How Older Workers Can Compete (and Win) in Todays Job Market

How Older Workers Can Compete (and Win) in Todays Job Market How Older Workers Can Compete (and Win) in Todays Job MarketIts been said that getting old is not for the faint of heart ... and thats perhaps truer in the workplace than anywhere else.A 2017 AARP workforce survey of employees age 45 or older showed that 61 percent of respondents said they have either seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Of these, more than half believe that age discrimination begins when workers reach their fifties.From this, we see that age-related discrimination isnt going away any time soon. However, if youre an older worker, you can keep it at westindischer lorbeer with the right tactics. These includeLearning and practicing strategies that prevent you from being seen as obsoleteClearly showing that your experience is valuable to (and lucrative for) your companyKnowing your rights when it comes to being hired and fired, and knowing how to make yourself stand out by tailoring your re sume and using hiring technology wiselyStretch your comfort zoneHere are some ways to stay competitive in todays job market and in your own specific employment role, as well as stretch yourself out of your comfort zone.Keep learning Whether you want to strengthen a current skill or acquire new knowledge to enhance your career, education keeps your mind sharp and shows that youre still interested in being your best for not only yourself, but also for your company.Improve your technological skills For some of us, this means moving rather far outside our comfort zone but it can provide a huge payoff in getting key projects that will paint you as a valued team member. If youre in a job search, you can get hired more quickly if you have current technical skills.Get on social media The best place to start is LinkedIn because you can build your brand on a site thats meant for business connections. Youll be seen by others in your industry as well as your company, allowing you to build rela tionships and show that youre up-to-date on todays networking tactics.Find a sponsor A sponsor is someone who is willing and able to create opportunities for you in your company. Try to work on projects that will make you visible to a potential sponsor so you have someone in your eckball as you take more risks.Be a mentor As your sponsor mentors you, do the same for an up-and-coming co-worker or team member. Theres a lot you can learn from each other as you work on your goals. Youll have a colleague who sees you as experienced instead of old and who may well go to bat for you if age issues arise.This kind of personal growth can be key to an older worker landing and keeping a job without fear of age discrimination.Know (and share) your valueTake the time to understand and articulate your value and the value you would bring to the company in your position.Once you have it, share it. Keep your managers and team members updated on your accomplishments in and out of work. You can also st art and maintain a brag book to make it easier to recall and share all the relevant details of your recent accomplishments.Related The One Thing Successful People Do to Get AheadUnderstanding your value also means challenging your own assumptions about being an older worker. Are you avoiding the choice assignments because you think your manager wants a young team? Do you think youre too old for additional responsibilities? Your own assumptions can end up hindering you in the long run. You have valuable experience to share that could help a younger team avoid unnecessary pitfalls, save time, and create better revenue structures. That kind of experience only comes with many years of productive work, and no one will know you have it if you dont tell them.Be aware of your legal rightsOne of the best ways to avoid age discrimination in the hiring process is to not give away your age and legally you dont have to.There are two ways to avoid putting your age on a resumeDont include the yea rs you graduated from high school or college.Keep your resume to two pages that cover your most relevant and recent work experience from within the last 1015 years.When submitting an electronic resume that requires a graduation date in order to complete the submission, use the 9999 trick Type all nines into the date field. This satisfies the fasson requirement while not giving away your age.For employed older workers, keep an ear out for any age-related negative conversations or jokes and document everything. Being fired for your age is hard to prove, but the documentation can help you leverage a better settlement from the company or help in a lawsuit if you choose to go that route.By 2022, nearly 35 percent of workers will be age 50 or older, says AARP. On the flip side, studies say that around 58 percent of millennials will spend just three years or less at one job before moving to another. This could mean good news for those older workers who are staying abreast of workplace cha nges and arming themselves with the right education, training, and networking.Finally, as older workers navigate todays ever-changing job market, this quote from author and entrepreneur Richie Norton is a great daily mantra to keep in mind Success is not about age, its about action.Choose your actions and prove that older doesnt equal obsolete.Click on the following link for more advice on how to get ahead.Is your resume helping you or hurting you by revealing your age? Check with a free resume review from TopResume todayRecommended ReadingA Guide to Combating Ageism in Your Senior Job SearchAsk Amanda How Can I Overcome Ageism in the Job Search?How We Helped This Professional Who welches Stuck In His Toxic JobRelated Articles

