Older workers have tougher time

People 50 and over have a much harder time finding work than younger folk, this dismal article reports. In my experience hiring, "older" workers had a much better work ethic than younger ones. I think employers may be shooting themselves in the foot here.

A Robert Half executive echoes what this blog keeps saying: clean up your online presence. Employers look. Post carefully. If there's an online bio section, use it.

Keeping track of your contacts on LinkedIn may be easier with Signal. The web site introduced this feature 8 months ago.

You'll probably change fields to get a new job, this survey says.


Ideas on how to find a job successfully are at
How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download

Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)


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Handwritten, feedback and specific

Two good points from this article:

the follow up note after the interview ought to be handwritten.

if you don't get the job, ask the interviewer for feedback (the worse they can say is no and you've already experienced that)

Someone else complains they've applied to "so many places" without result. Yeah, guy, it's a dead strategy.

Salespeople are told if you make a certain number of calls, you'll get a predictable number of responses. Knowing 1 out of 10 customers buys encourages you to keep at it.

But presumably the salesperson is going after targeted prospects. The potential customer has a need the salesperson could fill.

Job hunting today has to be targeted too. Carpet bombing every available employer may mean you're not taking the time to develop the relationships with (and learn about) specific employers.

Looking for work today is not a blind date. You need to know A LOT about the company BEFORE you apply.


Put it all together with How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download
Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)


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Only in California

Visalia, California has installed two $30,000 mechanical dispensers where people can get job hunting books, DVDS and materials.

Have you thought of using igoogle to coordinate your job search? This article describes how to do that.

Are you a veteran? 6 online sites to help you find a job are outlined here.


More information is available in
How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download

Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)

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photostock

Watch out for job fraud

Companies that want money up front or want you to deposit a check they send don't have a job for you, this report says. Steer clear.

The US economy added nearly a quarter million jobs last month, according to the New York Times. (Despite that, the unemployment ticked up 2/10 of a percent.)


For an edge up, check out How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download

Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)

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35% of employers saw something online and cut a candidate

Set up your Facebook account to email you when someone posts on your wall, this article advises. Monitor your wall and remove material which doesn't contribute to your professional image. Set up a Google or Yahoo alert to email you when your name appears online. 35% of employers have nixed a candidate because they spotted something on the Net. (Good advice. I would give you the link but the site generates annoying pages.)

When James Challenger of the executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. writes something, it's got to be worth reading. Here he's pointing out pitfalls the experienced person can avoid in job hunting.

How to downsize & what to show on the Internet

A good article on downsizing when looking for work says there's 3 things to remember:

Tell why you're shooting for a lesser job than you had before

Explain you'll bring more productivity to the job than someone with less experience

Combat fears you'll move on

Remember to be professional and mature across the Internet, this interview reminds us. The party pictures on Facebook should be set so only friends can see them.

Get more advice from

How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download

Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)

Don't apply "everywhere"

One high school article advises students to apply "everywhere" even if they don't meet the qualifications asked for.

This is poor advice. Plus it clogs up the process for everyone else. Modern job searching is targeted. There are 4 people applying even for every minimum wage job.

Now if you've got something to offer instead of the requirement, that might be worth a try. They want 5 years of job experience as a wrangler. You grew up helping your dad who was a rodeo champion. There's something you can run with.

Last year 60,000 people applied for 13,000 minimum wage jobs during McDonald's national hiring event. A bleak but perhaps accurate of the job situation is here.

This article agrees--you've got to go after someone specific. It suggests asking for an informational interview to find out about the company--never mentioning you're looking for work.

Some recovery. One economist says we've regained only 1/5 of the jobs lost during the recession.

For a step by step approach to finding a job the modern way, check out How to Find a Job. Available for just $1.50 from Kindle or Nook. Or instant PDF download

Job hunting expenses may be tax deductible. Check with your accountant. (Report: 4,566 words)