Baby Boomer's Secret Career Weapon

What is the most important tactic a Baby Boomer managing their career or seeking a new job can implement in 2015? Developing a LinkedIn strategy is the step every Boomer can use to improve their image at work or trade in their current job for a better one. A recent Jobvite survey shows:

• 96% of recruiters search for candidates on LinkedIn 

• 92% of recruiters research candidates on LinkedIn prior to setting up interviews

According to Wayne Breitbarth, author of The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success, “your unique experience combined with your unique relationships plus LinkedIn equals the power.” The power of LinkedIn is it’s 332+ million users. However, Breitbarth suggest that not all of these connections are equal. “It is no different than going to a networking event in person, says Breitbarth, “it is important to have a connection strategy to determine who you are trying to get in front of to move your career forward.”  He says most people network with their friends, people they know from church, co-workers and neighbors. Instead, people managing their careers should proactively seek connections from target companies and join industry groups. 

Breitbarth, an accountant and entrepreneur, was reluctant to use LinkedIn initially. Since he connected to LinkedIn in 2008, Breitbarth transformed himself into the “LinkedIn Guru” to those who attend his training classes and talks and his book has sold over 70,000 copies. As a Boomer himself, he understands the reluctance to LinkedIn is often generational.

“For sure, no question it is generational. You grew up with much more privacy. Lack of privacy is something 20-somethings take for granted and that really is a fact,” says Breitbarth. Baby Boomers are also less likely to have a photo or summary on their profile. He explains that people in their 50s and 60s are concerned about bragging about themselves or appearing boastful. It even extends to not having a profile photo. 

• A LinkedIn profile with a photo is reportedly viewed 7-14 times more likely to be viewed

• Most LinkedIn profiles miss the opportunity to write a summary

“People on LinkedIn without profile photos and summaries are asking for nothing to happen,” says Breitbarth. He explains that corporate recruiters pay fees for access to all 332 million LinkedIn users. “Recruiters can fully view profiles even without relationships or being part of a group. Hiring managers can see your profile, presentations and recommendations,” according to Breitbarth. He acknowledges that most people freeze when they see an empty box for a summary that may contain up to 2,000 characters. “People need to take the opportunity to tell their story on LinkedIN,” says Breitbarth.

Wayne's book "The Power Formula for LinkedIn Success:  Kick Start Your Business, Brand and Job Search" is available at his website www.powerformula.net.  Also while visiting his website be sure to sign up for his very helpful free weekly email of LinkedIn tips and strategies. 

Living Until 90 and Working Until 70

Monday Morning Pep Talk!


This week there is good news and bad news. The good news is that you, that's right Y-O-U could live into your ninth decade. Wow! Imagine you in your 90s. The bad news is that for a variety of reasons, you may find yourself working into your 70s. You may want to prepare for your long future by taking great care of yourself today and saving more money.


60 Minutes, the weekly CBS news show, recently aired a segment on the 90+ Study being conducted by the University Of California at Irvine. They are following a group of 90+ year old as a follow-up to a study that began in the 1980s.Two facts were identified in their research that gave me hope:


1. People in their study who drank moderate amounts of coffee and alcohol lived longer than those who abstained.


2. People who were overweight in their 70s lived longer than their normal weight and underweight friends.


So far, so good.


All of this was tempered with the bad news about dementia, disability and memory loss. Other research from the American Heart Association and Centers for Disease Control suggest weight training and resistance training play a critical role in successful aging.


Once you build the muscle, it is time to get to work! People work past 65 for a variety of reasons that are not financial. Creating social connections and feeling useful and productive were the top answers many in their 60s, 70s and 80s gave when surveyed on what factors besides money motivated them to work.


A bigger issue will be where will older workers will find employment and what will they experience in the workforce as far as attitudes of co-workers and managers? Never in history has the 90+ age group be among the fastest growing in the U.S. Today with advanced medical technology and more information about healthy lifestyles, you can expect to have the odds on your side of living past the average life expectancy of 79. So, this is the week to begin taking care of yourself and thinking about what your post-65 career plan. Make it a great week!

