Gen Plus » Job Search Tips

Every single day

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:40:36 +0000

I’m a social butterfly. One of those people who loves any sort of opportunity to chat with new people, experience exciting new things, see new sights. Very socially oriented.

As a result, and as a business owner, I LOVE networking events and social mixers. Most of the people who attend are in business for themselves, or, if in big business, responsible in some way for building their networks to best benefit their employers. I’ve gone to home-grown mixers, chamber of commerce, consulate events, alma mater brunches, political call campaigns, Canadian expat events, and temple-created business mixers. But I’d never been to a Jewish Chamber of Congress event.

A week or so ago there was a big LA business mixer in downtown Los Angeles and at that event my companion and I happened upon a literal wandering Jew. He had lost his booth! With a little of this, a map of that, he was on his merry way and invited us to stop by as we did our rounds. His booth? The Los Angeles Jewish Chamber of Commerce. Not only had I not heard of it, but, as a Jewish woman, I’m automatically attracted to Jewish community-oriented activities because it feels familiar. Of course we stopped by. Of course we got on the mailing list. And, of course, found out that there was a Jewish LA CC mixer just a few nights later.

We decided to go. And I’m so glad we did! An elegant little affair in the Millenium Biltmore in downtown LA (historic and lovely) and I have to say, I’ve NEVER had such a relaxed and wonderful time at a networking event as this one. Everyone was truly delighted to be there and everyone was open to talking to…well…everyone. The founder, Jeff Gurman, was all smiles and handshakes, welcoming everyone, introducing everyone. He started the LA Jewish CC a couple of years ago and I think he’s onto something. In any event, I’m definitely going to the next event. Here’s a pic of me and Jeff mugging for the camera.

But here’s what I really want to tell you about. I met a gentleman who was very understated and impressed the socks right off me. We had a nice chat, standing at the bar, and I learned that he had left a large brokerage firm about 8 years earlier to start his own company with a partner. Now a thriving asset management company, I was amazed at what he had been able to do in 8 short years. From a tiny office he now had 12 asset managers (brokers) working for him managing a large amount of wealth. He mentioned, in passing, that he had 100% client retention. I was floored. 100%? Over 8 years not ONE client has left him? Not one. The rest of his team was there wearing their power suits. He wasn’t wearing a suit…just a nice shirt…and taking the time to have a chat with an unwealthy stranger.

I don’t know that so many others would fall off their heels at the concept of 100% client retention in an 8-year span. But my whole business life has been about acquisition of new business and retention of old business, marketing and delivering service, and, most importantly, building relationships. His secret? Of course…it was all about the relationships he had with his clients. In 8 years, every single one of his clients got a call, every single day, to bring them up-to-speed on how their portfolio was doing. Through ups and downs. Every single day. I don’t talk to all of my immediate family every single day, but imagine how much more connected we’d feel if we DID touch base every single day.

Imagine how fantastic our business relationships would be if we talked to each of our active clients every single day. Maybe we, too, would have 100% client retention.

That’s what I got out of my first LA Jewish CC mixer. Now, go call someone.

2 job opportunities

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:19:55 +0000

A couple of very good job openings have crossed my desk from establishd recruiters. Times are just so tough, that I wanted to pass the descriptions along to you. If you think you might qualify for either of them, or know someone who fits these specs perfectly, let me know at wspiegel@genplususa.com and I’ll be happy to pass your info along to the recruiter. If you aren’t an exact fit, please don’t apply.

1) 12-24 month contract in Temecula, CA for a Sharepoint Developer. Rate: $55-65/hr (W2 only). Start date is
ASAP.

Developer will:
Design Taxonomy and departmental websites and Sharepoint integration with
MS applications

Requirements:
2+ years with MS Office Sharepoint Server 2007 Platform
MS Server 2008
MS Office 2007
Windows Sharepoint Services and IIS
Sharepoint Documentation Center

MUST HAVE configuration exp with:
MOSS Set up & Config
Web parts
Master pages
AD integration
Excel integration
Templates
Site definitions
Taxonomy
Workflows
Forms

2) International Brand Manager

Headquarterd in Los Angeles, this growing company is seeking someone who has international brand/marketing experience with either a Beauty, CPG, or Lifestyle type brand. Looking for a highly creative brand marketer.

Cities where the odds of finding a job are a bit….better? Maybe?

