Over-50

Unexpected Benefit of WFH - Your Job May Be Safe (at least until employers figure out correlation with performance)

The Wall Street Journal reports that right now employers have backed off from firing or even introducing with employees performance issues.

One reason, of course, is compassion. Terminations would throw workers into an uncertain job market. Along with that they would lose their health insurace. The court of public opinion, which shapes the organization's brand, would push back.

But the more powerful driver is that employers can't figure out how WFH shapes work performance and how to measure that for the team and the individual. What, for example, are the key variables?

Eventually, some employers could discover that workers' performance declines when there are young children in their work setting. So, instead of firing, the fix could be parachuting those from WFH back to the office as soon as possible. 

If the entire team's performance declines, then employers might have to contract with consultants to study that dynamic. After all, using videoconfering for work teams is nothing new. 

Given the ambiguity, employers who fire could also run into lawsuits.

These developments provide time to workers to search for other jobs if they sense the powers that be or their own team members view their output negatively.

Small changes can trigger big success in your career and your business communications. Swing by for a complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

  

Six Degrees of Separation or Weak Ties - Those Bonds Broken by COVID

There are all those casual relationships.

They range from the aunt of our roommate from college to the retired head of the accounting department. 

At one time, those kinds of loose bonds had been referred to as "six degrees of separation" or "weak links." Using the latter term, sociologist Mark Granovetter hammered how important non-intimate connections were to our professional success. That aunt knew the managing partner at a large law firm where we wanted to pitch for marketing communications assignments. She allows us to use her name. We got in. 

Because of COVID, Amanda Mull reflects in The Atlantic, those social connections have gone poof. If we're lucky, we can hold on to those close ties, be they family or those in the direct loop how we earn our living. Otherwise, the humans we had interacted with as part of simply being a social animal probably have gone out of our life. Perhaps permanently. All that human equity wasted. 

The reason is not only the isolation created by COVID. In addition, so many of us are plum exhausted being hypervigilant about what's going on or could go on in the variants of the virus, vaccine distribution, the stock market, economic upheaval such as whole hospitality niches wiped out and the reality that none of us is getting younger in an era of intense age bias. 

However, giving up on trying to hold on to those ties via Zoom, Face Time, texting, email, social networks and old-fashioned phoning can inflict permanent professional damage. That applies to those on a career path, gig workers and the semiretired struggling to continue to make ends meet. 

We are our networks. That's what Granovetter made crystal clear. It's through people that doors open. Without those connections, the doors could stay shut - and we might not even realize it.

Solution: Stay in the loop. Find sincere reasons to make contact. Often those we reach out to are thrilled to hear from us. They are also isolated and anxious about not being in touch. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Dianne Feinstein - When Should We Admit Our Career Is Over?

Influential The New Yorker has brought center stage the issue of cognitive decline in professional life.

Sure, there are those senior moments. Yet, most careerists can compensate for those and still function well enough or even quite well in their careers.

Apparently, not iconic U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. Her ability to perform her duties is being questioned. Already she has resigned from a top job in the U.S. Senate. What the matter has evolved into is this: Should there be a mechanism to force her out? According to media reports, gentle nudges aren't fixing what more and more observers conclude is a bad situation.

Feinstein is not alone in being perceived as no longer up to the job.

But, cognitive decline is not the only reason those in the loop might want us aging professionals out. It could also be physical decline. We can't put in those 80-hour weeks any more and that's unfair to the team. Of, in a glam industry such as media, no one wants to have around anyone - horrors - who doesn't look young. That's reality. Brutal. But real.

Meanwhile, in this era of video interviewing for work - think Zoom - our aging is usually held against us. 

Society is not likely to tame its hostility toward aging. That means we have to figure out our own our unique situation. Can we still perform our professional duties as expected? If not, what other work can we do? Hanging up the career doesn't mean the end of the possibility of continuing to earn income from working. 

What aging can mean is that we have to adjust to the realities - both in how society perceives us and our own growing limitations. Here is my book, a free read, on exiting our comfort zones. 

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Zoom Doesn't Doom Your Hope for Landing That Job/GigAssignment

Yes, accept that invitation to interview via Zoom for employment.

I know, I know. Those earlier Zoom interviews resulted in nada. Probably the hiring team didn't even contact you again. The technology of Zoom can be more brutal on aging than SKYPE.

