Baby Boomers Confidence is Key

You may be feeling uncertain about your ability to compete in an already competitive job search. But don’t let that deter you. You have years of experience under your belt and the skill level to match. So make sure you maintain your confidence throughout your job search process. It will shine through in your resume, cover letter, and face-to-face interview.

Getting back into the workforce as a Baby Boomer isn’t an impossible task if you believe in your capabilities and make a strong effort to excel. The more proactive you are about putting yourself out there, the more success you will have in locating opportunities that can take your career to the next level.

 Top 10 tips for your writing your resume and getting your resume read:

1. Construct your resume to read easily. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly. Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively

• Use bulleted sentences.
• Resumes are read quickly.
• Bullets make it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb it

2. Put strengths first where they are more apt to be read. 

3. Use action words prepared, developed, monitored, and presented.

4. Have someone else read your resume. A second set of eyes will always catch grammatical or spelling error and the person may add valuable input.

5. To avoid appearing out of touch, Sharon Armstrong, a career consultant in Washington, D.C., urged one client fearful of seeming too old to discuss her use of Twitter and Facebook during job interviews.

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6. Sharon Armstrong also endorses the idea of keeping certain dates off resumes.

7. Once at the interview stage, Armstrong urges clients to prepare for questions like, “Aren’t you overqualified?” Older job seekers say they hear that frequently. Armstrong suggests they show enthusiasm for the job and make sure not to seem to be applying out of desperation.

8. Experts say some employers may be reluctant to hire people they assume are less flexible, more expensive or less agile with technology

Where do you post your resume see below:

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9. Updating Your Resume: If you’ve been out of the job market for a decade or more, updating your resume may be more challenging than you remember, especially when you factor in the Internet and possibly having to apply online. But that’s not all you have to think about. As a mature worker, you also have the challenge of creating a resume that showcases your years of experience without shining a spotlight on your age.

10. So how can you get this done? One way is by using a functional resume format that highlights specific skills rather than chronological timelines. When writing your skills, try going into detail regarding projects you’ve completed that have benefited your previous companies. You can also create a section that focuses on the computer technologies you’ve mastered or any training you’ve completed. All of these things can help employers focus more on your skills and talents, and less on your age.

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Lookin for Work in Your 50’s

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I just read this from the Wall Street Journal, a blog post from Jan Thomas.

She asks all the same questions, a lot baby boomers are asking! Where is the job search leading? What will be the long-term impact? How long can I sustain this state of limbo and still be confident of recovery? Is the successful part of my career essentially over?

“Jan Thomas was senior communications project manager at the Alliance for Children and Families in Milwaukee, Wisc., before her position was eliminated in May 2008. Ms. Thomas, 59, previously worked in strategic PR, marketing and communications both as an internal employee and as a consultant. She lives in Sarasota, Fla.”

You may read the rest of the article Laid off and looking here.

Related posts:

1. Baby Boomers Move to Self-Employed
2. 100 Year Old’s Club…How many Boomers will live that long?
3. 3 Rules for Using Linkedin to Find a Job

Now the Action part for finding a job or referrals…DO NOT JUST READ HOW TO OBTAIN JOB REFFERALS AND MOVE ON. DO ONE ITEM PER WEEK. How hard is that! by Brian French

Step #1

Give up on short-term results. Be willing to starve and stand on principle if necessary. If you can’t do that, it’s OK to close this report right now and delete it. This journey is not for everyone. The only way I can give you the hope of success is for you to overcome your desire to be paid first.

Embrace being different. Realize you are no longer in same business as your colleagues and competitors. Your new business creates far more value for your clients and referral partners. But face it. That old selfish job wasn’t much fun anyway.

Step #2

Realize your primary goal in business is to make it easier for people to trust and like you. Everything else is window dressing.

Be a gracious Go-Giver Recognize that it really is more fun to give than receive. When you know your connection well enough, offer to write a LinkedIn recommendation in their profile.

Educate yourself: Read and Study and share your best ideas with like minded friends. If you don’t have any like minded friends e-mail me: MYOUNG54@GMAIL.COM.

I would recommend reading three to five business books a month for the next 6 months. That should help “de-program” you from the twisted, hedonistic, toxic sales culture than we all have been trained under. The sooner you check yourself into re-hab, the sooner we can all work together.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• The Go-Giver
• The 29% Solution – Master Networking
• The E-myth Revisited
• Rainmaker
• From Good to Great
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Purpose Driven Life
• How Experts Build Empires
• The Bible

Step #3

Expect to give 5 times more than you receive in the first 6 months There is only one way for you to break through the trust deficit that plagues the world today. You must give first! Give more, and be happier about it, than the person you are giving to.

