Job Search Savvy - Gain the Advantage

A job search at any age is a competition. We're all competing for visibility with employers and, ultimately, for that job offer. Older workers also seem to be competing with themselves, in a sense, because their job search skills are rusty and tucked away in the recesses of their younger selves. Launching a job search after a couple of decades of reliable or different work requires a primer in resume preparation, latest job search techniques, interviewing, networking and so forth.

Those topics are at the core of any job search or career transition. But the old saying, “the devil is in the details” is the reason we created the Job Search Savvy section of our resources. Here you'll find articles and information about some of the lesser details that are rarely discussed, unless you hire a professional career coach. We'll cover some of these issues and practices to raise awareness and give our readers the edge.

Tips to gain the edge in Job Hunting

Taking Risks
In January I was selected by CBS News The Early Show to be one of four job seekers featured in a series focused on job hunting in our very troubled economy. Last week The Early Show told my story of the “older” worker along with that of the other three.

Selling the Age Advantage
I regret to report that age discrimination remains rampant in the American workplace. That makes job hunting an especially painful experience for laid-off workers age 50+ trying to get back in the game after an unwanted pink slip.

4 Ways to Protect Your Job While Job Hunting Online
In the first online recruiting workshop I taught for a major company's recruiters (in 1997 or 1998), we found the resume of one of the company's middle managers in our search for qualified applicants. Her manager was notified, immediately, and she was probably fired before the end of the workshop that same day. That reaction is common.

Smarter Voicemail Messages
You've worked up the courage to call that employer, as we've been suggesting. But, your call is diverted to voicemail. Rats!! Now what?

Employers Monitor Employee Internet & E-Mail Use
Fifty-one percent of employers have disciplined or terminated an employee for violating the employer's Internet or e-mail policy.

12 Tips for Avoiding Spam Filters
The use of software "filters" to stop junk e-mail is growing, and these filters may be damaging your ability to send your resume or a job inquiry through e-mail. Your e-mail may never reach your intended recipient if it gets caught in a filter.