While preparing your resume, you need to adopt the modern “I am whatever they want me to be” approach and shed off the fear of age bias. There are several self-help books out there to help you draft an impressive resume. These books can be very useful to prepare a resume that appeals to modern hiring companies. Career experts advise old workers to emphasize on their recent accomplishments in order to impress youthful recruiters and hiring professionals. Another point to consider is that the resume must be customized to address the needs of prospective employers and you can therefore not have one standard resume for all job positions applied.

Although you don’t have to alter or disguise the dates in your work history, avoid including your entire work history in your resume. According to career experts, including your entire job history is futile, as the work environment and processes change all the time. Ideally, you must decide a time limit on your work history and focus only on your recent work experience. Career experts believe that work experience more than ten years old does not make any sense in a highly competitive job market. Many people switch careers during their work life and it would be pointless to elaborate on your old career you had left a decade ago. A resume with complete work history can be extremely boring and chances are that your prospective employer may turn you down.

When writing a resume, the focus must be on accomplishments and not years of experience. Highlight your achievements but don’t do the mistake of bragging about your experience. Prospective employers always prefer a resume that includes recent accomplishments pertaining to a particular job opening. On the other hand, don’t emphasize too much on achievements that may give the impression of being overqualified for the job. The irony of it all is that being overqualified can sometimes ruin your chances of landing the job.

You must also stress on your technical expertise no matter which job position you have applied for. Employers often contemplate their decision of hiring older workers, as they are not as techno savvy as their younger counterparts. Don’t forget to mention all the courses you may have completed to upgrade your technical knowledge. This will also include any training courses you have undertaken in your previous employment.

If you are planning to post your resume on the Internet, your resume must be keyword rich to enable prospective employers to find you easily.

Whether due to financial difficulties or because they wanted to make a difference, baby boomers have stayed in the workforce longer than any other generation has, or can. Studies shown by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Data and Projections have intimated that by the year 2011, there will be about 19 million baby boomers aged 45-49 who are still in the labor force, as compared to 1995 when there were only 14.7 million.

What’s more, this generation is still making its fair share of changes. They prefer to retire later, or in some cases, not at all. If not laid off or downsized, baby boomers often continue working. If at all they decide not to continue working in the same field, then they’re probably thinking of making transitions to new and more interesting careers. But, they will never stop contributing to society.

However, it can be quite challenging for a baby boomer to suddenly encounter a career change. Baby boomers were all raised in a world where education came first followed by a job, and if you didn’t stay with the same job until retirement time, you would at least stick on in the same profession. Yes, it can be quite disconcerting to realize that you have to transfer your skill sets from one area to another.

When you’re faced with a change in career situation, there are a couple of things that you can do to make life easier so as to have a more enjoyable and productive career change, they are:

• Identify your skills and determine which of them can be transferred to another job.
• Search for your passion, something that you love doing.
• Be realistic. If you want to be an astronaut but are terrible at math, then chances are you aren’t going to make it. So, accept rejection convert that passion into a hobby instead of a career.
• Promote yourself instead of your age. Make sure you’re known for your skills and abilities and not for your age.
• Try working for yourself.

Another excellent option is to influence others with your experience and you can start teaching or training. Moving into training isn’t such a bad idea. Training people who are just entering the profession that you are about to leave is a good move.  Teaching on the other hand, requires a state license and there are many programs that help place retired workers into these positions.

Whether you’re heading in for a new career or profession or whether you are considering a career change, keep in mind that these changes are quite normal. As an adult job seeker, it is always good to be open to change. The challenge lies in recognizing the skill sets and learning how to capitalize on them and present them with new opportunities.

Yes, your resume can indeed put in the ‘over the hill’ category, and three common mistakes that people make. You know when you have to update your resume when it contains any of the following:

• Old-fashioned resume trends
• Outmoded technology skills
• Outdated occupational or industry terminology

No need to fear if your resume is out of date. You can carry out an extremely useful resume makeover by following these tips:

• Ensure that you are up to date when it comes to knowing the current industry technology. Check all the other job descriptions within your industry to determine what technologies prospective employers are actually looking for. Then learn all those useful technologies that are missing in your resume. Keep in mind that technological terms are generally used as keywords to filter out the best resumes from the databases.
• Make sure your resume has all the current terminologies. Don’t use the same resume year after year as the earlier terminologies will come across as being outdated. Join professional associations to update yourself on the latest industry-lingo. Another good way to update your terminology knowledge is to go through other job descriptions. Search for recurring terms.
• Make sure your resume reflects the current trends in resume style and format. The old resume rules certainly don’t apply in today’s world. For instance, never limit your resume to only one page as this also limits your ability to show your expertise and skills. No need to conclude your resume with a ‘References Available upon Request’ statement as this is already assumed. You past work experience should only be relevant to the new job. Think of your resume as a marketing tool and highlight the best parts of it instead. One resume does not have to handle everything anymore. Apart from tailoring your resume to suit different industries and fields, you can also tailor the way you save it.