3 Career-Boosting Steps for Thanksgiving

Monday Morning Pep Talk

Thanksgiving will be celebrated in the United States on Thursday and by now everyone knows what their plans are—where they are eating dinner, what time the meal is being served, who is preparing their favorite holiday recipes and all the details. Have you spent as much time thinking about your career as you have your holiday plans? It doesn’t have to be an onerous task. It just takes a few hours to figure out if what you are doing today will get you where you want to be in the future. During this time of Thanksgiving is the perfect time to spend a few hours thinking about your career plan. These three steps are  thought-starters. Feel free to share your ideas as comments on the blog; you may comment anonymously if you are more comfortable.

STEP ONE: DETERMINE WHERE YOUR CAREER IS TODAY IN YOUR WORK/LIFE CONTINUUM

At 40+ your career is no longer entry-level, however due to a change of industry or career break you could easily find yourself in your 50s or 60s in a “starter job” and that is okay. The important element is to identify a realistic career goal from where you are today to what you plan to do at the end of your working life.  Remember Stephen Covey and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? One of the tenets of his approach was beginning with the end in mind. If you are working to earn a living in your 40s, 50s and 60s---contingency plans are vital. You survived the economic downturn post-9/11, the recession of 2008 and the craziness of 2013 as the 16-day government shutdown brought clarity that no job is immune to disappearing. Entire industries are changing as business reacts to implementing the Affordable Care Act (like business reacted to the implementation of Medicare and Social Security decades before). Here are three questions to ask in this phase:

1.      What is the cost/benefit analysis* to my family, health, financial security and personal happiness to invest in moving to the next rung or two up the corporate ladder? (*You may call it pro/con or risk/reward). Are your positioned to do it with your current organization?

2.      How much longer do you plan to work in your current work environment and what does your next stage look like? Retirement planning is more than reaching a dollar goal-that’s  one element of a very complex stage of life. You need a holistic exit plan.

3.      What is your game plan if your current work ends suddenly or you can’t perform the type of work you are currently doing? Life happens-do you have a back-up plan?

STEP TWO: WHO IS MY NETWORK? MY SUPPORT TEAM?

These are two different groups of people with a few crossovers. Your network consists of people in your industry or in your profession that can open doors to a new opportunity. One thing has not changed; it remains difficult for an experienced person to find new employment.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics  (BLS) data has shown since 2008 it takes mature workers over one year to find a job. BLS data doesn’t factor the employees who are underemployed, start a business or job-hunters that drop out of the job market. Your support team members are the shoulders you cry on and the people you vent to—I think these people should not be your professional network! These are people who think you are great, your champions and personal cheer squad. They don’t need to know a lot about your work or your industry—they just know you and think you are the best thing since French toast.

Two questions for the network and support team:

1.       When was the last time you met face-to-face or on a live phone call with your two top  network partners? Let’s make that a priority before the year ends.

2.       If you don’t have a wide support team, start recruiting today—because if you depend on one or two people you will run those “besties” away during a prolonged career reinvention or job search. My 85-year-old great-aunt is part of my extensive support team. A conversation with her leaves me ready to take on the world!

STEP THREE: GIVE THANKS!

Whether you are employed and you are planning for the future or unemployed and seeking a new opportunity, 40+ workers that network, have a great attitude and keep their skills sharp ARE finding opportunities.  2013 is the biggest year of success stories in several years for experienced workers. Independent business owners have flourished this year; two of my favorite corporate refugees that are now franchisees reported double digit growth and people are working their networks and finding great opportunities. The stock market is up and hopefully so is your 403(b) or 401(k)! And even if none of this is true for you----you’re sitting upright and reading. Have a great week and a festive holiday!

Resilience: A Skill to Increase Your Employability

Monday Morning Pep Talk

Do you bounce back from career disappointments, setbacks and frustrations relatively unscathed? Or, are you still angry about the “Meets Expectations” rating on your performance appraisal three managers ago?  Resiliency is one of the most critical success factors to develop as you spend time in the workforce. Being resilient is important for workers starting out as they face their initial disappointments of not getting the job they preferred or experiencing their first layoff.  As your career progresses, the stakes get higher, acceptable job options become more limited and the idea of bouncing back and landing on your feet is crucial. Resilience is a learned trait. Some of us may be born with a more positive outlook on life, a more bubbly personality or openness to taking risk—resilience can be developed.