I was about to back out of a Zoom interview for a financial servicez assignment. It was scheduled for noon Saturday. I only bellied up to the laptop screen because during this period of social distancing I had nothing else to do. 

Well, the assignment did come my way. The founder of the startup in California notified me around 11:30 P.M. ET - 8:30 P.M. Pacific time Sunday that for once age bias didn't roll over me.

So, keep doing the Zoom interviews. Not everyone on the other side of the screen sees an older professional. That man or woman with the jobs could be seeing the solution to his or her problems.

Place your paid sponsored content on this blog. Here are 6 tips for search engine optimization (SEO) in 2020. Contact janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Age 64, Lost Job, So Far Only Rejection - Should This Professional Retire?

COVID-19 has been brutal for the employment of older employees.

The employers' need to cost-cut, along with senior workers' high compensation, has made aging employees a target for layoffs, early retirements and even outright firings. 

A 64-yer-old professional who was terminated from his job writes in to Greg Giangrande at the New York Post.

After the job was gone, in his job search he has encountered only rejection. Among his observations - and he is on the money - when the interview is via video, as with Zoom, he is bound to be turned down. His age, of course. The world is digital and it is tilted against anyone who isn't a digital native. The assumption is that older workers haven't kept up enough with technology. 

Of course, Giangrande answers "no." The man should hang in there. But he has to audit how he is searching for work, identify what isn't effective and experiment. Also, Giangrande recommends resources such as Workforce50.com and RetirementJobs.com. AARP is also in his corner.

Here also are the 5 tactics I found useful for those over-50 whom I coach:

At the top of the list is: Develop a positive mindset. Since you probably have to continue working to be financially secure, you will find work. 

Likely it won't be career-path kind. But that's okay. You are simply ahead of your time.

According to Willis Watson Towers, the career is 20th century. Instead, you will be setting up and updating a portfolio of skills and experiences. It won't be linear.

That applies to all generations, not just you. The members of the Class of 2020 could start out as a manager trainee in McDonald's USA. The next paid employment could be at a startup creating an app for reimagining the drive-thru aspect of fast food centers.

Number-two. Drop all concept of status. Work is work. And work leads to better-paying work. It's all about landing, holding, and moving to better work. A free read, here is my book on that fresh approach to bringing in income Download Outwitting ageism.

At age 58, I was a security guard in an inner city Home Depot. At age 59, I was putting together a boutique for digital marketing. That was way back in 2005. The loss preventing experience stated out as a contract job. Through hard work, I turned it into a full-time one with benefits. Management wanted me to accept a supervisory role. But, already I was on my way back to self-employment. Here is that story. Since I published it, which has had more than a million downloads, I have started up several new enterprises. You bet, I got over prestige.

Number-three. Reconfigure your network. Those from the past may be absolutely the wrong fit for you now. A useful book on how former networks can hold you back is "Necessary Endings" by executive coach Henry Cloud. As research on mirror neurons shows, we human being influence each other, cell by cell. Outdated influence can destroy your confidence in earning a good living, despite aging. 

There's a new version of you out there searching for work.

Number-four. Learn new skills. The process can be cost-effective. For example, at a community college or trade school you can become certified as a substance abuse counselor or expert in a software. In a relatively short time you can earn your license as a long-distance truck driver. The tuition for that ranges from free (if you agree to work for that company for two years) or less than $7k. Yes, loans are available. 

Public libraries provide free seminars in software packages. And universities often provide free non-credit courses to seniors. Some of them require a small fee such as $5 for registration.

Number-five. Ask for help if you sense you are "stuck." That could be in the form of a close friend, significant other, clergy, therapist, or coach such as myself. The answers are all inside yourself. But sometimes you need a guide to help you find them.

Anecdote: One of the handyman in this residential complex has that full-time job. In addition, he has three other side gigs. He owns a super-large SUV and a giant camper. His secret to remaining working, even in his late 60s: He tells those hiring what results he can get for them and how. He doesn't present an abstract laundry list of credentials.

The Future is already underway. Ghostwriting/Marketing Communications and coaching on those issues. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

 

Let's All Stop Talking Like Lawyers - At Least, Those of Us Who Aren't Lawyers

Dating back to the heyday of consumer advocate Ralph Nader, filing lawsuits was sexy. In fact, it was the signature of people alert to their rights and putting themselves through the ordeal of litigation for justice.