The New Fuss About Resume Writing Service Specials

The New Fuss About Resume Writing Service Specials The organization utilizes an individual approach to each customer and customizes every resume. When youre doing a written assignment for a postgraduate level, its. Ask to see samples of prior resumes, which can help you get a sense for the grade of the services work. The Basic Facts of Resume Writing Service Specials A properly formatted ASCII e-resume lets you cut and paste your resume in the body of an email, send it over any email system on earth, and be sure your resume will look the exact saatkorn no matter where its sent. Write your resume with the proper format-Your resume need to have a format that favors you. If you would like a plain resume and you may write your own content, the tool will offer you the format. Scannable resumes need specific page designs because computer scanners cannot read certain products. Resumes Planet Review If you desire an organization that has good resume writing services reviews, Resumes Planet may be a good choice to think about. Bottom Line If you enjoy securing a discount, Resume Writing Service is among the best resume writing services to think about. One other great thing which makes Resume Writing Service one of the very best rated resume writing services is they frequently offer discounts. Suggestions For Writing A Good Resume whenever you are writing your resume, you should have lots of knowledge for your resume to be attractive and convincing. Do you feel you wont be in a position to compose the complicated essay on Financial Risk. Our reviews contain details like the score of the clients, our rating, starting prices, Discounts, and grade of the papers. The reviews of an internet essay company are the following thing you should investigate if youre. If you cant locate a review on a specific company you want to know more about, I advise that you take a peek at our top rated resume writing services and zupflmmel one from the list. Using Resume Writi ng Service Specials Essay, its probably worth thinking about a few general principles for writing. Consult with the section on Referencing before you get started writing your assignment. Write my essay is frequently the catchphrase of students who find it tricky to compose papers. If you are a person who has searched for essays online then you understand how difficult it is to find. Needless to say, the best method to discover such assistance is if you have a look into the top rated professional resume writing services reviews. For starters, although the company has done a good job in making the site design and content, theres a critical absence of service options on it. If youre looking for a custom writing service, which will support you throughout the college years, youve come to the proper address When you are working to select the best resume writing service to boost your resume, its simple to be overwhelmed with options.