No one writes or discusses the fact that work is a brutal experience for many employees. Like the school years that preceded it---work has a hierarchy, in-crowds and cliques, bullies and sometimes a bully-boss; workplaces have class clowns, prom queens and teacher’s pets. The special needs employees are mainstreamed into your workplace—and you could be working for or next to someone with very real emotional or mental issues. All of these personalities are made more complicated by having four generations in the work place for the first time in history! Does it make you feel better about your situation, knowing that no one taught your manager how to lead a multi-generational workforce? The key to surviving this potential madness is RESILIENCY.

Think of it this way, a well-inflated ball will bounce when it encounters resistance or a hard surface. So, your first order of business is to find an appropriate level of self-confidence, belief in your abilities, knowledge of your intrinsic goodness/worth and remembering that you matter. Pump up your self-worth by thinking about the obstacles and challenges that appeared insurmountable and you have already overcome. This isn’t your first job or the first setback you’ve encountered. You’ve managed tough times before probably personally and professionally. I was recently at a mall in Dallas and a billboard showed a well-dressed shopper wearing lots of bling (aka jewelry) and the caption read, “Of course it’s Flashy, this IS Dallas!” That is called swagger. While rebuilding your confidence, remember what happens when the ball over-inflates!

I have known people enduring terrible situations at work while they looked for a new opportunity. When I ask how they survived their passive/aggressive boss or harsh treatment by co-workers all of them have mentioned strong relationships and interests away from work. Whether it is being involved in your children or grandchildren’s activities, volunteering for an organization you are passionate about or doing activities with your family that bring you joy; don’t make your life about work.  If you do, you are setting yourself up for inevitable disappointment. Reaching out to others outside your workplace so you are not constantly focused on the situation is a critical step in building resilience. Seeking professional help through a therapist to build problem-solving skills and gain perspective is also an option. Therapists also provide an objective sounding board to the situation. Counseling services are confidential and often free through an Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) or the cost of a co-pay through medical insurance.

It is also important to exercise adaptability and flexibility in building your resilience skills. Personal change management skills work together creating resilience as a core of our emotional intelligence. Researchers report empathy, compassion and self-awareness are attributes of resilient people. These are also components of emotional intelligence.  In today’s challenging work environment change is the only constant. Resilience is the only answer.  One of the greatest benefits of developing resilience is that it is a skill you can model for the children in your life because as we all know, these are even stressful times for kids.

You’ve got 168 hours, make it a great week!

Increase Your Job Satisfaction

Recently I addressed an alumni group about navigating the multigenerational workforce and creating a satisfying career. The overall age of the audience is somewhat younger than the groups I generally present to—most of them were at or close to a decade in the workforce. This provided a great opportunity to learn how the work experience differed than what they expected in college. I also asked what the audience thought they might be doing if talked again in ten years.

Their responses were surprising. Over half the audience had aspirations to own a business. Now maybe it was because the audience was young, intelligent and ambitious (they were spending a Saturday morning at an alumni networking breakfast) or maybe this audience viewed their roles at work much differently than the 40+ worker.

I’m guessing it is the latter. Of the twelve participants that planned to evolve into entrepreneurs, all of them are currently employed by large business and many are already promoted into supervisory roles with direct reports. Three of the young 30-somethings had impressive budget responsibility and large organizations reporting to them. Rather than look at their current companies as a place to make the proverbial climb into the corner office with plush carpet, a gatekeeper in front of their door and other discreet executive perks; they appeared to view their jobs as an extension of their education. Their income was being used to pay off student loan debt, but what company’s name was on the business card could not have matter less. Emergency in the employee engagement aisle!

Employees joining the workforce in the 1970s and 1980s, came of age in more of a “carrot and stick” management style. The carrot was the first promotion. If Bob performed well as a technician II; then Bob become a technician III or (gasp)—a Senior Technician. That changed for many Fortune 500 companies in the mid-1990s as they dabbled in “Broadbanding”. If you worked for a company that missed the Broadbanding bus (lucky you)—it is when a company flattens the hierarchy, eliminates levels of management, makes it really difficult to get a promotional title change and replaces a large number of salary levels with a small number of salary grades with broad pay ranges. That is as simple as I can make it sound. It would take a highly paid consulting practice leader to make Broadbanding sound logical today. In the era of mergers/acquisitions that was the 1990s, a suave HR consultant could spin it to make sense. My audience impatiently expects titles and pay increases now--or they are leaving even with 8% unemployment.

