After a great weekend of coaching little games, I sat down to work last night to answer some emails. The questions we receive most, by a wide wide margin, are 'can I send you my resume?' and 'Does Jobs4.0 maintain a resume database?'
Answers, yes and yes.
We've received hundreds and hundreds of outstanding resumes that we now maintain in a private database. I don't see the value in a public resume space -- I would never post my resume on one of them, and I imagine many good candidates wouldn't either. Although it might work for a few people, I think for the type of job seekers that use Jobs4.0, we have a far better alternative.
We have a private database of resumes that only Jobs4.0 has access to. We review and forward the relevant resumes to select employers/clients of Jobs4.0. We do all the work so job seekers can maintain privacy in their job search and employers get the value of receiving pre-screened resumes from skilled job seekers who are savvy enough not to paste their resume all over the internet.
So..... if you haven't done so already, send us your resume, and tell us what types of jobs and locations are of interest to you.... we'll do our best to help. At no charge.
By the way, the little league games were great fun.... if you ever get a chance to coach, you should try it! I learn something from them every game.
Best,
Steven
Jobs4.0 (www.jobs4point0.com)
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Quick Update
Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - inexcusable, but I'll try anyway.... I've been on the road a lot, meeting employers. Some great companies are getting close to joining us....stay tuned...
Best news of all are the reports of Jobs4.0 users not only getting interviews, but getting job offers. I've heard of 4 offers again this week that were accepted. Fantastic! As one of the 4 told me, "I really don't think I would have found out about this job any place else." He was tired of being ignored when he applied via Monster. We all know how hard it is even to get any response at all when you apply via some other sites -- even a rejection letter would be an improvement many times!!!-- but Jobs4.0 employers are stepping up. They are not only posting jobs, they are looking closely at the resumes, and responding, interviewing, and HIRING! We still have a long long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction.
Please write and share your Jobs4.0 experiences with me... good, bad and the ugly.. I'd like to hear it all....It will help us build a better product for all of us...
Gotta run and get more jobs.....
Best,
STeven
Best news of all are the reports of Jobs4.0 users not only getting interviews, but getting job offers. I've heard of 4 offers again this week that were accepted. Fantastic! As one of the 4 told me, "I really don't think I would have found out about this job any place else." He was tired of being ignored when he applied via Monster. We all know how hard it is even to get any response at all when you apply via some other sites -- even a rejection letter would be an improvement many times!!!-- but Jobs4.0 employers are stepping up. They are not only posting jobs, they are looking closely at the resumes, and responding, interviewing, and HIRING! We still have a long long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction.
Please write and share your Jobs4.0 experiences with me... good, bad and the ugly.. I'd like to hear it all....It will help us build a better product for all of us...
Gotta run and get more jobs.....
Best,
STeven
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Jobs4.0 Users Are Getting Jobs!
Great developments -- we've learned of 4 people in the past weekthat have received offers from jobs they applied to on Jobs4.0. Very good. Here's one Jobs4.0 job seeker who wrote to tell us about it:
"I just wanted to let you know that I applied for one of the advertised positions, interviewed and was offered the position yesterday, and have significantly improved my situation. Thank you.
Please accept my compliments and feel free to use this communication as a heartfelt testimonial from a very satisfied contact.
Best wishes.
William"
If you received a job offer from a Jobs4.0 company, please let us know. And write to us about any interviews you've had, we'd really like to hear about your experiences, it will help us do a better job for you.
Thanks,
Steven
PS. But the first step has to be yours - find the job or the employer that is a good match for you on Jobs4.0 and go after it!! For ideas on how to maximize your chances of success, see my Forbes.com article (go to www.jobs4point0.com and click on the Forbes.com link)
"I just wanted to let you know that I applied for one of the advertised positions, interviewed and was offered the position yesterday, and have significantly improved my situation. Thank you.
Please accept my compliments and feel free to use this communication as a heartfelt testimonial from a very satisfied contact.
Best wishes.
William"
If you received a job offer from a Jobs4.0 company, please let us know. And write to us about any interviews you've had, we'd really like to hear about your experiences, it will help us do a better job for you.
Thanks,
Steven
PS. But the first step has to be yours - find the job or the employer that is a good match for you on Jobs4.0 and go after it!! For ideas on how to maximize your chances of success, see my Forbes.com article (go to www.jobs4point0.com and click on the Forbes.com link)
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Short Circuit City
An article in The New York Times this week analyzed the layoffs of over 3,400 workers at Circuit City.
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0911FE3D5B0C778CDDAD0894DF404482
The article accepted the company's statements that the layoffs were not because 'the employees were doing a bad job and not because the company was eliminating their positions." Instead, Circuit City said that they were fired because they wanted to replace the workers - most in their 40s, 50s and 60s - with lower paid workers. The Times reporter approvingly added, without any citations, that "experience isn't quite as valuable as we might like to believe."
Even assuming that's true- and Albert Einstein among many others would disagree with the Times' reporter - it seems to me that these layoffs are simply ageism run amok. How many of the older, fired workers were given the chance to keep their jobs at a reduced salary? Apparently this wasn't part of the Circuit City game plan. Seems to me that they wanted to fire older workers en masse, and they did.