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:29:12 +0000

CNN Money’s Fortune has a great columnist, Anne Fisher. In answering questions, she finds ways to pass along some great tidbits of helpful advice. Today’s column was a winner. A reader asked about the pros and cons of moving to find work in a different city. Her response was good and even-handed, but what caught MY eye were the stats she posted on how many other job seekers you are up against, on average, based upon the city you are in. Juju, a job-search engine (job aggregrator), did a study based on its own database of jobs and applicants and here is what they found (the number of applicants per opening):

The ten most promising cities for job hunters:

1. Washington, D.C. – 2.0
2. Baltimore – 2.7
3. San Jose – 3.1
4. Salt Lake City – 3.2
5. New York City – 3.4
6. Hartford, Conn. – 3.6
7. Denver – 4.4
8. Boston – 4.5
In a three-way tie for ninth place:
9. San Antonio – 5.0
9. Austin – 5.0
9. Indianapolis – 5.0
10. Pittsburgh – 5.1

The cities with the most applicants per job opening:

40. Orlando – 9.0
41. Memphis – 9.4
42. Birmingham, Ala. – 9.5
Tied for 43rd place:
43. Providence, R.I. – 9.6
43. Portland, Ore. – 9.6
44. Sacramento – 11.2
45. Los Angeles – 11.9
46. Riverside, Calif. – 13.4
47. Las Vegas – 14.4
48. Miami – 15.8
49. St. Louis – 19.9
50. Detroit – 21.6

So, basically, if you live in Washington, DC, or Baltimore….good! Los Angeles or Detroit (no surprise, with the disasters in the auto industry)? … bad! I’m not saying to move, but this sure gives you the picture of what the economy is telling us, right? More info in the article, but certainly an interesting look at where the 10% unemployment is giving jobseekers a real run for jobs.

Excellent job opp

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:41:03 +0000

It is certainly tough out there and jobs are few and far between. So here is some good news! One of my business colleagues has an opening for a top sales exec based in California: Senior Sales Executive for Fast-Growth Hi-Tech ERP Sales Company.

If you think you might fit the bill, email me at wspiegel@genplususa.com and I’ll send you more info.

Finding the courage to take THE risk

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:31:18 +0000

When you have lost your job (the unemployment figures coming out this Friday aren’t going to have anyone smiling), and your unemployment benefits are running out, or have already run out, when your safety net has just too many holes in it…face it. Your back is against the wall and you are either going to sink or swim. One of the bigger challenges in a prolonged recession (and we know that the damage is going to take a long time to undo) is that we, as a population, become risk-adverse. There is really no credit to count on in terms of starting up a small business and family and friends are likely as hard-pressed for their nickels and dimes.

When really faced with a sink-or-swim situation, the beauty of the human spirit, is that we tend to swim and it doesn’t matter if we can do a gorgeous freestyle, or a travelling dead man’s float. Whatever it takes not to drown. A couple of years ago I put together a really great, very inexpensive, little e-book which is available for download through the Gen Plus shop. It is all about really reaching inside yourself and figuring out a strategic plan for moving forward, using tools that businesses use to create their own strategic plans. When I put it together, it was specifically for the Boomer and 50 Plusser seeing the writing on the wall. The wall has been written on and the damage to the economy has really crossed all age barriers.

I’ve done contests in the past to award this e-book to someone who could use it. So I’m doing it again. Tell me what you might do if you thought you could risk it and if you could figure out a way to take the first steps toward getting there. I’ll pick a few of you and send you the e-book at no charge. Just my way of paying it forward. Put your entries into the comments, or if you want to keep it between us, send me an email at wspiegel@genplususa.com

How’s a displaced 55 year old going to find a job now?

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:17:18 +0000

Times are SO tough. I get a lot of emails and questions from Boomers and 50 Plussers who, literally, are down to the pennies in the cookie jar in order to put food on the family table. I got a question yesterday that got to me. Not because it is any different than so many others, but precisely because it isn’t really different than so many others. These unusually difficult times call for extraordinary measures, so I tried to share viable, realistic strategies to try to find a job. Here is the question and my answer. Please feel free to add your own thoughts and suggestions.

Question:

I am 55, with a progressive history in manufacturing management. Five years ago I moved to Arizona making a career change into real estate. As a result of the housing market I relocated to Los Angeles and began a job search targeting my past history in manufacturing.That was nine months ago and have had only two interviews during this time. I have been submitting through indeed, craigslist, monster,and others, with futility. I do not have any networking contacts since I failed to stay in touch. When I began the search I had one year of reserves to live off of. With only three months left I am in dire straits. Any suggestions will certainly be welcomed. Thanking you very much in advance.

Answer:

Hi Mario

As you can see, through your challenging job search, the economy has created a disaster for most jobseekers and it is particularly tough for the 50 plus demographic. Being in dire straits calls for some really direct strategic measures.

1) If you have three months left of reserves, you need, first and foremost, to figure out how you will survive, if, in fact you don’t land a job soon. Do you have family or friends to move in with? Are you supporting a family? If so, is there family somewhere else in the US that they can live with while you continue to search for work? Many, many people and families are moving into survival mode and for most, that means consolidating all resources into one family pool. No honor lost in that…it is a move back to depression era family structure.