The 40+ worker believed their company was the beginning and the end while this cohort of twenty-five to thirty-two year olds view their work as a means to an end.   They were much more interested in my four years of entrepreneurship and how I build blog traffic than an audience of their peers a decade or two older.  They appeared to be simultaneously engaged in their jobs today and could fire off a text with their resignation tomorrow. Corporate loyalty? They snickered as if my AARP card had fallen out of my wallet.

Over dinner, I was discussing this event with friends for their assessment. One astute observation was that my audience included children of Baby Boomers. They lived through their parent’s being laid off in corporate downsizings; they were relocated as children when their parents moved to start new jobs and they understand that for as much as a company provides their payroll direct deposit today—these young people think like freelancers or 1099-workers. More experienced workers have additional considerations including aging parents, health issues, young adult children or in some cases second families with young children---adopting the mindset of a younger generation where it makes sense, could be your ticket to increased career satisfaction.

READ THIS BOOK

Monday Morning Pep Talk

The Coming Jobs War is the most important business book you have not read. It is by Jim Clifton, the Chairman and CEO of Gallup, the annoying pollsters who call you during dinner to ask a few questions. Generally, I am suspect of books published by companies where the author is the CEO or any other executive, but this 2011 tome had me hooked by page ten.

This is the point where I should mention to you that I was not sent a complimentary copy of this book since that happens now nor did I buy this book. I checked it out of the Fishers (Indiana) Public Library. For the audiobook-obsessed, I didn’t find it on audible.com, my favorite book download or as an audiobook. This book is a quick read at less than 200 pages and for my time-starved friends in the Human Resources profession—just read Chapter Eight, High Energy Workplaces, then I’ll bet you will read the rest.

Why this book is so important?

The subtitle is “What every leader must know about the future of job creation.”  For the age 40+ employee to redefine retirement and continue to work past what was normally considered standard—65 or maybe 62---there has to be jobs. We all know there are fewer jobs today and the decline began before the recession of 2008. Job creation has been an issue since the meltdown in 2001. That is when the perfect storm of the dot.com bubble, the September 11 attack and the implosion of Enron (which a year later would infect and destroy its accounting firm that had existed for ninety years) forever changed how senior management viewed headcount and FTEs. What this book does brilliantly is explain how to create jobs.

Why is this book vital to workers in their 40s and 50s?

You have read it here before; it has never cost more to retire. According to AARP, the “average” retiree is paying $300-$400 a month in Medicare supplements and co-pays. Even the best retiree health plans do not cover vision or dental. Then you have companies that cannot fund their pension obligations (read up on the city of Stockton, CA filing bankruptcy to learn more about this issue). Clifton explains why you can’t count on Medicare or Social Security (pages 33-35 for the skimmers). I’m not the chicken little-type or a survivalist building a bunker in the backyard—but as a realist, you have to surmise that both of these safety nets have big holes in them.

One of my dearest childhood friends resides in the suburbs of Detroit and Clifton uses the Motor City as a cautionary tale for where America is headed. While the book may have a United States orientation—there are global indications too. (Yeah! if you’re reading in China and not so smiley-faced everywhere else). For my dear friends in the health information management profession, chapter eleven was written to motivate you to keep fighting the good fight with EHR, EMR, e-Rx, and the other e-initiatives you are advocating to modernize health care.

I read the book and ran out to support small and medium-sized businesses (the future of job growth) this weekend; had the local bookstore order copies to send to my 2 good friends- the 55+ mayor of his town and the encore-career entrepreneur. Let me know what you think of the book--you can leave your comment anonymously.

Innovation, Disruption and YOU

Monday Morning Pep Talk

Innovation is a good thing, right? Companies win awards for their innovations and it is the buzzword of the moment in business. It drives profits, market share growth and top line revenue. Innovation solves problems we didn’t realize we had with products and services we didn’t know we wanted that now we can’t live without. It is the reason my home is filled with gadgets that start with lowercase, “i”.

Everyone at their company wants to be known as an innovator. It is an honor. The lucky sap that is viewed as an innovator can show up anywhere in an organization, but generally innovators reside in R&D, marketing or I/T. The innovator’s reward is a big salary, a title on his/her business card as Senior Director of Something No One Understands and Teflon status during corporate reorganizations. Innovators appear relaxed and smiling in a sea of nervous chaotic types when senior management enters a room.