That very same day, the Times coincidentally ran two articles that had the (unintended) effect of proving just how shameful and illogical Circuit City's actions were. One was a piece on an 81 year old high school teacher who delights students with his unique perspectives and methods. The other was a book review - a glowing book review - of a memoir called 'The Invisible Wall'. The Times gushed over its powerful impact. The author happens to be 96 years old - yes 96. Each of them would have been fired by Circuit City 40 years earlier! 40 years!!! Each of these productive members of society are considered too old and too unproductive - by the Times and much of corporate America - to sell TV's, but they can delight hundreds of high school kids a week and write powerful, intense books. What a shame for Circuit City, and all of us.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/books/04grim.html?ex=1176523200&en=f89dd32df7c9a610&ei=5070
I don't expect we'll see them on Jobs4.0 anytime soon.
Maybe we should take some lessons from recent events and threaten to boycott stores that openly practice ageism.
Best,
Steven
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0911FE3D5B0C778CDDAD0894DF404482
The article accepted the company's statements that the layoffs were not because 'the employees were doing a bad job and not because the company was eliminating their positions." Instead, Circuit City said that they were fired because they wanted to replace the workers - most in their 40s, 50s and 60s - with lower paid workers. The Times reporter approvingly added, without any citations, that "experience isn't quite as valuable as we might like to believe."
Even assuming that's true- and Albert Einstein among many others would disagree with the Times' reporter - it seems to me that these layoffs are simply ageism run amok. How many of the older, fired workers were given the chance to keep their jobs at a reduced salary? Apparently this wasn't part of the Circuit City game plan. Seems to me that they wanted to fire older workers en masse, and they did.
That very same day, the Times coincidentally ran two articles that had the (unintended) effect of proving just how shameful and illogical Circuit City's actions were. One was a piece on an 81 year old high school teacher who delights students with his unique perspectives and methods. The other was a book review - a glowing book review - of a memoir called 'The Invisible Wall'. The Times gushed over its powerful impact. The author happens to be 96 years old - yes 96. Each of them would have been fired by Circuit City 40 years earlier! 40 years!!! Each of these productive members of society are considered too old and too unproductive - by the Times and much of corporate America - to sell TV's, but they can delight hundreds of high school kids a week and write powerful, intense books. What a shame for Circuit City, and all of us.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/books/04grim.html?ex=1176523200&en=f89dd32df7c9a610&ei=5070
I don't expect we'll see them on Jobs4.0 anytime soon.
Maybe we should take some lessons from recent events and threaten to boycott stores that openly practice ageism.
Best,
Steven
Saturday, April 7, 2007
New Employers/New Service for our JobSeekers
So much going on these days, it's hard to find time to write. Among the developments is that we've added many new employers in the past weeks - check out New York Life Insurance, Stanford University, AXA Advisors, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, FirstCard Merchants and many more. Check it out! Any questions, please feel free to email us.
Also, in response to many of your requests, we are now sending resumes directly to our contacts at our client/employers! So if you prefer, you can send us your resume and a list of the jobs that you want to apply to on our site, and we'll forward them directly to a real live HR person at the employer!
And again thanks to the many of you who are spreading the word about Jobs4.0. We are getting more and more emails from people telling us that a friend or colleague recommended Jobs4.0.... Without that referral network we can't continue to drive new employers to post jobs and embrace job seekers over 40.
I'll write more soon,
Steven
Also, in response to many of your requests, we are now sending resumes directly to our contacts at our client/employers! So if you prefer, you can send us your resume and a list of the jobs that you want to apply to on our site, and we'll forward them directly to a real live HR person at the employer!
And again thanks to the many of you who are spreading the word about Jobs4.0. We are getting more and more emails from people telling us that a friend or colleague recommended Jobs4.0.... Without that referral network we can't continue to drive new employers to post jobs and embrace job seekers over 40.
I'll write more soon,
Steven
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Upcoming Radio Program
For those of you in the Cincinnati area, I'll be doing a call-in radio program this Sunday, April 1 from around 2:10- 2:40 EST. The program is called Talent Wins, and it airs on 55 KRC (550 AM), a FOX radio station. I'd love to hear from you, if you can call in. The show is also available on line at www.55krc.com/pages/streaming.html
We've done many of these around the US, but each show also has some surprises - either in the types of calls we get, or the direction in which the host drives the conversation. The host of this program is also a career counselor, so I would expect this program to be more substantive than most.
Best,
Steven
We've done many of these around the US, but each show also has some surprises - either in the types of calls we get, or the direction in which the host drives the conversation. The host of this program is also a career counselor, so I would expect this program to be more substantive than most.
Best,
Steven
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Good advice, from Mr. Backus
Here's a random item - I love reading biographies and obituaries of successful people. It's amazing to read, time after time, how success came about only after years and years of frustration. We all know talent is rarely enough by itself - it also takes great determination and energy. Job seekers over 40 need to remember that!
In my Forbes.com article, I wrote that you should apply to every job where you feel like you are a good match, and follow up on your resume submission in creative, relevant, energetic ways. Don't be deflated by the fear of rejection. If you need a boost, take a look at the obituary of John Backus in today's NY Times. Who was John Backus? Well you might not be reading this (or anything else on a computer) without his contributions. He was the leader of the team that developed Fortran, the first widely used programming language. Fortran was 'the turning point' in computer software, and his work 'opened the door to modern computing.'
