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Countering Age Discrimination:

Laws have been passed to make employment discrimination based on numerous factors – such as race, religion and age – illegal. Those laws have been around for awhile now, and no company can claim ignorance as an excuse. But discrimination happens – sometimes because of poor training, but too often because companies have gotten sophisticated about how they do it. 

One of the most common concerns relates to the possibility of age discrimination. Applicants may have gray hair or some other physical attribute that makes it clear they’re not thirty-something, or maybe even forty-something. Less obviously, something in their background could give away age information before they ever get a chance for an in-person meeting.
A Foot in the Door

The recurring question is: How do I handle this? In other words, how can I keep from getting discarded before I even get a foot in the door? 
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Workers can survive three months without their managers

Bosses have just three months in which to fill middle manager vacancies before the lack of leadership and direction resulting from their absence has a detrimental effect on morale and productivity, a joint British and U.S survey has suggested.

Perhaps less surprisingly, the study of 400 HR directors, split evenly between the two countries, also concluded that middle managers, long considered the work-horse of management, are critical to the success of an organisation.
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Follow the leader has winners, losers:

As a child, you probably played follow the leader. But now that you’re grown, is that game a wise career choice?

Not necessarily.

Joining a former boss at a new employer turned out badly for Tom Gmitter. He became chief information officer at a Las Vegas construction company in fall 2003 so he could again work for George Langis, the company’s recently hired finance chief. However, Langis left the next spring, and his successor stripped Gmitter of key duties. As a result, Gmitter soon quit, too.
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Time to move on:

If you don’t like your job, what are you waiting for? Start looking now. “I stayed in my position for eight months (about seven and a half months longer than I wanted to). The work was boring, it was in a field I had no experience in or desire to learn about … and there was a bitter and awful office manager who had the ear of the president, and used that to constantly undermine my work.”

“This job I have now is just one more in a never-ending series of dysfunctional situations. Wayward staff, messed-up inventories, incompetence, unrealistic expectations; a myriad of other issues to deal with and no satisfaction.”
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Retired and bored? How about a job?:

Marcella Nance retired in 1996 after 24 years as an elementary school teacher with the Detroit Public Schools, and found it dull. So a year later, at the age of 63, Nance went to work for Kelly Services as a seminar coordinator for a variety of clients.

“I don’t play bridge and I don’t golf, and I decided that I didn’t want to stay at home,” she said. “I worked a long time, and I wanted to continue to work because it keeps the gray matter going. It keeps me thinking; it keeps me planning.”

Nance, now 72, represents a growing phenomenon in the American work force — older workers who are discovering new careers after retirement.
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Mock interviews serve as practice for the ‘real thing’

Regardless of the amount of experience, the interviewing process can be stressful, nerve-racking, and can even test one’s confidence.

To combat these stresses to Marist students, Career Services provides the opportunity to participate in mock interviews as well as on-campus recruitment interview. Located on the third floor of the James A. Cannavino Library, Career Services gives students the chance to learn from professionals in the field, in addition to being placed in a mock interview setting.

Mock interviews are conducted by a staff member who interviews the students in the same way an employer would. Practice interviews help to sharpen a student’s preparation skills, and builds the confidence needed to formulate a good answer to a question.
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On Breaking Free from the Job Rut

“I stayed in my position for eight months (about 71/2 months longer than I wanted to). The work was boring, it was in a field I had no experience in or desire to learn about … and there was a bitter and awful office manager who had the ear of the president, and used that to constantly undermine my work.”

“This job I have now is just one more in a never-ending series of dysfunctional situations. Way-ward staff, messed-up inventories, incompetence, unrealistic expectations, a myriad of other issues to deal with and no satisfaction.”

“I stayed in a job I hated because it wasn’t the ‘job’ that I hated – it was only parts of the job. … I felt at times like I was being dragged – down a winding hill – by a blindfolded runaway bull.”

Using a functional resume

A lot of job seekers are not sure when to use a functional resume. Many recruiters and hiring managers prefer a chronological format and may look for a reason why one is not being used. If you choose to use a functional approach, the reason should be because it is in your best interest not to use a chronological resume.

In its purest form, a functional resume does not list dates, employers, or job titles. And, unless specifically requested, submitting one is not the best way to go about getting an interview. However, a modified version may be the best way to get your foot in the door.
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Job-Offer Evaulation Checklist

Evaluating job offers can be unsettling, especially if you have only a vague idea of what you want from employers. You’ll have to do a personal-needs assessment before you can judge whether an offer is right for you. Here’s a three-step process for developing your own job-offer-evaluation checklist.

List the Basics

These are the things without which you cannot even contemplate accepting an offer of employment. For instance, determine the minimum level of compensation you’ll need to meet your financial obligations. Then add your essential benefits. How important is health insurance? Do you need coverage for eligible dependants as part of the package? What other factors are most important to you? The commute? Flextime? Just make sure your list contains the bare minimum you can and will accept — your personal bottom line.
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Resumes not just for those changing jobs

Updating your resume is a good idea not only for job seekers but also for those who are currently employed. And there’s another good reason to do so, according to W. Martin Keller, a career coach and business consultant based in Western Springs.

“Updating your resume also should be done for the following reasons, which I learned from a man who only had two employers in 50 years of working, ” said Keller.
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