EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE CHANGES.

Alone, we have no voice or power.  Together we can draw attention to this issue, advocate for change and ensure that older workers are hired or retrained for good jobs.   PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD.  IF YOU ARE AN OLDER WORKER WHO IS UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED, OR KNOW OF SOMEONE, AND FEEL AGE HAS BEEN A FACTOR, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY AND/OR CONTACT ME AT greatjobsover55@gmail.com.

Are you too young to retire (or not financially able) but getting the message you are too old to hire? I am organizing older workers (55+) who are unemployed or underemployed (having difficulty finding work or obtaining jobs that reflect their backgrounds and experience). I am particularly interested in identifying college educated workers who earned higher salaries ($75,000+ -"former" middle class or hanging by a thread), but am happy to hear the stories of any older workers who are struggling to find adequate employment.

I am an older worker who has been unemployed/underemployed for over 4 years. I apply for jobs daily but have had no job offers. I've had some contract jobs with no benefits, but nothing that adequately reflects my background and skills or comes close to a decent salary. I have depleted my savings and spent my retirement to stay afloat. I AM NOT ALONE. STATISTICS AND THE MEDIA SHOW THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF OLDER WORKERS IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT, MANY HAVE GIVEN UP. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM.

State and federal employment and retraining resources are of little help, primarily targeting low-income seniors or those already retired, with a focus on vocational training or certificate programs. I found nothing that targeted workers with one or more college degrees or those who seek to re-enter the workforce in positions that reflect substantial background in a field or years of experience. Without adequate paying jobs, our lifestyles, dreams of retirement and security for old age are gone.

My friend in this endeavor, a human resources professional, and I wrote to the Senate Special Committee on Aging at the beginning of this month, but, so far, have had no response. We also copied the White House, AARP and the Secretary of Labor. (I will share excerpts from the letter in a future blog.) I was also featured, along with six other older unemployed workers, in the online edition of CNN Money about this issue.
(http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/26/news/economy/over-50-unemployables/index.html)
(http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/economy/2013/02/26/too-old-hired/index.html)

We are one of this economy's greatest causalities because there is no time to for us to recover. Even with healthy employment, many of us will have to work well into our 70s and beyond. We cannot continue to suffer in silence or pursue solutions as individuals. WE NEED TO FIND EACH OTHER AND WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE CHANGES. We need jobs that can sustain us and reflect our backgrounds and abilities. I have a few ideas about how to help and I'm sure many of you do as well.

Alone, we have no voice or power. Together we can draw attention to this issue, advocate for change and ensure that older workers are hired or retrained for good jobs. SO IF YOU ARE AN OLDER WORKER WHO IS UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMEPLOYED AND FEEL YOUR AGE HAS BEEN A FACTOR, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY AND/OR CONTACT ME AT greatjobsover55@gmail.com.

Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you and working to get great jobs for workers over 55.