He suffered many many setbacks along the way, and he certainly had no guarantee of success. Here's how he dealt with frustration, and failure - he was talking about programming but he could have been giving advice to job seekers over 40, trying to overcome ageism:
"You need the willingness to fail all the time," he said. "You have to generate many ideas and then you have to work very hard to discover that they don't work. And you keep doing that over and over until you find one that does work."
So keep at it, and take a look at Jobs4.0 today - we've added a whole bunch of new jobs lately!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/business/20backus.html?ex=1175054400&en=d76ca10764a7769f&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Best,
Steven
In my Forbes.com article, I wrote that you should apply to every job where you feel like you are a good match, and follow up on your resume submission in creative, relevant, energetic ways. Don't be deflated by the fear of rejection. If you need a boost, take a look at the obituary of John Backus in today's NY Times. Who was John Backus? Well you might not be reading this (or anything else on a computer) without his contributions. He was the leader of the team that developed Fortran, the first widely used programming language. Fortran was 'the turning point' in computer software, and his work 'opened the door to modern computing.'
He suffered many many setbacks along the way, and he certainly had no guarantee of success. Here's how he dealt with frustration, and failure - he was talking about programming but he could have been giving advice to job seekers over 40, trying to overcome ageism:
"You need the willingness to fail all the time," he said. "You have to generate many ideas and then you have to work very hard to discover that they don't work. And you keep doing that over and over until you find one that does work."
So keep at it, and take a look at Jobs4.0 today - we've added a whole bunch of new jobs lately!
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/business/20backus.html?ex=1175054400&en=d76ca10764a7769f&ei=5070&emc=eta1
Best,
Steven
Friday, March 16, 2007
AOL then AWOL
My Forbes.com article was picked up by AOL and put on their home page this week - I greatly appreciate all of the emails I have recieved about it... I will respond to every one of them, so sorry for the delay, I am working on them every chance I get. Thanks.
I am working on my next articles now - as always, I'd welcome your input for story suggestions. Also, if you've ever filed an age discrimination suit and want to discuss it for an upcoming article, please let me know.
Please check out our site -we've added hundreds of new jobs this week - including jobs at Hartford Hospital, Allstate, KPMG, Firstcard Merchant Services, and many more...
Best,
Steven
I am working on my next articles now - as always, I'd welcome your input for story suggestions. Also, if you've ever filed an age discrimination suit and want to discuss it for an upcoming article, please let me know.
Please check out our site -we've added hundreds of new jobs this week - including jobs at Hartford Hospital, Allstate, KPMG, Firstcard Merchant Services, and many more...
Best,
Steven
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
And the Survey Says.....
"A national survey by the Boston College Center on Aging and Work shows many U.S. companies are not prepared for the shortfall in labor, experience and expertise that will accompany the retirement of the baby boomer generation. "
We've been saying this every day for 6 months, but it's nice to see a respected research institution confirm what we've known for a long time. Jobs seekers over 40 are going to become more and more valuable to employers in the next few years. Even the companies that fail to see the value that older workers bring (less training time, better work habits, more stability, more skill, etc) will be forced to start hiring older workers in the coming years.
There is an impending labor shortage (and shortage of expertise) in the US that most companies are completely ignoring. And the smart companies will start branding themselves now as being open to hiring older workers. Job seekers: you need to find those companies that "get it",and try not to be discouraged by the many employers that don't.
Steven
Here's a link to the national survey article: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/528045/
We've been saying this every day for 6 months, but it's nice to see a respected research institution confirm what we've known for a long time. Jobs seekers over 40 are going to become more and more valuable to employers in the next few years. Even the companies that fail to see the value that older workers bring (less training time, better work habits, more stability, more skill, etc) will be forced to start hiring older workers in the coming years.
There is an impending labor shortage (and shortage of expertise) in the US that most companies are completely ignoring. And the smart companies will start branding themselves now as being open to hiring older workers. Job seekers: you need to find those companies that "get it",and try not to be discouraged by the many employers that don't.
Steven
Here's a link to the national survey article: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/528045/
Thursday, March 8, 2007
"Mike and the Mad Dog" Weigh In on Jobs4.0?
Sometimes you get help from the unlikeliest of places... yesterday I was feeling a bit down, so I went for a short drive. I tune in to the legendary sports radio hosts "Mike and the Mad Dog" on WFAN in New York (people either love them, or hate them, or both), and they are in the middle of a discussion about sportscaster Dick Enberg, who started broadcasting before steroids were invented....They were saying how great Enberg still is at calling basketball games, and now in his 70's he's better than ever. Mike then chimes in with "it used to be sportscasters in their 40's were too old, now people like Enberg are in their 70's and they are still adding new gigs." It made my day.
If Mike and the Mad Dog understand the value of older workers, then corporate America can't be far behind!! Ya gotta love it, as 60-something sportscaster Tim McCarver might say....
Steven
If Mike and the Mad Dog understand the value of older workers, then corporate America can't be far behind!! Ya gotta love it, as 60-something sportscaster Tim McCarver might say....
