Employment Digest

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The Job Ad

You’ve been sitting there for about an hour now, waiting for an answer to the question that is slowly driving you mad: What is the recruiter looking for?

There’s this position, you see, and you know lots of other people are going to apply for it. You want to make sure that your resume and cover letter cinch the job for you — not somebody else. But how? How can you know which skills will keep you in the running? What work experience will land you an interview?
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New hire protected by age bias rules

Q. I went for an interview and fared so well that I expect the company to hire me. I don’t know how the interviewer will react once he finds out I’m 66 years old. I am worried about what happens if I get the job. Can the corporation force me to retire a few years from now? Also, I’m on Medicare; so how would the company handle my health benefits?

A. The news is good. And it will help you train your focus where it really belongs right now: on getting hired.
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Leave your job in a halo, not in a huff

Leaving your job can be stressful, whether you’re moving on by choice or if you’ve been fired.

Even though emotions may be running high, now isn’t the time to let them overwhelm you, writes M. Rose Jonas in her new book, “Can I Lie on My Rsum?” Put your best face forward, even if you’re angry, scared or excited about leaving.
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Talent drain needs fix

A talent crisis for most workplaces is not years or even decades away, according to the latest survey from professional services firm Deloitte & Touche.

It is already here.

Through December and January, Deloitte surveyed 123 human resources executives at companies across the nation for insight into how their companies are dealing with retirements of their most experienced and productive employees.
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Online job posting good first step

Q: I’ve been job-hunting the old-fashioned way, but am curious: Should I put my resume on all those online career sites, given the millions already posted there?

A: Absolutely. If you’re like most of us, a new job is elusive quarry best tracked with every possible bow in your quiver. There’s no good reason to skip an online resource that won’t cost you a penny and could even end up getting your resume onto the computer of a good recruiter.
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Working-age people with jobs on decline

Dick Merrill lost his sales job at a metals company two years ago. He networked with people in the business, sent out hundreds of resumes for sales positions in other fields, but nothing turned up. Frustrated and a bit discouraged, his full-time search for work petered out.

“I looked for probably six or seven months really hard and couldn’t come up with anything at all,” recalls Merrill, who is now 56 and lives in Reading, Mass. “It was very exasperating,” Merrill remembers. To help pay the bills, he turned to painting houses.
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Grizzled veterans can find job change daunting

Can staying at the same job for most of your career cause problems?

Last week, I wrote about the symptoms and cures for an interrupted career path. That’s a career in which the worker left the work force to take care of someone or to tend to a personal illness or injury, creating a long period of unemployment.
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Checklist can help job hunt succeed

Question: I was recently laid off from my most recent job as an executive assistant. I have been in this field for more than 10 years and have been applying to no avail for positions that I know I am qualified for. Should I try changing my rsum?

Answer: The rsum is but one of many potential hotspots to focus on if interviews are not forthcoming. Stellar qualifications and an effective marketing strategy should place you in contention for the openings that do exist. Run through the following checklist to highlight strengths and close potential gaps in your approach:
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Smart networking has subtlety, mutual help factor

How networking works: Networking wherever and whenever you can might not always be a good idea. That’s a concern of Gail Golden, a consultant at RHR International Co. RHR is staffed by psychologists that specialize in the management and development of people. Based in Wood Dale, it has 15 offices worldwide.

“Walking up to strangers and asking for a job is the kind of behavior that gives networking a bad name,” said Golden, who has an MBA and a doctorate in psychology.
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Why “Blink” Matters: The Power of First Impressions

Professional speakers and trainers have long asserted that people make up their minds about people they meet for the first time within two minutes. Others assert that these first impressions about people take only thirty seconds to make. As it turns out, both may be underestimates. According to Malcolm Gladwell, in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, the decisions may occur much faster - think instantaneously or in two seconds. His findings have serious implications for organizations.
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