2) Since you failed to stay in touch with past contacts, now is the time to crank up those connections. As long as you had decent relationships in the past, there are some great vehicles for reuiniting with past colleagues, clients, suppliers, etc. One resource is www.LinkedIn.com. It is common practice to connect with as many people as you have had business or personal relationships in the past.

Another excellent tool is www.Facebook.com. Once you are connected on Facebook, you’ll never have to worry about keeping track of someone’s email address again. Many companies are using Facebook as an outreach tool, so don’t be shy about connecting.

Finally, if you had very good connections in high school or university, and if you can’t find those people on Facebook or Linked In, head over to www.Classmates.com. You might find some good contacts there.

3) At 55, you are at an age disadvantage. You don’t say what you did in manufacturing, but if you were sharp in a particular field, focus on that area and then see where there might be a match in the ONLY hot industries today: Healthcare and Allied Healthcare (including medical devices — smaller companies are growing quickly and their manufacturing and distribution demands are beyond their capabilities); alternative and renewable energy, and any of the companies that feed into that field; and private education.

4) Be prepared to move. There are jobs, but you have to be willing to go to them. Broaden your search to states that you might never have considered in the past.

5) See if there are ANY consulting groups that could use your particular niche of knowledge.

6) Look at any hobby or task that you do well and see if you can generate some immediate income. Are you proficient with tools? Spring is here — perhaps you are genius with prepping bikes or motorcycle spring tune-ups. Perhaps you can join demolish crews who have to empty out foreclosed homes? What resources do YOU have that you can offer as a side business while you look for employment.

7) Finally, walk your search. Beat the streets. Most jobs will NOT be advertised on the online boards. MANY companies are not paying money to put ads with paid searches. Identify as many individual, smaller to mid-size companies as you can, and either go directly to their website or directly to their human resources manager (if you are lucky, they are still to small to have an HR manager and you’ll be talking to the finance manager) and see where their needs might be able to match with your skills sets.

Hope that gives you a few ideas.

Best of success. It is really tough out there, but there is a little movement. Keep strong and you’ll make it through.

Janet Spiegel
www.genplususa.com

A great re-brand

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:17:00 +0000

Nothing like an excellent re-brand to get my attention. As you may know from my earlier posts, we suffered a family tragedy. It is really hard to function in the normal day-to-day sense as your mind tries to comprehend and process the information, emotions and necessities of moving forward.

In the spirit of moving forward, one of the unavoidable facts of life for a 40/50/60-something woman is that your hair grays. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t want to pay any focus to my graying roots, but they seemed to take on a life of their own and screamed for a quick home dye-job. So, in an effort at a return to normalcy, I tackled my hair. For those of you with graying tresses, you’ll understand what I mean by tackled.

Gray is stubborn. Gray is coarse. Gray would prefer to remain gray. And I would prefer that it beats a hasty retreat. If you have ever home-dyed, then you, like me, will also have tried just about every brand there is on the market. Feria, Preference, Nutrisse, Nice’n'Easy…and on and on. And, if your gray is like mine, within days of torturing your hair, the gray brazenly peeks through, daring you to last three weeks until your next dye job.

I was very curious when Clairol came out with Gray Solutions and promises of 100% gray coverage (and skeptical, of course), but I decided to try it. The product was very good. My coverage was solid. The gray didn’t peek through. But the packaging and the experience of the product? Not as good. The packaging looked old. What can I say? I realize I’m covering the gray, but I’m an almost 50-something. I’m not yet my mom’s age of 72. But the packaging made me feel old. The pre-treatment worked, but made me look like some sort of a drowned rat after application. Good end result, but not a feel-good experience. It worked, so this became my reluctant brand of choice.

So imagine my surprise when I opened the package to start the process just the other day. I’d noticed the exterior branding had changed a bit — skewed to a bit younger demographic — but the entire interior packaging had been reinvented. Instead of boring foil packets, the packaging had changed to a gorgeous new age blue (think paint job on all the new car models now). The pre-treatment gloppy paste had been reformulated to a lighter gel that could be used all over the head rather than just the ends (easier usage) and the conditioner had been lightened up. Oh joy, oh bliss…I WAS the TARGET MARKET. They had rebranded for ME! So now, a great product, intended to cover the gray, had been rejuvenated (literally).

Why all the waxing on hair dye? Because it was a perfect example of taking a great product (like you, the 50 plus jobseeker) and finding a way to re-package, re-tool, chunk, and retrofit your external presentation in a way that the buyer (HR recruiter) would find not only your product solid (your skill set), but how you were packaged (how you’d fit into a younger company culture, for example) and what you brought to the mix.

So my hair may have great coverage, but the re-brand reinvigorated me. Good job, Clairol. Good job.

PS. Incidentally, I have not been solicited by Clairol or paid by them to review their product. But it sure would be nice to get a lifetime supply of the product…my hair will only get grayer.