Steven
Radio Call-In Show Thursday AM
Jobs4.0 has been featured in major newspapers, on radio programs, the evening TV news, magazines and more. We've given talks to large groups and smaller ones, but today is a first... we'll be doing a radio call in show on WRJM, a 100,000 watt station that reaches Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida panhandle. I'll be taking calls from 7:30-8AM CST on Thursday. Please call in if you'd like, I'd love to hear from you.
The station streams on www.wrjm.us so anyone reading this can join in. Should be fun...
Best,
Steven
The station streams on www.wrjm.us so anyone reading this can join in. Should be fun...
Best,
Steven
Monday, March 5, 2007
Article on Forbes.com - Resumes for Job Seekers Over 40
The question I get asked most often by job seekers is 'what can I do to make my resume more compelling?" My first article as a contributing writer for Forbes.com addresses that very topic. It was posted on Forbes.com today.
www.forbes.com/leadership/careers/2007/03/05/careers-resume-jobs-leadership-careers-cx_sg_0305over40.html
Take a look, it has 3 of the best pieces of advice that I have acccumulated in my 16 plus years working with job seekers over 40.
Please feel free to contact me with your comments on it.
Best,
Steven
www.forbes.com/leadership/careers/2007/03/05/careers-resume-jobs-leadership-careers-cx_sg_0305over40.html
Take a look, it has 3 of the best pieces of advice that I have acccumulated in my 16 plus years working with job seekers over 40.
Please feel free to contact me with your comments on it.
Best,
Steven
New Developments
Sorry for not writing more - I was on the road last week, meeting new companies and talking to potential new partners about alliances that will help deliver more quality employers with good jobs to our site. New jobs on our site in the past week include major employers like Vanguard, AXA Financial and Allied Moulded and smaller employers with great businesses such as Bowman Valuation Services, Capitol Petsitters and more.
Please continue to check out all of our postings, and apply to jobs! And tell your friends and colleagues to do the same - the new postings are a direct result of the incredible support you have given us.
Thanks,
steven
Please continue to check out all of our postings, and apply to jobs! And tell your friends and colleagues to do the same - the new postings are a direct result of the incredible support you have given us.
Thanks,
steven
Friday, February 23, 2007
Jobs4.0 Newsletter
Sorry for not writing this week....in case you missed it or are not yet signed up for our newsletters, here's the latest one..
"Jobs4.0 New Arrivals!
Jobs4.0 is opening doors for you and our fellow job seekers over 40 every day. Please bookmark our site and check it regularly! Don't despair if we don't have a job that matches your credentials today, check back with us next week, we'll have added hundreds more jobs!
If you haven't looked at Jobs4.0 in a while, you may have missed new jobs added by many companies including:
Allstate Insurance
Tiffany & Co.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
ManateeCommunity College
UBS
United American Insurance
Xerox Capital Services
YaleHospital
Liberty National Insurance
National Income Insurance
Intelligent Hue
STEP, Inc.
And so many more. We've added jobs around the US, including Montana, and Hawaii. Now it's up to you to help yourselves! Please review our site and apply to jobs. Send jobs to friends and colleagues! The more good candidates that apply to jobs on our site, the easier it will be for other companies to post jobs with us.
Jobs4.0 has spoken with every single one of the companies on our site. They've told us, often enthusiastically, that they want to see resumes from candidates with the skills to do the job; they won't trash your resume because of ageism.
We are so proud be partnering not only with big employers like Starbucks, The Home Depot, Tiffany and GE, but also the many truly outstanding small companies that are now posting with us! We've spoken with many great people running quality businesses, including some extraordinary people at non-profits that have all reached out to us to let us know they WANT TO SEE RESUMES OF JOB SEEKERS OVER 40!!
Please seek them out and apply to them, and if you can think of a friend or colleague that might want to hear about the job, please email it to them! Thanks.
You're right - Workers Over 40 are Better!
Did you see The Wall Street Journal article on 'The Upside of Aging' last week? A great article for all job seekers over 40!!
Bottom line is that the best current research on aging proves what we've known for a long time - age discrimination in the hiring process is illogical. Of most relevance is the WSJ's conclusion that:
"An emerging body of research shows that a surprising array of mental functions hold us well into old age, while others actually get better....Older brains are packed with more so-called expert knowledge -information relevant to your occupation or hobby." The 'longevity of expert knowledge and cognitive templates lies behind the finding that air-traffic controllers in their 60s are at least as skilled as those in their 30s...It was as if their experience had equipped them with the most efficient algorithm for keeping planes safely spaced."
And this is true for people in their 60s!! So why are so many employers routinely ignoring the resumes of all job seekers over 40?!
As I read this article, I couldn't help but think of the HR manager at a leading, national retail chain that recently declined to post jobs on Jobs4.0 because she 'had no interest in hiring older workers'. And all the other employers that you and I know harbor the same bias. This research is more evidence that they are actually hurting their company's efforts to recruit the best talent.
We ask people over 40 all the time 'are you a better worker now than you have ever been?' The answer is always a resounding yes. Turns out we're in good company - the article quotes a 71 year old Nobel Prize Winner for medicine who says he is doing science better now than when he was younger. Does anyone see the irony here? If he applied for a job as a researcher when he was 65 or 58 or 49 he probably never would have gotten an interview! A 70 year old person can be talented and productive enough to earn a Nobel studying toxicity levels in cancer patients, but to an HR manager it is the scientist's resume that is radioactive. The HR manager wouldn't want to even touch it.
