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For many, un-retiring has rewards

After working for 35 years as a teacher in public schools, Ellie Lyons works in kitchen at the private Shaker Road School in Concord. She is among a growing number of seniors who opt to return to work after they retire.

Eight months after he retired, Ken Chenette reached a conclusion that’s becoming more common for older Americans: To make ends meet, he’d have to mix the leisure of his later years with part-time work.

Chenette, 72, found a job easily. The State Hospital needed help in the laundry room a few days a week, and Chenette had worked there full time as a younger man.
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These employers offer seniors jobs, not pink slips

Last week, nearly 30 tour volunteers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library were “relieved of their duties.” All 30 were, as one volunteer put it, “in our 70s, or have gray hair, or in some of our cases, both.”

Library officials deny age had anything to do with the firings, saying the decision to let the volunteers go was based on the “physical and intellectual” duties of the job following the doubling in size of the campus.

The volunteers were quick to point out that many of them are actually younger than Ronald Reagan’s 77 when he left presidential office.
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Businesses face ‘perfect storm’ over talent, skills and older workers

Impending baby boomer retirements, a widening skills gap and outdated approaches to hiring and retaining talented workers are combining to produce a “perfect storm” that threatens long-term business performance, a study has suggested.

The global survey of 1,396 HR professionals by the Irish arm of consultancy Deloitte found nearly seven out of 10 felt attracting new talent was the greatest threat to their competitiveness.This was followed by the inability to retain key talent (66 per cent) and incoming workers having inadequate skills (34 per cent).”Deloitte’s new research points to an inescapable conclusion: the widening skills gap is a global phenomenon, particularly among the categories of key workers who disproportionately drive an organisation’s performance,” said Deloitte partner Cormac Hughes.”
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Job hunters face problems on the Internet
Job hunters face problems on the Internet

Job seekers are waking up to a new concern: their web identities, the crucial link in getting a crack at the best jobs today.

Most jobs are never posted; recruiters are focused on “passive candidates” who are happy in their jobs. How do the invisible jobs get filled?

Eighty percent of top recruiters use the Web to find candidates, so it’s not just who you know but whether you can be found.
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How to warm up to cold calling

The term cold calling might send a shiver down your spine. But some career specialists say this job-hunting technique, done correctly, can help you connect with prospective employers and tap into the ”hidden” job market.

Cold calling is best defined by what it’s not. It’s not networking, which career specialists agree is far more effective. Nor is it responding to an ad or a job posting.

Instead, cold calling involves coming up with a list of prospective employers and approaching each one, not knowing if there’s an opening. It’s risky, but converts point out the obvious: You need only one positive response to get a job.
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Think twice before you decide to quit

It doesn’t matter if you’re 20 years old or 50, there comes a day when you think: “I want to quit my job.”Some people get over feeling this way when their job situation improves. Others, however, never shake it. In fact, it becomes stronger every day — quitting is all they think about.You may be one of those people asking yourself: “Can I just quit? Can I afford it? Will I get another job? Will I only end up hating it just as much at the one I’m quitting? What will my family or friends think of me if I quit?”
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Job interviews can get personal

Once it was considered a faux pas for recruiters to ask about your family life or political affiliation. But today, as many more jobs are filled through social networking — friends setting up other friends — it’s more common to be asked about those or other personal topics during a job interview.

It is illegal to discriminate based on gender, race, national origin, marital status, sexual preference (in 16 states and the District of Columbia), religion, age or disability. Interviewers usually avoid asking questions on those subjects and other topics that are not directly work-related because it opens up the chance that an applicant turned down on qualifications can claim he or she was discriminated against.
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Jobseekers need strategy, good advice

Mark Sussman was pitching in at UNC Children’s Hospital, there were so many other volunteers that his contribution to the cause was of questionable worth.

Still, he hung in there simply because he knew the experience would add a little luster to his résumé.

Such is the state of today’s ultra-competitive college environment.

“There are altruistic reasons, but there’s always a consideration: ‘Will this help my résumé?’ ”
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Over-50 set says age is a barrier to finding a job in today’s market

Joyce Oliver, Jim Fennell and Sudie Brown know the pleasures of comfortable lives in the Catawba Valley.

They also know the pain of unemployment.

Like thousands of other area residents, the three have filled out countless job applications, mailed hundreds of resumes and logged seemingly endless hours on the road in recent years in search of employment.

And like many other people over 50, they suspect their age has been a primary barrier between them and the jobs they’ve sought.
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Pink slip: Be ready for bad news

Unemployment is traumatic, and people who have been there never shake the fear of going back. If you’ve spent five months job-hunting (an average amount of time) you have probably faced worry, uncertainty, and financial desperation. Here are some things you can do while you are employed so that next time you’re looking for work, the task is much, much easier.

Save money
The worst job hunt experiences are when you have to take the first job you get because you’re risking financial ruin. If you save money when you’re employed, you’ll be able to be a lot more picky when you’re looking for a new job. Almost everyone is desperate when they’re unemployed, and one of the hardest things to do in an interview is act self-confident when you’re feeling down. This task if even harder if you’re going to be out on the street in three weeks.
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