Over 50 and Want a Job with NASA? Yes…THAT NASA!

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 17:13:00 +0000

#1 — Login to your Gen Plus account http://genplususa.com/login.aspx
#2 — Search for jobs and look for keyword “NASA”
#3 — Apply to the coolest job opportunity for all — INCLUDING Boomers, 50 Plussers and retirees…

Huh? That’s right. Our good friends at Kelly Services have passed along a spectacular opportunity and I’m spreading the word. Here is the job posting:

NASA (yes, that NASA, the National Association of Space and Aeronautics) is looking for a few good people for an amazing job opportunity! Are you up to the challenge? Kelly Services®, in partnership with NASA Space Camp®, is now recruiting camp counselors! This is a long-term opportunity to work on the NASA campus and be a part of Space Camp, Space Academy®, and the Aviation Challenge®.

What you’ll do as a camp counselor:

You’ll be supervising, motivating, and teaching young people (ages 9 – 18) as well as adults in a highly educational, exciting, and fun-filled camp environment!
You’ll lead a team of trainees through their weeklong camp experience.
When assigned to the simulations area, you will train the students in Space Shuttle mission simulators or jet fighter operations. What you’ll get out of it (aside from a really cool job):
Enhance your teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
Receive valuable experience in the areas of education, space science, and military science toward a future teaching, engineering, science, or military/aviation career. • Free room and board (dorm style) for out-of-town counselors.
$8 – $9/hour bi-weekly pay with direct deposit.
Supplemental insurance is available with prescription discount card.
Intensive paid training and NASA Space History lessons.
Paid time off.
Free meals.

What you’ll need to apply:

Be available beginning in January/February through August (preferred).
Completion of 30 college credit hours (as a minimum) in any major! Or if you have related life experience (e.g., being in the military), that will work too!
A real desire to work with trainees ranging from ages 9 – 50 and over.
You must be at least 20 years of age. Retirees are also welcome!
Some experience working with children or young adults.
Two letters of recommendation.
Your most recent school transcript. [ed. note: your most recent may be from 1962...but that is OK!]
An interest in space and aviation, and the ability to learn fast and retain information.
Successful completion of four-week counselor training program (provided by NASA), and completion of required testing.
Must be able to walk long distances.
Must be able to handle the demands and rigors of long days and responsibility”

This is a GREAT opportunity. If you currently have NO job, or are looking for a meaningful change, are looking to have an incredible career experience, give back to others, save a bit of money AND have one of the coolest job histories ever, don’t delay and apply today. Your life experience has a great deal of value. Go for it. And let me know if you become a NASA counsellor. I’ll want to shout it out to the world!

Blogging Boomers Carnival #48 is up!

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 19:16:00 +0000

The always fascinating Baby Boomer Chronicles is this week’s host to the Blogging Boomers Carnival — chock full of interesting, insightful and sometimes insufferable boomer insights of the week!

And on a side note spaces are filling for the Gen Plus Town Hall in LA on January 22nd — if you aren’t working, looking to change your job/career, or just looking for a meaningful strategy for the next decade, we’d love to have you join us. Click on the link for more info on this free event.

Finding Your Bliss in Job Search or Career Change

Janet Wendy Spiegel — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:53:00 +0000

One of the most frustrating challenges jobseekers over 50 face is finding a way to redefine who they are for the current job market. Without that redefinition, simply put…they can’t find a job. This past week, Amy Z (A-Z International) invited me to take part in a phone conference on career change issues. One woman’s dilemma particularly stood out and we had an interesting exchange that I’d like to share.

Emma (not her real name), from Georgia, was currently working as a sales associate and was very unhappy in her job. She didn’t have a college degree to back up her resume and was considering going back to school in order to have additional qualifications to find a job. I didn’t think she sounded too excited about that prospect (and going back to school certainly doesn’t guarantee a job at the end of the day), so we chatted for awhile. I started digging in to what she loved and it turned out that she was a craft whiz — she loved making cards, friends asked her for her creations — and most importantly, when she started talking about this love, her passion, her voice became animated, you could hear her smiling and her vibrancy was palpable over the phone. Other experts on the call also remarked on this.

Our conversation focused, for a time, on how she could start a business, but I could sense that was overwhelming as a concept and not on track with her desires, so I suggested that if she had skill in sales, that she could look for a job in a craft store and start to build up a reputation and connections in an industry that she loved.

With a smile in her voice, she said that she had, in fact, just applied for a sales job in a craft store. But now, she felt proud of that decision and that if she could get a job in a craft store, it would act as a stepping or positioning stone for the next stage of her career.

Granted, we don’t all have the luxury of spending an hour on the phone with several experts giving free advice, but there is incredible value in giving voice to your innermost desires. You need to write them down, talk about them, shout them to the world, and you might be very pleasantly surprised to see what ideas can really spark!