Take a look at the article, and paste it to your resume!!
Comments/Suggestions/Ideas
As always, we'd like to hear from you. Any suggestions for companies that we should contact would be welcome. Success stories finding a job over 40? Stories of discrimination? Anything on your mind, we'd like to hear from you. Thanks again for your support.
Best,
Steven
PS. Did you catch the stories about Jobs4.0 on NPR or NBC (in NY, LA, DC, VA, MD), The Washington Post, or The New York Times, among others? If you'd like to be considered for a news story, or know of a media outlet that might be interested in reporting on us, please let us know. Thanks.
"Jobs4.0 New Arrivals!
Jobs4.0 is opening doors for you and our fellow job seekers over 40 every day. Please bookmark our site and check it regularly! Don't despair if we don't have a job that matches your credentials today, check back with us next week, we'll have added hundreds more jobs!
If you haven't looked at Jobs4.0 in a while, you may have missed new jobs added by many companies including:
Allstate Insurance
Tiffany & Co.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
ManateeCommunity College
UBS
United American Insurance
Xerox Capital Services
YaleHospital
Liberty National Insurance
National Income Insurance
Intelligent Hue
STEP, Inc.
And so many more. We've added jobs around the US, including Montana, and Hawaii. Now it's up to you to help yourselves! Please review our site and apply to jobs. Send jobs to friends and colleagues! The more good candidates that apply to jobs on our site, the easier it will be for other companies to post jobs with us.
Jobs4.0 has spoken with every single one of the companies on our site. They've told us, often enthusiastically, that they want to see resumes from candidates with the skills to do the job; they won't trash your resume because of ageism.
We are so proud be partnering not only with big employers like Starbucks, The Home Depot, Tiffany and GE, but also the many truly outstanding small companies that are now posting with us! We've spoken with many great people running quality businesses, including some extraordinary people at non-profits that have all reached out to us to let us know they WANT TO SEE RESUMES OF JOB SEEKERS OVER 40!!
Please seek them out and apply to them, and if you can think of a friend or colleague that might want to hear about the job, please email it to them! Thanks.
You're right - Workers Over 40 are Better!
Did you see The Wall Street Journal article on 'The Upside of Aging' last week? A great article for all job seekers over 40!!
Bottom line is that the best current research on aging proves what we've known for a long time - age discrimination in the hiring process is illogical. Of most relevance is the WSJ's conclusion that:
"An emerging body of research shows that a surprising array of mental functions hold us well into old age, while others actually get better....Older brains are packed with more so-called expert knowledge -information relevant to your occupation or hobby." The 'longevity of expert knowledge and cognitive templates lies behind the finding that air-traffic controllers in their 60s are at least as skilled as those in their 30s...It was as if their experience had equipped them with the most efficient algorithm for keeping planes safely spaced."
And this is true for people in their 60s!! So why are so many employers routinely ignoring the resumes of all job seekers over 40?!
As I read this article, I couldn't help but think of the HR manager at a leading, national retail chain that recently declined to post jobs on Jobs4.0 because she 'had no interest in hiring older workers'. And all the other employers that you and I know harbor the same bias. This research is more evidence that they are actually hurting their company's efforts to recruit the best talent.
We ask people over 40 all the time 'are you a better worker now than you have ever been?' The answer is always a resounding yes. Turns out we're in good company - the article quotes a 71 year old Nobel Prize Winner for medicine who says he is doing science better now than when he was younger. Does anyone see the irony here? If he applied for a job as a researcher when he was 65 or 58 or 49 he probably never would have gotten an interview! A 70 year old person can be talented and productive enough to earn a Nobel studying toxicity levels in cancer patients, but to an HR manager it is the scientist's resume that is radioactive. The HR manager wouldn't want to even touch it.
Take a look at the article, and paste it to your resume!!
Comments/Suggestions/Ideas
As always, we'd like to hear from you. Any suggestions for companies that we should contact would be welcome. Success stories finding a job over 40? Stories of discrimination? Anything on your mind, we'd like to hear from you. Thanks again for your support.
Best,
Steven
PS. Did you catch the stories about Jobs4.0 on NPR or NBC (in NY, LA, DC, VA, MD), The Washington Post, or The New York Times, among others? If you'd like to be considered for a news story, or know of a media outlet that might be interested in reporting on us, please let us know. Thanks.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Today's Quiz
Today's quiz: What do these numbers mean? What are they? prime numbers, my bowling scores?
69 68 65 64 64 62 61 61 61 60 58 57 57 57 57 56 56 56 55 55 55 55 54 54 54 54 54 52 52 51 51 51 51 51 50 49 49 48 47 46 46 43 42
These were the ages of the successful job seekers for the office of President of the US. All over 40, most over 50. Hmmmm.
Yes, the minimum age to be POTUS is 35, but isn't that interesting? Our founding founders (the old geezers!!) apparently saw the wisdom in excluding YOUNGER candidates and so established a minumum age to be president, but they saw no danger in allowing older candidates to serve as president and therefore did not establish any age limit!
And has anyone heard any call to amend the Constitution so that people younger than 35 can be president? Of course not, we all know that over 40 or over 50 or over 60 is still plenty young enough -- to be POTUS or anything else!!