Hey Employers, your Employees are People Too

Hey Employers, yur Employees are People Too A bizarre thing happened in my personal life this past weekend that can easily translate into a lesson for the professional world. I regularly attend church. So, I went out of town over the weekend and returned home to a new pastorwith no explanation as to why. Let me give you some backgroundThe church I attend is a satellite and there are many, many satellite churches around the world in this ministry. The founding church is in Michigan.During Wednesday night bible study, our regular pastor welches there. Yet, on Friday evening service, the congregation welches informed that he would no longer be pastoring the churchand that was it.No explanations. No opportunity for questions. No nothing.Now, take into account that this man and his family (my pastor) have been leading this church for the past six years. Many people (including myself) developed a close, personal relationship with these people. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, they have been ripped from being our spiritual leaders.No contact information was provided so we dont even know if well ever see them again. And the most disturbing part is the way this situation is being handled.The founder shortly addressed the congregationI have an announcement to make, XYZ will no longer be the pastor here. I am the new pastor. Alright, open up your bibles.I kid you not it was that simple.Something huge has happened that affects the church members (and their lives) and not only is the founder not offering details, he also isnt giving them a say-so in who is next to pastor them. Hes treating members, the base off his ministry and its success, as if theyre insignificant.This unfortunate event made me think about business operations and how those in positions of authority treat their workers. Employers, please remember, your employees are people too and deserve to be treated as such. And the f ollowing are just three of the many ways to do just that1. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Show respect at all times, no matter who the person is. Just because your job title or status may be higher than another workers doesnt mean your humanness is any greater than theirs. Your employees are adults and all proved themselves enough to be hired for their positions. Treat them accordingly.Do not talk down to employees or disregard their concerns. This harms employee engagement and morale, which inevitably decreases productivity and increases employee turnover.2. Keep employees up-to-date. Members at my church were shocked to come to church and hear 1) their pastor was gone and 2) no explanation for this occurrence. It was sudden and unexpected seeing as how many just saw him two days before at the Wednesday bible studyand the fact that they werent permitted to receive any more information made it worse.Employees need to be up-to-date all the time on whats taking place within the company. If a manager or supervisor is on his/her way out, inform the persons workers. And if a sudden change in leadership does occur, give employees as much information as possible and answer their questions to resolve possible conflicts. Dont not give them the opportunity to ask questions or inquire about the new change. Your workers are the backbone of the company and play an integral role in its success. Dont keep them in the dark as if they arent a part of them team.3. Practice your presentation. The church founder was short, seemingly unernst and his approach came off as rude. It was as if he didnt care enough about his own members to approach them compassionately. At the end of his 30-second announcement, he even said youll get over it. His approach totally disregarded the feelings and concerns of members upon hearing that their pastor(s) were suddenly gone.Presentation is everything. Workers can tell by your approach whether or not youre engaged or concerned about them.4. Follow the Golden Rule. Its pretty simple treat others how you want to be treated. As stated in point no.1, your employees are people just like you. The CEO, CFO and any other kind of officer is no more human than the mail clerk or entry-level worker.

Millennials dont give to charity often but when they do it is a lot of money

Millennials dont give to charity often but when they do it is a lot of moneyMillennials dont give to charity often but when they do it is a lot of moneyAre Millennials really the most self-obsessed generation? It seems not, according to two Princeton researchers who examined charitable donations and analyzed how Millennials philanthropy stacked up against earlier generations. Their preliminary findings were published in the American Behavioral Scientistunder the title,Are Millennials Really So Selfish? by researchers Harvey Rosen, John L. Weinberg Professor of Economics and Business Policy Emeritus at Princeton University, and recent Princeton graduate Peter Koczanski.My colleague and I are both interested in the economics of altruism, said study author Harvey S. Rosen told PsyPost. The altruistic behavior of the Millennials (or lack thereof) has received a lot of attention, and we were struck by how little careful statistical work has been done to back of various assertations by pun dits and others. We knew of a dataset that might be useful in investigating this question, so we decided to see what we could learn from it.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraThe researchers examined Philanthropy Panel Study, which included information about the philanthropic behavior of nearly 15,000 U.S. households for every other year from 2001 to 2015. Researchers analyzed information from that dataset for the study.The researchers found that after controlling for a number of factors, Millennials gave charitable gifts slightly less often. However, all things being equal, it was discovered that when they did give, they were more likely to donate more sometimes up to 16% more.What we found is that if you take into account a whole bunch of variables that influence giving such as income, wealth, ethnicity and so on then the likelihood that a Millennial makes a gift is someone l ower than the preceding generations, said Rosen on the Fresh Research Podcast. But if you look at just the people who make a gift, the amount of the Millennial give tends to be more than their predecessor generations.No word yet on whether contributing to their friends Kickstarters count as charitable giving.