That was then.

Sure, folks are still suing. But the cool has been sucked out of it.

The influence game is more fun. It's faster. And for those who have down cold its dynamics, it's could even be free. Just invest some time and creativity.

The ways of influence are almost infinite.

There are:

Podcasts

Social networks ranging from LinkedIn to Instagram

Old-line blogging

YouTube

In-person theatre in the streets (protesting as during the counterculture)

Email/texting campaigns

Connecting with government officials

Paid newsletters such as Substack and Ghost

And, more to be developed.

Along with the shift away from litigation as a form of personal branding there is this: a recognition that maybe talking like a lawyer isn't all that effective. Better to first use soft skills or Emotional Intelligence. During the past five years of Perfect Storms, I have used both for everything from shaking loose payments from clients to getting out of leases with bad-actor landlords.

The common response when the talking like a lawyer card is played is that those at the other end simply shut down the game. They refuse to continue the conversation. That usually means we really will have to follow through and use legal means. Those can be expensive and slow-moving. In addition there is no guarantee of success.

On the other hand, when we do a Dale Carnegie - "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - the conversation can continue. Eventually both parties will wear out. We are ready for compromise. Likely we both get more of what we wanted than we had anticipated. In contrast, litigation is highly uncertain as to outcomes.

Applications to law schools are way up. But that has nothing to do with how we non-lawyers navigate our little lives, our obsessive feuds and our big causes. It might be downright smart to leave all the lawyer rhetoric to the lawyers. 

Place your paid sponsored content on this blog. Here are 6 tips for search engine optimization (SEO) in 2020. Contact janegenova374@gmail.com.

"Fresh Start" - Smirk Smirk

One version of the American Dream is The Fresh Start.

But, is it possible?

The mistress in the Chris Watts's saga - Nichol Kessinger - has applied for a name change. Daily Mail reports she is seeking a whole new identity including relocation. The recent Netflix documentary had made her even more notorious than she had been.

Of course, from the get-go the court of public opinion judged her harshly for "not knowing" (doesn't a woman somehow always "know" something is fishy about the man who claims to be separated) Watts was married. At the time the wife was pregnant. There were two young children.

In addition there was the matter of Kessinger's internet searches. They include the how-tos of anal and threesome sex. 

Years ago it had been suggested that the infamous intern Monica Lewinsky change her name. And, move to Europe. But immediately what was brought was the old adage: Wherever you go, you bring yourself. At the time, it was obvious Lewinsky remained the the same person who had gotten herself into that mess with a U.S. President. More recently, the issue is: Has she changed? Or, has she only become more adept in personal branding?

Back to Kessinger. Her two years of being out of the public view but not out of the zone of public vilification may or may not have changed her. The odds, though, are against it.

Even in that transformational 12-step program Alcoholics Anonymous, there is recognition that often the most that could be hoped for is: The miscreant stops drinking. That stops the harm to society. Also, to himself or herself. And, that's about it. There is even the gallows humor: You can sober up the horse thieves but they will still continue to steal horses.

Yes, there is the second chance in America. But few are able to use that platform to become the person or the professional they can be. 

The Future of Work. Ghostwriting on those issues and coaching for job search, transition, personal branding, re-entry after recovery and reputation restoration. Sliding scale fees. Complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Yes, You Over-45 Are Being Forced Out of Job Market - But You Can Reimagine How to Earn a Good Living

"An uncomfortable amount of the 45-and-over crowd have been forced to take jobs at the Home Depot or take on gig-economy-type roles, just to pay the bills and get health insurance." Jack Kelly, "Ageism Is Forcing Older Workers Out Of The Job Market," in Forbes, October 2, 2020. 

The Forbes article on the challenges for the aging is, of course, not new news.

ProPublica put out there a while ago that if you are over-50, the majority of you will be forced out your job. Moreover, only one in 10 of you will earn comparable compensation in the next job.

The surging overall unemployment during COVID-19 has worsened the situation. That's all that is new.

However, sure, you might wind up doing a stint in Home Depot. I did just that in 2003 -2004. The collapse of Enron and 9/11 had created a perfect storm which killed off my boutique in executive communications.

To pay the bills I grabbed a contract assignment at Home Depot in loss prevention. Soon enough I transformed that into a full-time job at Home Depot (Yes, I received health benefits) - along with regaining my confidence.

