Make Room for Change: A Story for the Older Job Seeker

We bought a new car last week. It’s beautiful, sleek, and clean, smells good and has a great sound system. I love it but it scares the hell out of me. It has a back-up camera that makes it easier to see behind me when I put the car in reverse and I hate it. Every time I put the car in reverse to leave my driveway, I still look over my shoulder to the road. The car has a narrower back window so looking over my shoulder isn’t as safe and practical as it used to be. I'm supposed to look at a panel in my dashboard instead. It also has different temperature and radio settings that without my glasses, make it difficult to read. I can’t drive with my reading glasses so I need to figure that out too. I have to or I can't go anywhere.

My new car and my complaints of why couldn’t the manufacturers just leave things the way they were had me think of some older job seekers that I’ve worked with. Sometimes they get stuck in a cycle of “It’s too hard to change”, “Why should I change?”, “I’ve only got a few more years of work, why do I have to change” thinking. 

The other day I met with a very pleasant man who wasn’t comfortable with using any Microsoft Office tools. In his old job his assistant did that for him. When I explained that using MS Office is so expected and common now that companies assume that everyone uses it, he looked annoyed. When I asked him to check his local library, evening classes, community college or even YouTube for some instruction, it seemed like a chore. He also doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile. Today, that too is essential. 

Here are a couple of tips for the older job seeker or for anyone who doesn’t like change:
1.      Learn the skills needed to do the types of jobs that you want to pursue.
2.      Understand how your own computer works. Learn how to save files and pictures and learn how to download them into applications.
3.      Write a complete LinkedIn profile and include a photograph.
4.      Network. Use your contacts and make new ones.
5.      Update your look. Get honest feedback from a true friend or family member about your interviewing clothing and style.
6.      Update your resume to a newer format.

While these tips may seem bothersome they are essential for today’s marketplace. It’s easy to complain about a younger hiring manager or a complex hiring procedure when sometimes all it takes is a few changes to our own style and ways of thinking.

Here's another thing about my car's back up system.... when I told a friend about it she said that her in-laws feel the same way that I do. My friend is in her 50's and her in-laws are in their 80s. I'm not going to go there.

Using a Professional Resume Writer

As I have written in the past, I give Job Search Workshops. Topics include resume writing, interviewing skills, networking and job search tips for the older worker. I love giving these classes but it always amazes me that so many people are simply not prepared to start the job search. I guess that’s why they are attending the training. After every training session though, I have folks come up and ask me to review their resumes. I’d love to and I do but it can’t be done in the few short minutes before the location closes for the day or night. It’s pretty overwhelming to be handed banking, accounting, food service, teaching, management, landscaping, interior design or any other type of resume and asked if it’s any good. I just can’t answer that question in 30 seconds or less.

It is for this reason that I have added “Professional Resume Preparation” to my own resume/company description. Not only do I like to write the resumes but I find it so interesting and energizing to research various occupations and then interview the client for their hidden job talents, competencies and transferable job skills. Once the resume is prepared, my client’s can’t believe the skills they possess from their former or existing jobs and they are dumbfounded when they see their transferable job skills. I certainly don’t make these things up – I can’t. Once we start probing and get it on paper though, the client realizes that they are a very valuable commodity (I love this part of my job!)

If you are thinking about having a professional create your resume, start preparing. If you don’t have an existing resume, create something. Give them something to work with or else you may be charged for the extra leg work on the part of the resume writer. Here are some things to include in your preparation:

1. The position you are seeking (your career interest)
2. Your skills, knowledge and behaviors (see Job Competencies Blog article)
3. Your positions for the past 10 – 15 years. Include the full names and addresses of the companies. Include the dates (months and years) that you worked there.
4. Your transferable job skills (see Transferable Job Skills Blog article). Some of these activities can also be used in a community service category in your resume.
5. Your name, address, phone numbers and email addresses.
6. If you are a student or recent college graduate, list your course work, any special projects or task forces you were on in college and your summer jobs. (Those summer jobs and special projects may contain valuable transferable job skills.)

Good luck. It is difficult to put a resume together and sometimes a little push from a complete stranger will help you get it done.

Which Resume Format Will You Choose?

These days there are many articles on how to make your resume stand out from the hundreds of thousands that are flooding the job market. And while many of us have religiously updated our standard, chronological resumes, the times have changed and that format may no longer work. Personally, I had two resumes. One I kept updated for my career in learning and development and the other was for teaching school. I smugly thought I was forward-thinking to have two resumes and I swore that either one was good enough to get me into the door of the next phase of my career. Unfortunately, when I had to use my learning and development resume, I found that it was way too long and that in a round-about way, it showed my age. In addition, there was too much competition out there and many of the other applicant’s were a lot younger than me. I couldn’t have that so I changed my format.
When the economy isn’t as volatile and the unemployment rate isn’t reaching towards 10% it may be okay not to put so much effort into choosing a resume format. But when things are tough in the job market, it is critical to craft your resume to ensure you stand out in a positive way.
There are many wonderful sites to assist you select your resume format. There are also sites that will give you examples of the wording you can use for various positions. That’s fine I suppose and is a good way to get started if you get stuck on the wording but not if you want your resume to stand out. Let’s review a quick primer of the types of resume formats.

 Chronological: A Chronological resume documents work history in reverse chronological order. This format, generally liked by human resources departments and employers for its familiarity is generally used by people staying in the same field.

 Functional: The Functional resume focuses on skills and experience rather than chronological work history. This format is generally used by people with many years in the work place, those who are changing careers or those returning to work after an absence. Here, a functional job statement or summary of qualifications is provided up front and then supporting paragraphs detailing job accomplishments follow. For example, in my own resume for Learning & Development, I have a paragraph for explaining my job accomplishments in Needs Assessment, Training Design, Facilitation Skills, E-Learning and Measurement. The job history and education, are listed at the bottom of the resume.

 Combination: This format focuses on skills and experience first and then lists the employment chronological work history. This format allows you to state your most relevant qualifications up front like a Functional resume, while providing the employment history seen in the chronological format. The Combination resume is good for recent graduates or students, older workers, and also people returning to work after an absence.

 Targeted: This resume is customized to fit the job for which you are applying. It highlights your skills and experience relevant to a particular job. The Targeted resume will summarize your qualifications with the wording listed from the job description. While time consuming, the Targeted resume is very practical in today’s job market.

Whatever format you choose, it is important to evaluate your skills, knowledge and experience and hold those up against the job description. (See previous blog on Job Competencies, Transferable Job Skills and Other Tips) Is there a match? Do you feel that your skill-set matches the needs of this job posting? If you can answer yes to these questions, then go for it. And good luck!