Open Source vs. Public Domain Software Applications

Open Source vs. Public Domain Software ApplicationsOpen Source vs. Public Domain Software ApplicationsOpen source software allows users to access and alter the source code of the program itself. The source code is basically a list of commands that dictate how the program executes. Some open source applications have restrictions on their use and distribution, but many do not. Is There a Difference Between Open Source Applications and Public Domain? Open source applications are not under public domain, and this allows people to freely use their works. Public domain software typically does not allow access to source codes, although this is not always the case. Open source software does have copyrights. Sometimes the term open source is used interchangeably with public domain software, but theyre not the saatkorn thing. The Determining Factors Are Copyrights or Use Restrictions The key distinction between OS and public domain software is not whether the source code is accessible, but whether there are any licensing requirements or other restrictions on using the program, altering the source code, redistributing the program oron the copyright.If there are, it is open source, not public domain software. Open Source Initiative, a 501(c)(3) California-based nonprofit, offers a very detailed and legal definition of open source software, who can use it,and how. They also have a greatalphabetical listingof companies that offer open source software if you wish to investigate a particular company.OpenSource.orgis a great place to find out more about how you can develop, collaborate and use OS software. Other Important Distinctions OS software can be freely shared, used, and even changed by anyone. Its developed through the contributions of many and distributed under licenses that must comply with certain criteria for use. The license cannot discriminate against anyone. In other words, you cannot bar certain groups of people from using the software. It must allow for derived works. Examples Open source software comes in all shapes and sizes and can serve multiple purposes.Examples include LINUX, Apache, Firefox, KOffice, Thunderbird, OpenOffice, KOffice, and SquirrelMail. Firefox is a simple web browser, whereas LINUX is more complicated. Its a UNIX-based operating system. OpenOffice is an office suite offered by Apache. In the case of OpenOffice, you can download and install the program on pretty much any computer for free, even if you install it on multiple computers. Make copies and pfote them out to friends and family. There are no license fees. Use it as you would any other word processing, spreadsheet or database program. And if you have a problem such as that a bug pops up or if you think you can make it better, you can report it or just tweak the issue yourself. The program allows users to enhance it, according to Apache. Is It Safe? Anytime you allow access by multiple users, the issue of viruses arises. Proceed with cauti on and make sure you have a good anti-virus application in place when you access open source software.

Screen Candidates to Find the Elusive Needle in the Haystack

Screen Candidates to Find the Elusive Needle in the HaystackScreen Candidates to Find the Elusive Needle in the HaystackScreen Candidates to Find the Elusive Needle in the Haystack Mazzeo, Paul Oyer and Scott Schaefer, authors of Roadside MBA Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives and Small Business Owners (Business Plus, 2014)Screening candidates, whetherbei its reviewing rsums, conducting interviews, or checking references, is costly. Time spent interviewing candidates is time that a small business owner isnt spending on other essential activities.Hence, its important to minimize the cost of employee screening when possible, and also to balance the cost of screening against the benefit of making better hires.Recruit by Playing Hard to GetAt Southside Family Fun Center, Richard reduced the cost of screening by playing hard to get. That is, he set up small hurdles that an applicant must overcome in order to have his or her application receive consideration.Note first that Ri chard required applicants to apply in person. This might well be a hassle for applicants especially compared to an online job application process but this is precisely what Richard wants.To see why, imagine two potential job applicants one who knows that shes a good match for Richards job and stands a good gelegenheit of getting an offer, and another who doesnt care much for bowling or cleaning and figures hes a long shot to get an offer.The first applicant is needle, and Richard very much wants her to apply. The second, though, is just hay, and mora hay in the stack means more costly screening work to identify the good candidate from among a mass of rsums.Richard would prefer that the second simply not apply.Ask More of the ApplicantThe key to this logic is that job seekers compare cost and benefit when making decisions about what jobs to apply for. A person who has little chance of getting an offer wont bother with the hassle of applying. If, on the other hand, that same person thinks shes a great fit for this job, then the hassle cost probably wont deter her.A small hassle cost of applying deters hay more than it does needle and means that Richards overall pool of applicants is tilted a bit more toward better candidates. Note, however, that Richard still got 176 applications (likely attributable in part to the high local unemployment rate).How could he work through this pile of paper efficiently? Richard described his next step We put right on the ad Bring a pen, and the first five through the door didnt have a pen. So I just said, How do you expect to get a job when you dont pay attention to the rules? People just scattered. At the end of the day, there werent but five that we were interested in talking to.How to Play Hard to GetSurely Richard had pens sitting around the bowling alley back office this is not about the pens. Instead, Richard is putting up a second hurdle. To receive serious consideration, an applicant had to read the ad carefully enough t o know to bring a pen. Again, this is precisely the sort of small cost that will tilt the pool in a favorable direction.The applicants who think they are a good match for the job will be more fastidious in reading instructions than those who think they are a long shot. The play-hard-to-get strategy works by giving serious applicants the opportunity to separate themselves from the rest by incurring small costs that demonstrate their belief that theyre credible candidates.By playing hard to get, Richard was able to reduce his pool to a manageable five, and it was this group that received a full rsum review, interview, and reference check.Its often counterintuitive to managers when we encourage them to play hard to get. If Im serious about hiring, people wonder, then why would I want to discourage applications? The answer is that its always good to deter applications from bad matches the last thing you want is a bigger haystack when what you need is that one elusive needle.And while Ri chards hiring problem was indeed difficult, he did catch one break We had a few people come in that day wearing pajamas, he said, shaking his head and laughing. None of these individuals made the second round.Excerpted from the book ROADSIDE MBA by Michael Mazzeo, Paul Oyer, and Scott Schaeffer. 2014 by Michael Mazzeo, Paul Oyer, and Scott Schaeffer. Reprinted by permission of Business Plus. All rights reserved.Author BiosMichael Mazzeo is an associate prof of management and strategy at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management.Paul Oyer is a professor of economics at Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Business. Scott Schaefer is a professor of finance at the University of Utahs David Eccles School of Business. More at Roadside-MBA.