The Next consisted of my setting up two new boutiques. One in digital marketing. Another in career coaching. Forever, I am grateful to Home Depot. 

The reality, and not just for the aging, is that careers are no longer linear. There are times when we do interim, low-paying, low-status work to pay the bills, maintain our Protestant Ethic and reimagine how we can make a good living. I outline some of that in this free read Download Outwitting ageism.

The rub is that we have to let go of what was. Here, also a free read, is my book on reaching beyond our comfort zones. The old-fashioned way of referring to that is "being flexible." Even during the boom 20th century, employment counselors advised those of all generations to be just that: flexible.

A current example of flexible is digital marketer and provocative book author Paul Chaney. Now, over-50, during his career, he has segued from permanent full-time jobs to self-employment to interim assignments to permanent full-time jobs to self-employment. 

Right now, Chaney is an entrepreneur with multiple lines of business. They range from publishing to digital marketing. He markets himself through social networks like LinkedIn and podcasting. 

During the past 18 months I also had to do exactly what I recommend to coaching clients: Let go. My niche in digital communications had become glutted. The demand for career coaching was increasing. As executive coach Henry Coach titles his book "Necessary Endings," I had to end the communications specialization. It was not easy. Understatement.

The must-have mindset for the over-45, at least if you want to keep working, includes these four assumptions:

• Working is better than not working. When not working you lose your sense of how to go to work, your skills and your confidence. You do not acquire new skills. When I was a security guard, I remained socialized to the workplace context. I continued to leverage my communications skills in managing customers, superiors and subordinates. I learned how to detect scams. Before I left, the brass had offered me a supervisory position.

 

• Gear up for multiple forms of income. This isn't just for those oppressed with age bias. MarketWatch featured 32-year-old full-time lawyer Kevin Ha. He has 13 side hustles, including food delivery. Any platform for earnings can collapse. 

 

• Any job is just one job. It is not your last job. You don't have to stay there, not in compensation, not in status, not in possible mobility. A job is a stop-off at which you earn income and become more marketable. Yes, jobs and gigs should be chosen with an eye to an overall marketability.

 

• Let everyone know you are willing to work and are looking for work. The over-65 handyman in my complex has three other gigs in addition to this full-time permanent job. His mantra is: I will do what you need, for pay. 

The platitude is that change is the new normal. But, as Buddhism and other eastern philosophies hammer, change has always been a constant. Impermanence is the fundamental of the human condition.

To roll with that, it could be useful to take in, free, Pema Chodron's YouTube "Fear and Fearlessness." Chodron, who had graduated from posh Miss Porter's, became a Buddhist nun when she felt the ground disappearing beneath her. The second husband announced he was leaving.

While we struggle to continue to make a good living, myriad times the ground will seem to be vanishing. The burden is on us to pivot to the next bit of financial and professional stability.

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine your career. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

The Number-One Reason Your Networking Has Turned You into a Pest

Networking is a multi-use power tool in business.

You can use it in:

Positioning yourself for a promotion, as in partner or head of an administrative unit

Job search

New business development

Introducing a new practice

Gaining access to resources.

But, too many businesspeople, especially those over-50, fail in the process.

That's because you don't understand that networking is a form of horsetrading. Before you enter that space you have to know what you have to trade. And, what's the market for that particular horse.

Otherwise you can be perceived as a pest - or overreacher. And, wind up being shunned.

The prerequisite in networking is to first take an audit of what you could trade. You calculate all that based on your knowledge of both human nature and the needs/wants of particular groups and individuals. What you find out becomes your inventory. As in all businesses, you have to keep that inventory fresh. Toss what's out of date. 

The trading process can start out on a very simple basis.

You make it your business to participate in professional online networks. They range from LinkedIn to specialized groups.

What is proving especially effective is trading your time to "like" and leave thoughtful comments in order to get the attention of those whom are useful to meet. Such action enhances their branding and they know it. Soon enough, they are checking your profile or even messaging.  

Another easy way in is to launch your own media sites. Those are perfect for linking to them, telling their stories and featuring them in interviews. The vehicles to use are growing in number. They include:

Podcasts

YouTube

Paid Newsletters such as Substack or Ghost

Blogs.

You could also develop relationships (again, through networking) with third-party media. Through that connection you can gain attention for those who are necessary for your career. What is published in third-party media can have greater reach than what's on your own platforms.

