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Works Newsletter January and February 2003
maturityworksvictoria@canada.com http://maturityworksvictoria.50megs.com
Maturity Works Society is dedicated to support and inform all persons
over 40 years of age concerned with employment and career options in our
rapidly transforming socio-economic society.
MWS coming of Age, ONE that
is! Maturity Works Society is celebrating its first anniversary as
a non-profit society.
The reason for the society is to
act as an advocate for mature workers, to be a voice to the growing numbers of
mature workers, both “white or blue collar” in the rapidly changing
socio-economic marketplace. Hundreds,
no thousands of middle-aged workers are losing their jobs or position due to
these changes. Many are frightened,
many more are lost and angry. Yet, out
of all this too is emerging a sense of community, for that too emerges in tough
times. Maturity Works has this
opportunity to be there and provide a platform of strength and hope by
providing a voice. A lifeboat in the sea of change and ageism.
In the past year a Board of
Directors made up of members of a job club who saw a need for a forum, an
advocacy group for mature workers. It
was suggested this group stay small and flex its wings in various enterprises,
a word of mouth membership drive, a dance, a fundraising garage sale and a
public launch held at the Unity Church lobby in November. The Board, all of whom had no experience in
this venue, learned to work together, (we were such an odd bunch!) yet, each
develop his or her own niche in the structure, to contribute be it in writing
articles, designing a web-page, public relations, organizing events, or publishing a
newsletter. Developing strategies to deliver on time, to became a close knit
team regardless of the differences of personalities and histories is a feat,
all the while dealing one’s personal home and employment needs has been
enriching.
Not bad for a group of strangers
coming together with a common bond of, being over 40! The high point was the recognition and funding by the City of
Victoria for the newsletter, almost unheard of for a new society and now under
Lynn Hedley. As well we have wonderful
support from the businesses such as Workstreams, Safeway, Thirfty Foods and
Wal-Mart to name a few. Dave Kelly’s
advice to start small, grow gradually was taken. As the year closes, we thank one and all for your support and
contributions!
As we look into the New Year, not
only for 2003 but also for the second year of serving the interests of older
workers, we want to expand our mandate, increase our numbers and to do that we
want to open our doors to members, suggestions and opportunities to service the
Greater Victoria region’s mature workers.
MWS would like to invite you to join our rank, send us feedback or even
step forward with your ideas and enthusiasm.
Red Alert !
An Over-50 Jobseeker Has Just
Entered the Building"
Interviewing Tips for the Older Job-seeking Population
Submitted by Teena Rose - Résumé to Referral
http://www.resumebycprw.com
A red alert is probably melodramatic, but I'm sure jobseekers in this age bracket
probably feel there is one. The bulk of the job-seeking population is
currently facing job-search woes that the elderly population has been
experiencing for years.
In recent years, I've seen that over-50 jobseekers have wised up to the fact
that age bias is still existent in America's
workforce. Armed with this information, these jobseekers are redesigning
their résumés so that obvious red flags are no longer present. Employers
are finding it more difficult to "guesstimate" someone's age
because these individuals are eliminating older positions, degree dates, and
shaving information from the backend of their career; information that generally makes
a résumé lengthy and less focused. With a targeted and lean résumé, an
over-50 jobseeker is likely to obtain more interviews than with a heavy,
all-telling version.
Other factors older jobseekers should consider are personal hygiene, attire,
and language skills. A person who takes the time to adequately prepare a
résumé should also take enough time to work on personal appearance and traits too.
I'm certainly not recommending that an individual run out and get thousands of
dollars worth of plastic surgery or spend an insane amount of money on a new
wardrobe. I am, however, recommending that you take a good look at your
appearance. Ask yourself, could a new hairstyle or an attractive new business
suit provide an added edge? Willingness to change your appearance is solely up to you. Keep in mind that you'll likely be interviewed by someone
younger, so trimming a mustache, wearing a new pair of shoes or shirt, and
using ageless words during the interview, will likely make a substantial
difference.
Interviewers will ask loaded questions if he or she wants to determine your
age. Watch out for questions, covering age of grandchildren, possible retirement date, or health status. These
questions are considered illegal; and although they're not jail-worthy, they
will give him or her the ammunition to make a tainted employment
selection. Contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), if
you suspect a company of being age-biased.
Staying ahead of the technological curve, and representing this in the résumé
and during the interview, will allow you to speak to the interviewer using
acronyms and jargon that's familiar to that person. A knowledgeable
individual, regardless of age, will impress an interviewer and leave a positive impression.
