Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited
Return to career-consulting-limited.com
People |
|
|
 |
Job Search Techniques: Smashing The Gray Ceiling
For decades, women have chaffed at the invisible glass ceiling which prevents their moving into the high executive brackets that their competence, knowledge and skills have earned. The same amorphous barrier confronts older workers both in terms of advancement within a company and, most especially, when a job change is required. There is an adage in the military that if a rank above major has not been obtained within twenty years, it never will be. The ranks of early military retirees are sprinkled with majors who knew that ten or fifteen more years would never bring a Colonel's cluster. How can such "unwritten rules" be fought? No lawsuit can prove that you were the best individual for the job. No employer is unintelligent enough to state that your age is the stumbling block. You sense the discrimination, you become aware of the sideways glances and the emotional response of an interviewer, but you feel powerless to change their perspective and their bias. Sitting across an interviewing desk, often facing an individual the same age as your son, your esteem erodes and your confidence self-destructs. Impotent, humiliated, and angry, you accept that nothing you can say is going to change anything. You continue job hunting with a mounting sense of frustration and an indisputable anticipation of failure. If you have nothing to lose, why not attack the problem head-on? Prejudice and discrimination survive only in the silence of unexamined judgments and, often unconscious, illogic. Confront the situation and at least you create the opportunity for the white light of reason to enter the fray. Try these approaches to prompt more honest interaction and possibly more rational conclusions. 1. You need to be the one to put the age issue on the table. Offer it gently, as one area of needed exploration regarding why you fit the employer's needs. Bring it up objectively, as something that can be discussed unemotionally, without triggering lethal interviewer defensiveness. 2. Acknowledge your age as a basis for emphasizing the experience of a lifetime and the value that such experience can provide to any employer. Concentrate on describing how business has changed over the course of years and how deftly you have adapted to those changes and incorporated new ideas and technical advancements into your work performance. 3. Acknowledge common misperceptions about the weaknesses of age: hard-to-break habits, lack of flexibility, technological ignorance, and distrust of authority, especially if young. Then use your sales ability to eliminate those misperceptions, probably already resonating in the interviewer's head. Habits: Remind your host of the ability to adapt and reshape yourself which has kept your thinking young. Stress your relish for new challenges and innovative approaches. Cite some examples from your past about how smoothly you have been able to change to new workflows and procedures. Flexibility: Discuss your dislike of unproductive routine and your preference for trying new methods of approaching tasks. Stress those times in the past when you were able to develop creative solutions to long-term problems and how your resourcefulness helped your previous employers. Technology: Identify new technical advances within your field and address how you have internalized those changes. If you have successfully transitioned from dictating to a secretary to email and instant messaging, if you have moved from a manual adding machine to competent computer literacy, then small changes like learning new software or novel production systems should be a snap. Authority issues: You have attained authority in the past and you have also worked under a variety of supervisors in your long career life. Clarify your relationship with power: the respect you extend to those who are knowledgeable, the loyalty and support you offer any leader of your team, the self-respect you enjoy which allows you to participate in group goals enthusiastically without feeling that you need to be in charge or command the top title. 4. Once you have demolished the myths of age, emphasize its strengths: reliability, mature judgment, lack of impulsivity, timeliness, a strong work ethic, and the ability to perform without outside distractions such as personal relationship problems, child commitments, and social responsibilities. Undoubtedly, there are individuals out there who have their own issues with hiring someone who reminds them of their father or who have had problems in the past with an underperforming older worker who was difficult to terminate. There will always be those you cannot reach, no matter how convincing your logic and your presentation. There are many more who are open-minded and seek not to make rash judgments. Address their semi-conscious fears face to face and the interview may end successfully - for both you and your lucky new employer. Virginia Bola operated a rehabilitation company for 20 years, developing innovative job search techniques for disabled workers, while serving as a respected Vocational Expert in Administrative, Civil and Workers' Compensation Courts. Author of an interactive and emotionally supportive workbook, The Wolf at the Door: An Unemployment Survival Manual, and a monthly ezine, The Worker's Edge, she can be reached at http://www.virginiabola.com