Yet if Abe Lincoln were alive today and at 50 years old he decided to seek an in house counsel job instead of run for POTUS, he'd never get past the online application system at most big employers. Lincoln could write the Gettysburg Address of all cover letters, and most HR managers wouldn't even take the time to read it....
Maybe I'll point this out to some of the HR managers I am scheduled to meet with this week....
Regards,
Steven
PS. Keep applying to the jobs you see on Jobs4.0!! We are making great progress!
69 68 65 64 64 62 61 61 61 60 58 57 57 57 57 56 56 56 55 55 55 55 54 54 54 54 54 52 52 51 51 51 51 51 50 49 49 48 47 46 46 43 42
These were the ages of the successful job seekers for the office of President of the US. All over 40, most over 50. Hmmmm.
Yes, the minimum age to be POTUS is 35, but isn't that interesting? Our founding founders (the old geezers!!) apparently saw the wisdom in excluding YOUNGER candidates and so established a minumum age to be president, but they saw no danger in allowing older candidates to serve as president and therefore did not establish any age limit!
And has anyone heard any call to amend the Constitution so that people younger than 35 can be president? Of course not, we all know that over 40 or over 50 or over 60 is still plenty young enough -- to be POTUS or anything else!!
Yet if Abe Lincoln were alive today and at 50 years old he decided to seek an in house counsel job instead of run for POTUS, he'd never get past the online application system at most big employers. Lincoln could write the Gettysburg Address of all cover letters, and most HR managers wouldn't even take the time to read it....
Maybe I'll point this out to some of the HR managers I am scheduled to meet with this week....
Regards,
Steven
PS. Keep applying to the jobs you see on Jobs4.0!! We are making great progress!
Friday, February 16, 2007
The Upside of Jobs4.0
Take a look at 'The Upside of Aging', in today's Wall Street Journal (page one of weekend journal section). A great article for all job seekers over 40!!
Bottom line is that the best current research on aging proves what we've known for a long time - age discrimination in the hiring process is illogical. Of most relevance is the WSJ's conclusion that:
"An emerging body of research shows that a surprising array of mental functions hold us well into old age, while others actually get better....Older brains are packed with more so-called expert knowledge -information relevant to your occupation or hobby." The 'longevity of expert knowledge and cognitive templates lies behind the finding that air-traffic controllers in their 60s are at least as skilled as those in their 30s...It was as if their experience had equipped them with the most efficient algorithm for keeping planes safely spaced."
As I read this, I couldn't help but think of the HR manager at a leading, national retail chain that recently declined to post jobs on Jobs4.0 because she had no interest in hiring older workers. And all the other employers that probably harbor the same biases. This research is more evidence that they are actually hurting their company's efforts to recruit the best talent.
Another amazing aspect to this is that while the research now demonstrates how workers in their 60s can be BETTER workers than people in their 30s, discrimination continues to frustrate the efforts of job seekers even in their early 40s and 50s.
We ask people over 40 all the time 'are you a better worker now than you have ever been?' The answer is always a resounding yes. Turns out we're in good company - the article quotes a 71 year old Nobel Prize Winner for medicine who says he is doing science better now than when he was younger. Does anyone see the irony here? If he applied for a job as a researcher when he was 65 or 58 or 49 he probably never would have gotten an interview! A 70 year old person can be talented and productive enough to earn a Nobel studying toxicity levels in cancer patients, but to an HR manager it is the scientist's resume that is radioactive. The HR manager wouldn't want to even touch it.
But things are moving in our direction, we've got to keep plugging.....
Take a look at the article, and paste it to your resume!!
Thanks,
Steven
Bottom line is that the best current research on aging proves what we've known for a long time - age discrimination in the hiring process is illogical. Of most relevance is the WSJ's conclusion that:
"An emerging body of research shows that a surprising array of mental functions hold us well into old age, while others actually get better....Older brains are packed with more so-called expert knowledge -information relevant to your occupation or hobby." The 'longevity of expert knowledge and cognitive templates lies behind the finding that air-traffic controllers in their 60s are at least as skilled as those in their 30s...It was as if their experience had equipped them with the most efficient algorithm for keeping planes safely spaced."
As I read this, I couldn't help but think of the HR manager at a leading, national retail chain that recently declined to post jobs on Jobs4.0 because she had no interest in hiring older workers. And all the other employers that probably harbor the same biases. This research is more evidence that they are actually hurting their company's efforts to recruit the best talent.
Another amazing aspect to this is that while the research now demonstrates how workers in their 60s can be BETTER workers than people in their 30s, discrimination continues to frustrate the efforts of job seekers even in their early 40s and 50s.
We ask people over 40 all the time 'are you a better worker now than you have ever been?' The answer is always a resounding yes. Turns out we're in good company - the article quotes a 71 year old Nobel Prize Winner for medicine who says he is doing science better now than when he was younger. Does anyone see the irony here? If he applied for a job as a researcher when he was 65 or 58 or 49 he probably never would have gotten an interview! A 70 year old person can be talented and productive enough to earn a Nobel studying toxicity levels in cancer patients, but to an HR manager it is the scientist's resume that is radioactive. The HR manager wouldn't want to even touch it.