Here are some simple examples of what I mean. Avoid long-winded telephone chats. Five calls lasting 10 minutes are far superior to a one-hour diatribe. Multiple calls suggest that you are a reliable partner who will be around. A long conversation suggests you are inconsiderate of other people’s time and that your own isn’t worth much. If you call and someone doesn’t answer, don’t hang up; leave a crisp voice message saying you were thinking about them.

Step #4

Treat yourself and your referral partner like the treasure you both are.

Tell them from the beginning that you want to be a game changer in their business. You don’t want to be one of a number of referral partners they rarely contact. Let them know you are willing to take a smaller portion of business initially. But your long-term interest is to be the star, go-to person for the most important accounts your referral partner has.

If this is impossible for your potential referral partner to conceive of, politely pass on the relationship. It doesn’t matter how powerful they appear. Just pass. Many are called; few are chosen.

Step #5

FOCUS: on your referral partners’ big ticket issues

Concentrate on these two things:

• Take away their pain
• Help make their dreams come true

Learn what’s troubling your referral partners. Sally will tell you she’s afraid her new product will be a flop. William’s brother is looking for work. Let them know that every information resource that you have is on the table for them. Test yourself each night. When you lie in bed thinking about business, it should be theirs, not yours.

Step #6  

• Create a drip campaign, but keep it clean and simple. Once or twice a month write your referral partner an e-mail note. Your note should not be longer than 5 sentences (double space this note or use bullet to make it simple to read). Include up to 3 links to the subjects that you want them to study in greater detail. Make sure these subjects are tailored to their needs. Also, have these links go to your web site. It is kind of like having them visit your house. Consider your corporate logo and domain name brand as your curb appeal. Once your guests enter your site (house) serve them great quality information, be gracious and personal. Tell them how they can help you.
• Customize and personalize everything your client sees and does. Manage and automate everything else; use a scalable franchise-fulfillment model. (See the book E-myth Revisited for details)
• Be prepared to receive other people’s referrals. Have your white gloves handy.

Now Go Give!

Related posts:

1. The Professor of Harsh Reality
2. 3 Rules for Using Linkedin to Find a Job
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I read this article/post on Linkedin.com by Brian French. If you like it, then come connect with me @ http://www.linkedin.com/home and invite me myoung@sctproducts.com.

Everyone knows one of the best ways to obtain a job is by referral. As the cliche goes “It is not what you know, but who you know.”

If you are a member then get involved in different groups, invite past co-workers to connect, the list goes on and on. There are infinite possibilities.

So below is the article, lots of great useable info:

Congratulations! Just by reading this you’ll be ahead of 99.9 percent of Linkedin professionals who have a hundred contacts, aren’t using most of them and are misusing the rest.

Now stop celebrating, Dorothy. We’re not in Kansas anymore.

You may be a Harvard grad, maybe even a dragon slayer in your industry, but at Internet networking, you’re a novice.

Accept it that you’re in the third grade of Linkedin school and I’m your teacher. Pull your desk close to mine and let’s start our journey of discovery just like pioneers, with energy and an open mind. New ideas and bigger opportunities than we can imagine lie ahead for us, if we can find them.

Most of your colleagues won’t even try. But you’ve already shown that you’re different. You are about to harness a marketing power that can make you a Linkedin legend.

So let’s get started.

Rule #1

Pan for Linkedin Gold. Discard the gravel.

All Linkedin connections should be realistic candidates for business relationships. When you link up with one of the 30 million Linkedin users, the potential should exist for your partnership to strike gold. In terms of business value to you, be aware there are far more useless pebbles than valuable nuggets out there. The key is to know where to look and what to look for. If you are a recent college grad, target successful professionals with less than five years experience. If you have a decade or more of success in a profession, then try for the rainmakers.

Don’t waste time connecting to overseas users or wonder off into areas unrelated to your business. By focusing your network, you’ll have a clear, clean list of contacts. This is not a popularity contest where guys and gals with the most connections win. Unproductive connections will contaminate your network. Toss them back.

Join the right Linkedin groups – Don’t just hang out with your competitors.

Alice is an estate planning attorney who thinks she’s a perfect fit in an attorney-only group. She should think about how unlikely it is that one of those estate planners will ask for her help planning an estate. A better group for her to target would be financial advisors or planners. Just about any group of professions would be better than her competitors. If she joins a group with a linchpin relationship to her specialty, she’ll have a good chance to strike gold.

Get creative. Here are some ideas for a Chicago estate planning attorney:

Join the:

• National or estate planning or probate groups
• National and Chicago area financial planning groups
• National and Chicago area funeral homes groups
• National and Chicago realtor groups
• National and Chicago estate appraiser groups
• National and Chicago bankers groups
• National and Chicago business leaders groups
• National and Chicago home health professionals
• National and Chicago funeral home groups
• National and Chicago area charity groups
• National and Chicago area business broker group
• If there isn’t a Linkedin group that targets your business niche, create one!

When you join national groups, use your group search to find your local connections. Linkedin allows members to join up to 50 groups. If you join a group and you later decide it’s not for you, just drop out.