This is why meetings wreck productivity

This is why meetings wreck productivityThis is why meetings wreck productivityMeetings are time killers and are often used in large companies by managers to make themselves look busy. In big companies, communicating that work is being done is often more important than actually doing any real work.This should have been an emailFirst, most meetings are completely unnecessary, and many could be replaced with an email. Ive worked in several Fortune 500 companies and at least half of the work hours were consumed by an endless parade of meetings rather than actually getting work done. While working for a large bank, I had over 36 hours of meetings scheduled in a single week. ( I welches actually booked for 44 hours, but was double or triple booked for a few).To make things worse, most meetings are scheduled for an hour by default, even if the agenda (if there even is one) could be handled in 20 minutes. This encourages a lot of time wasters during the meeting and removes any sense of urgen cy to move things along.You could be doing something elseThen there is the opportunity cost of the meeting itself. If you are in a meeting for an hour, that means you arent doing something more productive - like actual work. Most people have become pretty good at multitasking during meetings and keeping up on email, but that means they are only half paying attention, so whats the point?Start/StopBut the ultimate productivity killer is the constant start/stop in during the day that keeps you from any deep work. Imagine for a moment that you have 4 one-hour meetings scheduled in a day, and 4 hours of actual work to accomplish. However the meetings arent scheduled in a single back to back 4 hour block, but are scheduled every other hour 9am, 11am, 2pm, and 4pm all in different areas of the building. Every other hour youll need 10 minutes to get to and from each meeting, including packing up your laptop, grabbing your phone, maybe stopping at the bathroom or refilling coffee. Then when you get back to your desk it takes you a few minutes to get refocused, launch your applications and dig into your work which you can do for about 30 minutes until you have to leave for another meeting.The best case in this scenario is that you will have four 30 minute blocks of time to get any real work done, which is exactly what happens at most large organizations - most everyone in a large meeting plagued organization only gets 2-3 hours of actual work accomplished in a day.Anyone who actually wants to get work done has to show up at the office early to get an uninterrupted jump on the day and stay later to finish any work before they leave. That leads to 60 hour work weeks, which has been shown in itself to destroy productivity. Its a vicious cycle that sucks productivity out of an organization and energy out of its people.Bernie Klinder is a serial entrepreneur, investor and consultant. This article first appeared at Quora.