But things are moving in our direction, we've got to keep plugging.....
Take a look at the article, and paste it to your resume!!
Thanks,
Steven
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Sound familiar?
Check out this email that I received from a gentleman who saw a story about Jobs4.0 on NBC in MD today. This will strike some people as amazing, others merely as confirmation of their own experiences:
"I'm a 50-something lawyer, working as a government consultant, trying to get back into an active law job. I'd been in a federal appointment that was eliminated through budget cuts. I was so pleased to find out about your site last night on the local NBC news in Washington. I looked for a job this morning; although I didn't find one today, I'll be back on your site.
Even when salaries are comparable, age discrimination is blatant in the legal field. I'd gotten through 6 individual interviews with one law firm with flying colors, to have the chief partner interview me. That partner was a woman, about my age, and I thought--briefly--a woman would understand employment discrimination, would understand age discrimination, would have likely encountered it--and this was a firm that handled employment law disputes, including age discrimination. She looked over my resume, looked up at me, and said, "I don't much care what my partners have said. You're about my age--and I don't know where I'd put you; you'd be taking orders from younger people, and I don't think you'd fit in with that."
Another law firm saw my resume on one of the commercial job sites, called me in, and then had the hiring partner tell me in an interview, before he'd asked question one, "I didn't screen these resumes. This job is beneath you. I really wanted someone with less experience, a younger attorney. How many trials have you had?" After I replied, he said, "This would be a waste of time. You've tried more cases than I have. I'll validate your parking, though."
Please keep plugging away for the "seasoned" veteran. We know how to show up for work, and we know how to get the work done. "
Sometimes a CEO or newsreporter will seem incredulous when we discuss the rampant ageism that exists in much of corporate America. They ask, "do hiring managers really SAY such things?' -- Well, as you can see yes they do, and the problem is so acute that even partners in law firms may have no problem discriminating on the basis of age.
Keep those emails coming, they keep us motivated to find employers that embrace job seekers over 40!!
Thanks,
Steven
"I'm a 50-something lawyer, working as a government consultant, trying to get back into an active law job. I'd been in a federal appointment that was eliminated through budget cuts. I was so pleased to find out about your site last night on the local NBC news in Washington. I looked for a job this morning; although I didn't find one today, I'll be back on your site.
Even when salaries are comparable, age discrimination is blatant in the legal field. I'd gotten through 6 individual interviews with one law firm with flying colors, to have the chief partner interview me. That partner was a woman, about my age, and I thought--briefly--a woman would understand employment discrimination, would understand age discrimination, would have likely encountered it--and this was a firm that handled employment law disputes, including age discrimination. She looked over my resume, looked up at me, and said, "I don't much care what my partners have said. You're about my age--and I don't know where I'd put you; you'd be taking orders from younger people, and I don't think you'd fit in with that."
Another law firm saw my resume on one of the commercial job sites, called me in, and then had the hiring partner tell me in an interview, before he'd asked question one, "I didn't screen these resumes. This job is beneath you. I really wanted someone with less experience, a younger attorney. How many trials have you had?" After I replied, he said, "This would be a waste of time. You've tried more cases than I have. I'll validate your parking, though."
Please keep plugging away for the "seasoned" veteran. We know how to show up for work, and we know how to get the work done. "
Sometimes a CEO or newsreporter will seem incredulous when we discuss the rampant ageism that exists in much of corporate America. They ask, "do hiring managers really SAY such things?' -- Well, as you can see yes they do, and the problem is so acute that even partners in law firms may have no problem discriminating on the basis of age.
Keep those emails coming, they keep us motivated to find employers that embrace job seekers over 40!!
Thanks,
Steven
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Welcome Washington Post readers
Interesting how so many of the most prominent news organizations in the country are among the first ones to recognize what Jobs4.0 is trying to accomplish. First it was Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, The New York Times, and then WNBC, NPR and today The Washington Post. The WP has a good piece on how workers over 40 can maximize their opportunities to get a new job, and we are quoted extensively.
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Steven
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021201144.html?referrer=emailarticle
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Steven
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/12/AR2007021201144.html?referrer=emailarticle
Perspectives
The illogic of age discrimination is confirmed to me every day, in myriad ways. Whenever I see a study on how mature workers require less training time, or how they stay in their jobs longer than younger workers, I wonder why more employers aren't agressively seeking out experienced workers. Instead, far too many HR managers simply hit delete when they see a resume of a candidate over 40. We get emails every day from job seekers who are 41 or 47, even some in their late 30's (!) detailing their experiences with ageism.
So why is it that the perspective changes so dramatically when we talk about the top positions at companies? The lead story in today's Wall Street Journal casually mentions (the article is not about ageism) how 'instead of a young, 42-year old CEO..."(emphasis added) the company would be co-headed by men who are 71 and 61.
I agree 42 is young, but not just for a CEO. It's young for almost any job. Why is 42 considered young for the most challenging position at a company but not for other jobs that are less stressful and less demanding? If a 42 year old is young for a CEO, isn't 42 also young for an accounting or sales or IT or any other position? Why not 52? Or if the 71 year old can still be CEO, can't companies hire someone at 64, someone with skills and maturity who can add value into their 70's? A 64 year old can stay in that job for 10 years -- how long do people in their 20's stay in the same job?