Innovation leads to disruption. Disruption leads to....job loss. The innovation of ATMs made bank tellers nearly irrelevant and the ones that remain work as slowly as possible to remind us of their fate. Other innovations led to the demise of the switchboard operator, the ice man, newspaper print setters and manual street sweepers. Because of innovation, there are fewer jobs for radio announcers, executive administrators, general manufacturing, parking lot attendants and a broad spectrum of other positions. It is all automated.

Since innovation is not slowing down and it leads to disruption and ultimately job loss; what is a 40+ worker to do? First, we have to acknowledge that with innovation and the disruption is produces there is going to be change. Jobs will be lost and other jobs will be created. For every milliner, bookbinder or pinsetter that isn’t needed today; there is a job for a Director of Digital, a Patient Advocate, Social Media Strategist or Interior Design Stager. A couple of years ago, there was an uproar about the Karl Fisch video clip reminder, “The jobs in highest demand in 2010 did not exist in 2004.”  Today we accept that premise. As experienced workers have to think ahead about problems that don’t exist yet—we have to anticipate, stay flexible and embrace continuous learning. There is no guarantee the job you do today is going to be done the same way with as many people--there is no guarantee your company will exist the same way it does today. Technology will somehow impact every job we are doing in 2012.

Innovation is a good thing, and we have to start by innovating ourselves. Create your own disruption—learn a new language and become bilingual. Take a vocation vacation. (Check out: http://vocationvacations.com) to learn more. Brush up on your technology skills or take a class to learn about social media. You have 168 hours—make it a great week!

The Blog Has a Birthday!

Last week the blog celebrated its first birthday. Since then, thanks to you, the response has been phenomenal and I share that with humility and gratitude. There is a part of me that wishes our community did not have to exist and those workers in their 40s, 50s, and 60s and yes, 70s enjoyed the respect, pay, opportunities and flexibility to thrive in their careers as they aged in the workforce. Over 5,000 page views in less than a year from all around the world and your comments to me on the blog, privately on LinkedIn, Facebook and my email reminds me of why I began this endeavor last June. Since then, I have met success stories, true heroes-- people like “retiree” Earle Hart, in my home state—Indiana-- who through his volunteer efforts at his church has put over 300 people back to full-time work!! Their ministry, Passport to Employment, is an incredible story that has engaged people in the community and prepared them for a 21^st century employment search, but more than that—their program gives job-seekers hope. At the grassroots level, Earle and his cadre of volunteers perform their tasks from the heart in a way no government agency or non-profit with a grant could replicate. Earle and the other volunteers that work with him illustrate moving from personal success in their long careers to a much broader significance in life. Eternal thanks to Bob Hutt, who made that connection through LinkedIn.

In year two there is more to share on not just finding a job at 40+, but managing your career as an experienced worker. According to 2010 US Census data, 39% of the population is older than 45 and people older than 45 represent over half of the voting-age population for the first time in America’s history. The implications for our careers, how we redefine retirement (Baby Boomers are really good at redefining things), working in harmony with multiple generations in the workforce and interviews with some fantastically interesting thought leaders are coming your way. I recently attended a workshop on how a few innovative U.S. companies are leading the way in leveraging older workers and will be sharing that with you soon as well as some strategies for not succumbing to the income decline experienced when you take a new job after your “legacy job” (the one you had for many years) ends. Thanks to a gift of a new digital video camera, you will see the blog’s first video posts later this year.

The grim report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reminds us that age 50+ job seekers are taking more than a year to find a new job. In that year, some mature workers sink their 401(k) savings into buying a franchise or starting a business with varying degrees of success. I’m looking for someone to share their learning on franchising. Some 50+ people drop out of the workforce all together while many feel forced to take their Social Security at age sixty-two with a reduced benefit which has lifetime consequences. The increased rates of depression, anxiety and relationship problems of job-seekers have not been linked to unemployment in an official study yet—but there is a lot of anecdotal information out there and a recent AARP article reports on the divorce epidemic at 50+. Expect more ideas on staying “Up” in a “down” job market posts. As usual, your ideas fuel the content.

Please continue to visit (and invite friends) join or start a conversation with a comment.  I am honored when you forward the blog link (see below) to your network. Thanks for a great first year!

http://workinglater.blogspot.com