Getting your player ready...
Dear J.T. & Dale: I am 55 years old and have been unemployed for several months. I’ve been sending out my resumé, with very few responses. I’m completely discouraged. I see my whole life going down the drain slowly. I’ve revised my resumé so many times that it’s ridiculous. Employment agencies have all pretty much said, “Don’t call us; we’ll call you.” It seems that when I try for a position I’m qualified for, they wait to see if they can find someone else who is either younger, has one more year of experience or something else. What do I do? – Bill
DALE: Forget those months; you haven’t yet begun a real job search. You’ve just been sending out resumés, which isn’t job-hunting, just job-wishing. If you sit back and wait for a good job to be posted, then you’ve entered into a competition you’re almost certain to lose. When managers are looking at a stack of 1,000 resumés, as they review each one they aren’t asking, “Could this person do the job?”; no, they’re asking, “Have I seen anyone who has slightly more perfect credentials, or maybe could be hired cheaper?” (by the way, what seems to be age discrimination often is just the quest for a less-expensive employee. I know what you’re thinking – “but I’m willing to work cheap!” – however, try to communicate that fact, and you’ll just come across as desperate and will be kicked out of the pile anyway.)
J.T.: To get hired in this tight economy, you are going to need an edge. You’re going to have to work personal and professional relationships to find someone who knows you and your work ethic and will go to bat to help you get a job. Don’t be shy about asking for introductions. A personal connection is what you need to be hired over everyone else.
DALE: However, what you do NOT want to do is simply start asking everyone you know, “Know of any jobs?” You have to learn how to help them help you. That means finding target companies and networking into them. There is a free ebook/audiobook at dauten.com that explains how to turn around a failing job search; it’s called “It’s a Wonderful Job.”
Dear J.T. & Dale: When looking at job postings, lots of them say they want someone who is “well-organized,” but in reading articles from experts, “excellent organizational skills” is one of those phrases they say not to use. Could you explain that contradiction? – Fran
J.T.: When an employer asks for “excellent organizational skills,” what they don’t want is for you to parrot back the requirement, saying: “YES! I have excellent organizational skills!” That’s too easy, and it comes across as mere boasting. Instead, you need to demonstrate that you have the skill they’re calling for. You would list two or three accomplishments related to your organizational ability.
DALE: And that’s true of any subjective item in the posting, including stock requirements like “highly motivated” or “team player.” You might be tempted to fault the person writing the job description for being lazy and resorting to a cliché, but that doesn’t mean you respond in kind. When faced with a list of subjective attributes, treat them as concrete ones. Just as if the requirement were for an MBA and you list your MBA, take all the items in the job posting and, one by one, provide a list in your cover letter of how you have demonstrated each. Getting back to the “organizational skills” requirement, you might have an item like “Responsible for process mapping of warehouse operations, which reduced inventory by 15 percent.”
