Work At 50 Plus

Crisis In Leadership vs Financial Crisis

2009-04-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put in my analysis of how our economic system got where it is today. There are innumerable opinions and analysis for all to partake. As we can see there were many senior executives that were paid ungodly amounts of money to make bad decisions. When I say bad decisions, I mean the type that makes the ground floor employees shake their head in disbelief. These highly paid executives didn't seem to have the brain power to make the simplest decision. AIG management is a great example. They changed there name to AIU. Brilliant! No one would notice it was the same company. Two months later they are changing their name again. Why? Because the second was too much like the first. So all the business cards and stationary and all the associated media and print material must be changed again. There are a lot of hard working lower level workers out there right now saying "If I had done that I would have been fired". My guess is, if they had consulted there employees they would have told them it was a mistake and made suggestions on a better name. This kind of arrogance and foolishness is not limited to AIG. Any number of companies that are having financial difficulty could trace their problems to lame leadership. Why do top executives run a company into the ground and then get paid like hero's. I think it is because they are a member of the "club". Directors on the boards, CEO's and the rest treat the company as their personal toy. I know of one instance where a company made up expensive laminated signs that were never posted while cutting back on staff. For one executive that worked at this company it was too much. He left and went to another firm. Part of the problem is the size of some companies. They are too large and the management is to far from where their business is really taking place. The only thing they have to direct them is financial reports and that is only part of the picture. Many people have lost their lively hoods, homes and families because very powerful executives made selfish and greedy decisions. We need leaders that will do what's right for their companies and employees. People that can see down the road and make wise decisions. These people are out there and need to step forward to bring sanity back to the business place.

Need Contributing Writers

2007-02-26T14:13:00.000-08:00

In order to make this blog more interesting I am looking for professionals from different categories of business to help workers and job seekers in the 50 plus age group. Please submit articles to my email address for review.

Everything Is Sales

2007-02-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

I went to a job interview recently. Before I went I spent a few hours doing preparation for the interview. Learning about the company that I was interviewing with and about myself. Read the job description carefully and note how you can fill each desired skill and duty. I reviewed potential questions that I might be asked and then filled in some notes to help me remember the answer. Reading off a piece of paper in an interview you say? Not exactly. I just had them to spur my memory on some of my answers. I also had questions for my interviewers as well. Remember that you are in competition with other candidates and you have to set yourself apart from them and that boils down to features and benefits. When you have the opportunity to show how good you are you need to take full advantage of it. If you have a skill talk about the skill, but don't stop there how did that skill work to fix a problem or open up and opportunity? For instance; "Have you had any sales training?" You could say you have had a lot of sales training and leave it at that. I suggest that you talk about what training and how you put that sales training into effect and some of the creative things you did to use the training. Don't leave out the results. If you had great results then say what they were. I would suggest that you stick to events that had good results. You don't want to get to the end of the story and say it was a total failure. You may be asked about your, shall we say, less successful, enterprises anyway. You don't want to tell them about two bombs. Bring several copies of your resume. You should have one for yourself to refer two as well. Rehearse your answers, in a mirror if you have to. Here is a link to some helpful interview tips. Remember to go into your interview fully prepared. One last thing make sure you close the sale. "Do you consider me a candidate for this position".

Interviewing Well Is A Process

2007-02-05T06:39:00.000-08:00

Some people interview well. They just intuitively know what to say and have a stock pile of anecdotes to tell. I used to ask myself why I couldn't be like that. Then I figured out that I could. It's called preparation. Part of that preparation is research. Having some idea of what you are going to be asked and having a few questions of your own. Know what potential employers will ask you and having the answers could give you the edge over other applicants. Be serious about having the answers. Write them down rehearse them. Know them. Learn about the company you are interviewing with. Look at their website. Find areas where you can fill a need in the company. Show that you have done your homework. If you think you are not interviewing well you could call back some of your interviewers and ask how you could have done better. You need generate every advantage you can.

Organize yourself!

2007-01-31T20:38:00.000-08:00

In order to be successful and efficient you need to be organized. Have a good calender with spaces big enough for notes and appointments. I tried using a mini day planner. It was just to small. There wasn't enough room for notes on meetings and interviews. I needed a list of questions to ask at the interview with some notes on the company. I also needed some additional space that would not damage a resume if I put one in there. What I settled on was a leather portfolio that had a standard pad of paper and a open pocket on the opposite side for a calender of about the same size. I have an additional pocket on the outside. It works great for me because I can grab that and know I have everything I need. You, of course, have to make that decision. I am very technology oriented, but you noticed that I didn't talk about PDA's or laptops. I stay away from them because I don't want to deal with dead batteries or equipment glitches. My planner always works. I do, however, use my cell phone to remind me of appointments. It has a calender with alarms. When I am busy at an interview or on the road it makes a simple tone and I know I have something coming up. Even if you don't use any of these suggestions, be organized.

Familiarity Blindness

2007-01-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

One obstacle that many of us have to overcome is Familiarity Blindness. It is the "Can't see the forest for the trees" syndrome. What we might think of as common traits or skills, many times, are very desirable qualities for employers. I once talked to a person that said she couldn't think of any skills or talents that she could put on her resume. I started asking her what her duties were at her last position and found she had many skills that prospective employers would find valuable. I just asked her what she did and then how. From that list we started taking each how and attached a skill, talent or ability to it. It wasn't long before we had an impressive list to build into her resume. If you think you don't have any skills start breaking your hows' down into skills, talents and abilities. Check out this Skills Inventory site. You have many valuable traits make sure you know what they are.

Where We Come From And Where We Go

2007-01-24T05:48:00.000-08:00

I knew it was coming when my boss that was much younger than myself came in to my office and said "You aren't the man for this job". From that point forward I knew that one missed step would be pounced on and distorted. It gives you that feeling of walking through a mine field. War had been declared on old Charles. My district had been struggling and we had been through three district managers and three of their bosses in the last 24 months. Each with their own style of management. The latest boss was brought in to fix the district. Keep in mind that I am in Michigan. The worst economy in the nation. I had made the adjustment to each except my last supervisor. I was working very short staffed and sometimes had to do the jobs of two other staff members besides my own. The company had a policy of not filling open positions immediately to save money and make the balance sheet look good. At this point I didn't even feel I was even in a fight for my job. I felt it was all over, but the pink slip. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and committed to the best I could do. I began to have chest pains from the stress. You see, I am the only wage earner in my household. There is no backup. The day I knew was coming finally arrived. I got the call from my boss "I want to come see you at four o'clock "(pm). I knew this was it so I gather up my remaining amount of belongings and got ready. In a way it was a relief to know it was going to be over. The part I hated was being treated like I was incompetent or a sub-human. I'm not those things and I was a good manager and my clients liked and respected me. I will get through this and be diligent to find work that will be satisfying and rewarding with people that recognize my value. You can do it to. I will not give up or quit because if I do I cannot win.

COME JOIN US AND THRIVE!!!

2007-01-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

I am looking for contributors and participants. this could be in the form of companies not afraid to hire "Older Workers" or individuals. Let's join together and succeed and be happy.