MORE RESOURCES: Corporate Lowe's Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) Working for ICE ice.gov Careers University of Northern Colorado How to use AI to get a job interview and nail it – along with the salary you deserve | Job hunting The Guardian Careers City of Ontario, California (.gov) Careers at FEMA FEMA.gov Careers at Prairie View A&M University PVAMU Home Meet a millennial who quit her tech job, temporarily moved to Paris, and started a baking business in NYC Business Insider Careers | Home USDA (.gov) Jobs Multnomah County Supply Chain Lowe's Careers and Jobs at CRS Catholic Relief Services Work at Fairfield Fairfield University Careers - MDOT Maryland.gov Careers Baxter Job Loss Is a Kind of Grief The Atlantic Store Hourly Job Areas Target Employment Opportunities | Game Commission Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Careers at USCIS USCIS (.gov) Careers with the City of Palo Alto City of Palo Alto Improve Your Chances of Landing That Job Interview IEEE Spectrum Careers at TWU Texas Woman's University Jobs and Training at FDA fda.gov Work at Butler Butler University Water Services Careers City of Phoenix (.gov) Job Search Results UnitedHealth Group Careers Jobs City of Rochester, New York (.gov) Employment | Department of Corrections Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (.gov) Career Opportunities UMHB Careers Johnson & Johnson Career Opportunities Gilead Sciences Welcome to People Operations Taylor University Finding Your New Career at the City of Phoenix City of Phoenix (.gov) Careers at Willamette Willamette University Careers at University of Missouri Health Care | University of Missouri Health Care jobs University of Missouri Health Care IOM career gateways International Organization for Migration Commonwealth Job Fair Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (.gov) Careers Washington State University Careers BASF Jobs at Liberty University Liberty University Opportunities for contractors and freelancers Johnson & Johnson Careers Healthcare Jobs at Novant Health | Novant Health Novant Health Jobs And Careers | VA Montana Health Care | Veterans Affairs VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs Student internships at J&J Johnson & Johnson Careers Careers | Human Resources Seattle University Career Comeback UBS Future of Jobs Report 2025: The jobs of the future – and the skills you need to get them The World Economic Forum Work for the City of St. Louis City of St. Louis, MO (.gov) Ready for your next great job? ADP Careers Careers WVDE Our Hiring Process Target Careers The Ocean Cleanup UF Health Careers UF Health Careers Job Seekers Illinois Human Resources Careers CrowdStrike.com EPA employees rally in Denver against President Trump’s job and funding cuts - Colorado Public Radio EPA employees rally in Denver against President Trump’s job and funding cuts Colorado Public Radio Human Resources University of Redlands Careers at Union Union College KPMG Careers KPMG March 2025 Preview: What to Expect in the Jobs Report Center for Economic and Policy Research Matching Talent to the Jobs of Tomorrow: A Guidebook for Public Employment Services 2025 The World Economic Forum Why hasn’t AI taken your job yet? Financial Times What Jobs Can You Get with a Business Degree? Southern New Hampshire University Jobs for Veterans and transitioning military VA Careers (.gov) Human Resources Department City of Phoenix (.gov) Provincial Government Job Opportunities Government of Prince Edward Island Current opportunities Turner & Townsend 60+ Stats On AI Replacing Jobs (2024) Exploding Topics Talent Solutions CBIZ Careers Euromonitor Job Opportunities Bellevue School District The Job Market Is Frozen The Atlantic Recorded Video Interviews Target Career expert offers advice for frustrated job seekers The National Desk |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Top Career Advice ... More Choices and A Better Way of Life Why Career Advice Is So ImportantChoosing a career presents a nerve-racking decision, as it can have a life-long impact on you. Do not fret, as you can gain a clearer outlook into your future by thorough career planning. Need a Job? Put a Gun to Your Head A legendary marketing genius once said that, if he had to write a killer sales letter, he would imagine he had a gun pointed at his head and that he would be