Guest blog post: Marcia Hale, MU Career Services Job Support/Outreach Coordinator-AmeriCorps member
I wandered onto a blog post from 2008 with a segment from the “Today” show on age discrimination and job seekers. From the career experts interviewed and the over 40 job seeker, the conclusion was “yes, it’s real, and yes you can do something about it”. In the “Today” segment two bits of advice were featured-appear more “tech savvy”and a complete resume revamp eliminating anything that points to your age. If you’ve had a resume review with us in Career Services, we’ll tell you (if you are one of our more “seasoned” students/alumns) to move away from Chronological resumes to functional resumes. Eliminate the dates, even your graduation dates (unless they were VERY recent). Accentuate your skill sets and your accomplishments, and as hard as it may be, drop everything that is over 10 years ago. When you create a “functional” resume those skills gained ten years ago are still there, they just aren’t individualized specific to the job place. (Career Services is offering a resume workshop Jan 26 from 4:30-6:00, register at careerevents@marylhurst.edu or call for an appointment 503-699-6271).
The “Today” show segment also concentrated on having a very hip online image, (and remember that segment aired in 2008). A teleseminar I listened to on Tuesday, featured career expert and author of Careerealism, JT O’Donnell who was very blunt when asked about “age discrimination”. She pointed out, “all hiring is discriminatory…only one person is going to be hired!” This career coach also encouraged, (well actually she was much more forceful than just “encouraged”) job seekers to stop thinking of themselves as job seekers. Her advice was to start thinking of yourself (and the skills you offer) as a “business” a “business of one”. As a “business” you’ll want to market yourself in as many ways as you can to be noticed and “selected” by the potential customer out there…the hiring manager.
Like any business there are multiple ways to market. Very few businesses operate without a strong on-line presence. A strong business has a website, a facebook or myspace page, most now twitter. Those businesses also do traditional advertising (radio, tv, print, mass mailing) but adding that online piece is critical to their success. In the “Today” segment the over 40 job seeker went out and hired a young web designer to completely re-do her website, she had hair and makeup professionally done and had a 20 year old friend pick her wardrobe for her photo shoot. Once her “marketing package” with her new “look” was up and running, she sent out the new resumes, many to the same companies she’d not heard back from. Result: She got interviews AND job offers.
If you don’t have at least a “linkedin” profile up AND 100% complete, make that this month’s goal! 80% or more of all employers are searching your online profile when they look at you as a potential hire. Large companies have computers that review your resume before a human ever does, they are searching for keywords. The “Today” segment touches on how to determine keywords. What else can you do? Start a blog, it’s free usually, and make sure it’s showcasing the unique brand that is you AND what you offer to the world.
You’ve always heard that you have to make a strong first impression, is it time for a “makeover” both physically and “virtually?” It’s January, the quintessential time to upgrade, start new, refresh, reinvigorate. Here are those links:
here’s the link to the “Today” show clip