The point is that job seekers over 40 just want to find an employer that will hire people based on their talent, energy and work habits and just because they are not applying to be CEO doesn't make them older -- it just makes them valuable.
So why is it that the perspective changes so dramatically when we talk about the top positions at companies? The lead story in today's Wall Street Journal casually mentions (the article is not about ageism) how 'instead of a young, 42-year old CEO..."(emphasis added) the company would be co-headed by men who are 71 and 61.
I agree 42 is young, but not just for a CEO. It's young for almost any job. Why is 42 considered young for the most challenging position at a company but not for other jobs that are less stressful and less demanding? If a 42 year old is young for a CEO, isn't 42 also young for an accounting or sales or IT or any other position? Why not 52? Or if the 71 year old can still be CEO, can't companies hire someone at 64, someone with skills and maturity who can add value into their 70's? A 64 year old can stay in that job for 10 years -- how long do people in their 20's stay in the same job?
The point is that job seekers over 40 just want to find an employer that will hire people based on their talent, energy and work habits and just because they are not applying to be CEO doesn't make them older -- it just makes them valuable.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Welcome WNBC TV Viewers
Welcome to all our new job seekers who discovered Jobs4.0 tonight on WNBC's award winning evening newscast.
For new visitors to Jobs4.0 in NY and NJ, Welcome!! Please read our mission statement for more info about us. Essentially our goal is to open doors at PROMINENT employers for job seekers over 40 -- we work all day every day to find good jobs at top companies that want to judge job seekers over 40 on their skills and experience, not on how many candles were on their birthday cake last year. We screen every employer before accepting their postings. We refuse jobs postings that are sketchy and we reject jobs from temp agencies and headhunters.
In just 5 months since our launch, we are already partnering with GE, Starbucks, The Home Depot, MIT, Yale Hospital, Save the Children, Allstate Insurance, UBS, US Surgical, Merrill Lynch, Hyatt, Hilton and many many more employers.
We even posted our first jobs in Hawaii today! But frankly we need to do better in NY and NJ. (CT responded quite well already - with UBS, USSurgical, Starbucks, Save the Children and others). We have many job seekers from NY and NJ on our site, but not enough quality employers have come forward yet (although we are close to posting jobs from a number of top employers in NY/NJ- stay tuned).
You won't see our ads on billboards or on the sides of city buses. We grow the best way possible - organically, by recommendation and word of mouth. Spread the word!! When you apply from our site you are helping confirm to companies that job seekers over 40 support the mission of Jobs4.0. Together we can fight ageism in the hiring process!
Because we insist on posting jobs from prominent employers only, it takes a bit more time than we'd like to find quality jobs in every category and location. So PLEASE BE PATIENT as we ramp up. New jobs are added every day - so if no jobs match your criteria, please check back soon! AND ALSO, take a look at the employers using our site and write to them, tell them you support their efforts to reach out to job seekers over 40! We are looking to change the corporate culture that exists in too many places, a culture that completely ignores experienced workers. We need to show the more progressive employers that we recognize and support them!
I'll be writing a column for Forbes.com starting next month about mid-career issues. I'd like to write about issues that are of greatest concern to you, so please write to me with your comments, stories, questions, etc!
Again thanks for your support, and welcome!
Thanks,
Steven
For new visitors to Jobs4.0 in NY and NJ, Welcome!! Please read our mission statement for more info about us. Essentially our goal is to open doors at PROMINENT employers for job seekers over 40 -- we work all day every day to find good jobs at top companies that want to judge job seekers over 40 on their skills and experience, not on how many candles were on their birthday cake last year. We screen every employer before accepting their postings. We refuse jobs postings that are sketchy and we reject jobs from temp agencies and headhunters.
In just 5 months since our launch, we are already partnering with GE, Starbucks, The Home Depot, MIT, Yale Hospital, Save the Children, Allstate Insurance, UBS, US Surgical, Merrill Lynch, Hyatt, Hilton and many many more employers.
We even posted our first jobs in Hawaii today! But frankly we need to do better in NY and NJ. (CT responded quite well already - with UBS, USSurgical, Starbucks, Save the Children and others). We have many job seekers from NY and NJ on our site, but not enough quality employers have come forward yet (although we are close to posting jobs from a number of top employers in NY/NJ- stay tuned).
You won't see our ads on billboards or on the sides of city buses. We grow the best way possible - organically, by recommendation and word of mouth. Spread the word!! When you apply from our site you are helping confirm to companies that job seekers over 40 support the mission of Jobs4.0. Together we can fight ageism in the hiring process!
Because we insist on posting jobs from prominent employers only, it takes a bit more time than we'd like to find quality jobs in every category and location. So PLEASE BE PATIENT as we ramp up. New jobs are added every day - so if no jobs match your criteria, please check back soon! AND ALSO, take a look at the employers using our site and write to them, tell them you support their efforts to reach out to job seekers over 40! We are looking to change the corporate culture that exists in too many places, a culture that completely ignores experienced workers. We need to show the more progressive employers that we recognize and support them!
I'll be writing a column for Forbes.com starting next month about mid-career issues. I'd like to write about issues that are of greatest concern to you, so please write to me with your comments, stories, questions, etc!
Again thanks for your support, and welcome!
Thanks,
Steven
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