shot if his advertising didn't deliver.This motivated him to create some of the world's most-profitable ads. Building a Solid Network A client who has a fine arts degree wanted to move out of his successful career in advertising and into the real estate development business. He had already enrolled in a top notch MBA program to learn more about the field. Avoiding 10 Deadly Interview Mistakes Too many job seekers set themselves up for failure before the interview ever takes place. They fail to target their audience, demonstrate relevant skills and experience, or present themselves in a way that grabs the attention of potential employers. Career Moves: Take Charge of Your Life Every day millions of people let their inner fears stop them from creating the life of their dreams. No one will deny that it is scary to step out of your comfort zone, but once you challenge your fear and take action, you can attain great things. Tips for Getting Your Movie Career Launched Hollywood helps those who help themselves! In you want to get your movie career fast tracked then here are three common sense tips to help you on your way.1. Conflicts With Your Boss Are Inevitable, But Can Be Healthy If you are a pro-active, get-things-done type, sooner or later you will come in conflict with your boss. The same sort of assertiveness and confidence that leads you to have a mind of your own has helped him to earn his position. Difficult Relationships at Work - Dealing with Workplace Conflict Difficult Relationships at Work - How to Influence the UncooperativeWe rely on and spend more time with our colleagues than with most other people in our lives: yet we frequently experience conflict at work. This is a problem that is beginning to be recognised, but it is still not being dealt with either effectively or sufficiently. Reactions to Job Loss; Getting Past the Emotions Without doubt, job loss through downsizing or redundancy, is a major event for everyone when it happens. Most of us invest so much of ourselves in what we do that job loss can take away our sense of status and belonging, as well as the routine and support that work provides. How to Ask For a Salary Increase and Get Your Raise Feeling overworked and underpaid? If you're starting to feellike you deserve a raise, here are eight DO's and DON'Ts to buildyour confidence and tact (and what to avoid!) in asking for thesalary you feel you deserve.DO1. Is Your Job Search Guided by the Controller or the Controllee? I'll define what I mean by these terms."The Controller" is a job seeker that is ruled by doing everything right. Should You Lie On Your Resume? Warning: Lying on your resume could cost you your job and your freedom.Picture this. Why One Word Answers are Bad News at Job Interviews It takes a lot of time and effort to get invited to a job interview. Don't blow your chances by being misunderstood by the interviewer. Cover Letters Cover Letters: Are you telling them what they want to know?Let's face it. Recruiters (or employers) are smarter than we think. Get Off Your Butt and Out of the Rut It's amazing to see so many people who are prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their careers.I'm sure you know of someone like that. 18 Career Enhancement Caveats Core value investing in your careerMany people walk through their lives never, ever being better at something than anyone else. What is it that you know or do better than almost anyone else in the world? What is it that you do uniquely well? Do your core values for yourself and your family fit with what you are doing, where you are putting your energy, what you are developing, and where you are focusing/immersing yourself?In your career, as well as in your life, to achieve full capacity and happiness, all of you must be going in the same direction. Travel Light to Work As a frequent traveler, my goal for each trip is to travel light. Despite thoughtful planning, sometimes that goal is shattered when I go to close the suitcase and realize I need a larger, or even second one. How To Power Negotiate Your Next Bonus A raise in your base salary is a permanent source of increased income. However, to increase your take home pay, you can also negotiate performance bonuses on specific projects, activities, or time frames. Driver Team Solo Positions: The Nitty Gritty On Truck Driving Jobs Trucks and truck drivers are a constant presence on US highways and interstates. A person on even the shortest drive is likely to pass by a truck or two transporting goods, and even merchandise that travels by ship, train, or airplane travels on a truck for some phase of the journey to the customer. Closing the Gap on Your Career Goals If you still picture a steady progression up the ladder when you think of your career goals, it is time to shift your thinking. For most people, climbing the career ladder is no longer an option.
|
|
|
| © Career Consulting Limited.com 2011
|