There are also more imaginative ways to acquire assets for trading. 

At the top of the list is to take advantage of what is known as "the power of weak ties."

In the 1970s, researcher Mark Granovetter discovered that more professional opportunities come through those you know casually versus the supposed key members of your professional network. 

That's because of three reasons. 

They know what you and those on your professional networks don't know. For example, the nurse at the hospital which you're trying to add as a client is aware it's unhappy with the current vendor. Or, the security guard in retail can tell you about a not-advertised job opening in human resources.

Since they are not competing with you, they will share that information. Even within your own organization you and your colleagues are in competition. It isn't in their self-interest to help you, unless they do that as part of their own networking.

They have down cold the lay of the land. As insiders, they can advise you how to approach the opportunity. 

What should be obvious to you is that the trade game is easier with the weak-tie group. The classic example is the strategy of family ties. Your children play with their children. Another classic source of trading is being available for providing generic insight derived from your own expertise. The nurse is considering opening a healthcare placement agency. You explain the forms of business structures. 

Another option for piling up assets to trade is through multiple sources of earning income. Your playing field is broadened. MarketWatch reported on full-time lawyer Kevin Ha. He has 13 side hustles. They include delivering food. There are plenty of people he can network with along the way. The caution there is how to manage all those identities. This article discusses "mutt branding."

Having a broad base of entities to trade puts you in a place of strength. You can enter any niche and know you have what is of value to others.

That's exactly why the most successful networkers don't have rigid boundaries. Or settle into a single sphere of influence. Here, a free read, is my book on exiting comfort zones. In the new normal of a COVID-19 shaped economy, there is no settling in.

The work world has become unforgiving. You may be among those who have to reimagine your career. Affordable coaching.  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com)

Sales w/o Selling - Bob Dilenschneider Can Go Cool in 2021

The gameplan for marketing keeps mutating. And, during COVID-19 times, with so many businesses failing, survival of the fittest keeps requiring new plays.

Sure, for some, the tactics can still include publishing a book. Venture capitalist and co-founder of PayPal Peter Thiel put out there "Zero to One." That was in 2014. Currently it still ranks high on Amazon - 8,140. Expect an uptick.

In that guide for entrepreneurs, Thiel discusses applying to clerk for two justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, being rejected and lessons learned. Given the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sales of any book reflecting on SCOTUS dynamics are bound to soar. 

However, public affairs Manhattan boutique owner Bob Dilenschneider published "Decisions" on December 31, 2019. Currently it ranks quite low on Amazon - 1,024,555. That makes publishing a book, at least for Dilenschneider, a - not a +. 

You bet, book publishing is risky for the non-Thiels as well as the non-Woodwards. Sales are made public on Amazon. That is information available to the author's competitors and enemies. Prospects for the author's services are also aware of the rankings. In America, we count. That's why resume experts hammer to quantify accomplishments. You not only increased traffic for X social site. That totaled 32% in 14 months. 

What Dilenschneider ignored was this: All the other cool marketing tactics he could have invested his resources in. They include podcasting, YouTubing and Instagram. The content of those could have been entertaining. 

The essence of marketing is a distraction from the existential tragedy that is life. 

The message is supposed to lift the targeted demographics from focusing on what is to the promise of what could be. That ability characterized Don Draper's creative talent in AMC's programming "Mad Men."

Successful marketing is actually a process of not-marketing. The response is built-in. The targets respond, kind of on autopilot. 

In constructing his gameplan for 2021, Dilenschneider can dismantle his in-place marketing machine and conjure up the voodoo of sales w/o selling.

The genius in that category is chairman of law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp. Each and every outreach doesn't look, walk, talk or smell like marketing. Those range from social justice initiatives to acquiring brandname laterals from his competitors. There is no heavy-handed marketing imprint. 

When I consult with clients for my career coaching services, early into the session it is usually appropriate to introduce the question: Have you considered experimenting with how you are marketing yourself?

Their answer is always "yes." That is because the answers for our economic survival are always within us. Otherwise, caveman wouldn't have had endured long enough to produce the next generation of the human species.

Small changes can have big impacts. Results-driven career coaching.  Affordable rates (sliding scale).  Make an appointment for complimentary consultation (janegenova374@gmail.com) Download UnleashingPossibilitywithJaneGenovaCareerCoaching