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17 Feb 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XI

Have you worked on your résumé lately? Keep the answer to yourself, I will get back to that in a while, but before that let me tell you without using so many words that there are quite a few things you need to do to your résumé to make it attractive. Your 10 years old résumé will not do. Let’s begin seeing what all you need to do.

Avoid dead metaphors and done-to-death cliché

Think like this: In a hiring season, an employer or HR manager has to go through hundreds of CVs every day before he could call any one person for the Interview. And the worst part is almost all the résumés he reads are written using same set of dead metaphors and done-to-death phrases. It is boring. If you want to make your résumé stand out from the similar-looking crowd of résumés then avoid using any clichés. Use your own language and make it appealing.

Update your resume

Now is the time to answer the question posed in the opening sentence. Have you or haven’t you? If your answer is no then go ahead and start constructing your résumé yet again. Add freshness to your dust-biting résumé.

Do not give complete work details

If you are 45 then chances are you have been part of workforce for close to 25 years, and it is but natural to have done many jobs in all those years. But do not put all of them in your résumé. No one is interested in reading 1000-page epic résumé, and no one cares about where you provide janitorial services during tough times. Only mention things relevant to the current job, and things that increase your chance of employability.

Even if heaven falls on earth, your résumé should not be longer than 2 pages. Not even and half pages.

Enough of reading for today, now it is time to start working on your résumé. Get going!

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10 Feb 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – VIII

I hope the suggestions I have given in the last 7 parts of the series have been put to use, and it is helping you out. In this part, I will talk about power of “now” and how you can use it to get employed. This is not the time of life to pass your time waiting because you have a family to support, mortgage to pay, and future to secure. You need to remain here and use the power of now.

Act now, do not wait

Waiting is not the game you are in the position to play. Go out and take action. Make this “out of job”
a temporary thing. You indeed need some time to figure out what you want, but do it as quickly as you can. Waiting for long will delay the possibility of getting hired. Get out of home now, and start searching for the job that suits you.

Think and decide about career change

If you are tired of doing the same thing again and again, then this is the perfect time to consider a plan change. Make a list of things that you are interested in, and match them against the ability you have. Bingo! You have the list of alternative careers in your hand. It is time to act now, make a resume befitting the needs of new job and start shooting them off.

Go temping

Temping may not offer you permanent solution, but it can fill the gap. You can also use it to gain experience of a new job in which you want to shift. Temping can provide a viable stopgap solution that gives you experience which further can help you in securing a fulltime job.

You should start putting these things to use as soon as you are laid off. These will work wonder and save you from the agony of unemployment, and will help you pay your bills.

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22 Jan 10 Avoid Being Burnt Out By Your Job

Getting jaded by your job is no good.  Makes you hate your job, and makes the work you have to slog through all the more difficult.  In a recession, where finding a new job is extremely difficult, you can’t really afford feeling burnt out at your job.  Managing your work, and environment is key to staying happy, and productive at your job.

Plan and prioritize your projects so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by having too many things to do at the last minute.  Figure out what you need to complete now, so that you can push a few things off until later.  By creating a schedule ladder of importance, you can focus on the tasks and complete them with plenty of time.  Taking the stress off, allowing you to relax a bit, and keeping you happy as well as productive.

Remember to take your breaks.  Even if you have a ton of work, and you want to skip a break to work through it, don’t!  Skipping your breaks will only make you feel more disheartened and overwhelmed.  Take that break so you can get some fresh air, maybe a cup of coffee, and relax for a few minutes.  You’ll feel better, and will work more effectively when you resume your duties.

Know when to ask for help.  Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s just finding a solution to a problem that you can’t solve yourself at the moment.  What’s worse that having to ask for help, is not getting your work done because you didn’t.  Failing on your own instead of succeeding with help should never sound like the better option.

Always stay polite and courteous no matter what.  Keeping in a positive mind with a positive attitude is the best way to work through the problematic times.  By staying positive you’ll feel better, as will the people around you.  You’ll all get more done, and you’ll be much less apt to get overwhelmed, or feel unhappy at your job.

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