The first and most powerful person to connect with is the owner or creator of your Linkedin Group. The person who started the group had a purpose in mind. Become an agent in helping the creator build relationships and find business and you will have made an important ally.

Next, search for participants who have something special to offer. Maybe they own a web site that would complement your activities. Some will have written a book or appeared on radio or TV shows. Check their bios to see if they understand the principles of networking. If so, share ideas.

Rule #2

Make clear in your profile what you want from a referral partner and WHAT YOU CAN GIVE THEM!

I’m sorry about shouting, but it’s that important. Paint a clear picture of your ideal client.

Example: “My ideal client is a wealthy business owner or retiree who has more than $1 million in net worth and who lives within 45 minutes of Chicago. This individual has only done a minimal amount of estate planning and may or may not have a will.”

A demographic profile is even more useful when it includes a red blinking light that tells you: Something has changed. Be alert for these signals. Changes in life events can create problems for clients and problem-solving opportunities for you and your referral partner.

“Something has changed” details that should hit your hot button:

• A “troubling” doctor visit
• Illness or death of spouse
• Contemplation of divorce
• Birth, death or illness of parent, sibling, child or grandchild, or business partner
• Marriage or divorce of a child or grandchild or business partner
• Business has grown (or declined) significantly in the last few years
• Net worth has grown (or declined) significantly in last few years.
• Added or lost business partners
• Within 5 years of retirement
• Within 5 years on contemplating sale of business
• Job loss or business litigation

While sharing the attributes of your ideal client, also discover the client characteristics your referral partner needs.

Example: Your contact Fred tells you he’s in declining health and his business is becoming a burden and a source of worry. You should offer Fred the opportuntiy to meet with your friend Cynthia the banker, Tom the business broker and Brian the financial advisor. Simply ask Fred, who do you want to meet first?

If you keep your antennae up for opportunities for your referral partners, you are well on your way in creating a thriving network that will help you too.

Hate to share? Learn the Rule of Reciprocity

If you have an active and healthy reciprocal referral network, you are crazy not to share. It helps your original contact solve problems and it will increase your own business prospects, I promise, by eight fold.

Here’s how you do it. Say you have worked with Sam and Sarah who own business. Sarah’s cancer has gotten worse and Sam tells you he doesn’t think he can keep things going at home and at work much longer. You’ll be doing him a favor by professionally leveraging the relationship with your other partners (including):

• A retirement community move-in coordinator
• A business broker
• A business accountant
• A financial advisor
• A professional life insurance agent
• A support network (cancer recovery group, funeral home, Stephen ministries, etc)
• A Realtor
• A business consultant

Fear is your enemy. It’s the main reason people don’t refer to other professionals. They’re afraid that:

• The referral partner will provide poor service and they’ll be blamed.
• A partners’ fees are too high or his competence too low.
• The referral will be complicated or time-consuming.
• They won’t get a referral or introduction in return.

How to Conquer Referral Apprehensions

If professionals don’t reciprocate referring clients to other professionals, it’s almost always because they haven’t agreed on ground rules and haven’t created an environment in which trust can grow. Here’s how to build trust:

Require this of yourself and ALL referral partners

• Know a referral partner’s core competence and limits. Study everyone’s Linkedin bio for starters.
• Plan on how referral partners are going to get together regularly. For Linkedin connections, you could arrange weekly or bi-weekly conference calls. Attendance should be mandatory when scheduling is confirmed. A member who misses two conference calls is out.
• Agree on a service plan, such as call backs within 24 hours.
• Give discounts or service upgrades for referral partners’ clients.
• Plan to efficiently introduce referral partners. Make it clear how, where, when and by whom.
• Follow up to make sure the client is satisfied.
• Remember you’re looking for professional friendships driven by clients’ needs. You should be building referral relationships that will last as long as your career, not days, weeks or even months. If you are not thinking long-term, you aren’t a pioneer and you won’t get far.
• Agree that the client’s needs do come first. Example: Joe is a residential Realtor who cannot meet the needs of Ed, who has commercial property for sale. Joe MUST refer Ed to the appropriate party or back to the network.
• Keep score of each person’s referrals. Note when a referral partner solves a problem with extra effort. You can also share opportunities that failed. Talk about what went wrong and ask each other how it could have been handled better.
• Give a referral partner notice that they are not meeting expectations and agree on a method to replace them in network.

Rule #3

Be a Go-Giver, not a Go-Getter!

Here’s the payoff for developing a productive Linkedin network.

You’ll never have to worry about:

• Your income
• Your boss
• Your net worth
• Losing or finding a great job
• Having interesting friends
• Having free time
• Leaving a legacy in your industry

Here’s the hard part. But don’t worry. It’s only six steps.

We will have the six steps in tomorrow’s post.

Boomer54

Mark

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