Keep a positive mindset and you'll appear young and lively. An optimistic
outlook is not always easy, particularly when you've gone on several interviews
that don't result to job offers.
Support and golden age groups - provided by county career centers and
sponsored by colleges-will provide support, a networking forum, and employment
contacts that will make your job search flow smoothly.
An over-50 jobseeker can also benefit from the help of a career coach. A
coach can help identify and resolve employment concerns, as well as,
personal and life issues that may be hindering personal development. Filling a much-needed gap, career coaching is
becoming a crucial tool for those seeking a career transition and advance-even
at the youthful age of 50 or more.
Take the time to notice red flags in your résumé, concentrate on your
appearance and language skills, and surround yourself with positive,
resourceful professionals. I'm a
firm believer that successful people are backed by a team. It's your
choice whether to play the game alone, or arm yourself with skilled players.
FROM
HOBBY TO MARKET
I have a little room in my
basement. It is about 6 feet square. It is my hobby room. Here I can escape
from the tedium of daily routines and be creative. I love to watercolor. As
birthdays and anniversaries roll by, I do the cards in my little room. Because of our large families plus friends
(I have 7 brothers and sisters and my wife has 6) I save a small fortune in the
cost of greeting cards. One friend back east has 4 of my cards framed. What I
really love is the feedback. This feeds my soul. Would I ever consider doing
greeting cards as a business? Well, I have looked at it as a possibility. The
up side is doing what I really love to do. The down side is that my hobby would
become a job and everything that would entail.
For me, at this time, I will continue to do cards and the odd commission
and let it take me where it will.
For others, especially Baby
Boomers, hobbies are being looked at carefully. They are being looked at as the
seed from which a business can grow. They are being considered by millions of North
Americans as a potential source of income. People who turn their hobbies into
small businesses can earn a few hundred dollars a year to several thousand,
enough to become the primary source of income. A new home based business starts
up every 11 seconds according to Faith Popcorn of www.BrainReserve.com
If you want to turn your hobby
into a business, you need to follow all of the guidelines that apply to
starting any venture. Do your research, have a business plan and be prepared if
things don’t work out. The biggest mistake budding entrepreneurs can make is
being undercapitalized. You will need enough money for start up capital,
working capital (enough to keep the business afloat until you are making enough
profit) and personal survival until the business can pay you a wage. Start
slowly if you can and have reasonable expectations. In my case, I am in no rush
to become a full time painter. If my work ever caught on, fine, then I would
re-evaluate things. Study the market.
If you are a collector, attend trade shows, fairs and size up the
competition and the quality of their product.
You need to know what customers are willing to pay, where the customers
are and how to get to them. Be honest
with yourself; acknowledge your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses.
With your passion for your hobby
you are probably better informed than most. This can give you a head start. You
need to give careful consideration to turning a hobby into a business. A
business can bring with it lots of pressure and stress.
Because your hobby is something
that you enjoy, your business should be a joy as well. It is so much easier to
maintain your motivation when you
enjoy the work. Remember that there are
thousands of businesses that started as someone’s hobby. If you do decide to
start a small business, marketing your product or service is a full time job.
Remember to always push the product. Do
you want to buy a painting?
Mike Bourque is the founder and owner of
Phone 250-477-2205
E-mail mike@seniorsforjobs.com
Marketing Letter
Submitted by Connie Fraser
Being different often brings positive results, and
marketing letters are successful for that reason—they’re different.
The marketing letter (ML) presents your strongest
accomplishments. Compared to ordinary
cover letters, ML’s are more personal in tone, and more like business
correspondence in appearance. They are not as likely to be screened out by
secretaries.
The key to success is addressing your ML to a
specific person, informing that person that a phone call will follow. Your goal: to meet as many people with the
power to hire as possible, regardless of whether any opening exist at the
moment. This is accomplished by
requesting just fifteen minutes of their time.
The primary portion of any ML is a description of
your results and experience. I f you
have four to six key projects or results that can be quantified, simply
describe them. If your background does
not lend itself to that approach, the more narrative form will work best for
you.
A good closing paragraph for your ML might include
a summary of your background, such as the number years in your field, and
information about your education. The
final paragraph then prepares the read for any follow-up contact you might make
such as a follow-up phone call.
The marketing letter (ML) presents your strongest
accomplishments, which really attracts the attention of perspective employers.