While creating your resume, make sure it is done on a standard Word format (for email attachments and as printouts), and it can be made in a plain text format for submitting online forms. This will help save a lot of time for you since there is no more need to repair lost formatting that often occurs when copy pasting a Word document into a text format. Let your resume work for you instead of against and the same goes for your past work experience. Following these useful tips to update your resume can make a world of a difference when it comes to keeping potential employers interested.

Spend more time in researching and exploring the job that you want and any related skills that you have. If your current job and its required skill set do not include the ones you like, dissatisfaction is only to be expected. If you aren’t able to use your preferred skills regularly, on a daily basis in your job, you might feel what is called a vocational void. After taking into consideration your preferred skill areas, if at all you find a major mismatch then you might have to explore other career options. Sometimes, it might also be a choice arising from a change in mid-life, or post retirement. Here are a few things you might want to do.

• Try to identify and develop your preferred skills and values
• Research your local job market to see what career options and job descriptions are good for your skill sets.
• After identifying suitable career options, you can narrow it down and focus on a single area.
• If necessary, get additional training.
• Create a timetable to plan your progress as you move on in your job search.
• Develop a plan of action for your short-term income while you explore careers. Stay put at your current job or keep looking for temp work can be good short-term alternatives until you are settled in something else
• Career counseling is a good option. A counselor will help you identify your skills, and interests.  A counselor will help you sell your current skills and abilities into your new field, in creative ways.
• Consult with people who are working in other interesting fields. Get suggestions and advice from people who are actually working in the particular field that you are interested in to know what the field is all about.
• Volunteer as a way to ‘test’ the fields. This will give you good knowledge and insight and will build a vast network for you by identifying and demonstrating your commitment and skills.

Corporate downsizing, industries being retrenched, reducing middle management, part-timers, consultants, and the widespread use of contingency workers have created new workplace and market realities. Such drastic changes have made a lasting impact on workers, but the older job seekers have to deal with age-related matters as well.

Job seekers, who are over 50, can surpass all this provided they have a better understanding of the changing trends in today’s corporate offices and how this will affect their job search. So, it is advisable to come up with a strategy that is based on knowledge, skills and abilities, objectives and goals, and experience. Explore other employment options and nontraditional jobs that requiring different work patterns and arrangements. Look at temporary, short, medium or long duration opportunities where you can be creative, and tap into other interests. Consider part-time, temporary work for a former employer or a company with established hiring pools for retirees.

As companies are becoming more and more dependent on older employees, and the skills and abilities, quality and superior work ethics that they bring to the table, corporate executives and leaders are now realizing that they need to act, and act fast, to reduce, and if possible obliterate, age discrimination and any other subtle forms of bias. Still, as of now, few companies are taking effective management steps like major educational programs or workshops that are purely designed to prevent and stop age discrimination. These workshops could also be tailored to deal with issues of integration in the office.  Just over the last year or so, some national level corporations have begun to add these subjects into the framework of human resource conferences that they normally hold.

A couple of significant business development groups are now showing some interest in hiring older adults with more sophisticated skills. These organizations educate and make member companies aware of the cutthroat competition that mature workers are capable of giving them, especially when the younger workforce begins to shrink.

Despite these changes, concern obviously remains that with increasing cutbacks and layoffs and age-based stereotypes, people’s perceptions will limit the employment of mature workers.

In addition to this, there are persistent perceptions among the older adult community itself that finding an executive or management job, or keeping one, will be extremely difficult if not impossible past the age of 55. Economic necessity and choice will mean that aging baby boomers work longer. This is the result of longer life expectancy, better education and improved health and fitness. Combine these with the more limited private pension benefits and the increasing anxiety over possible changes in Social Security and as many as 80% of baby boomers may work part or full time after they retire from the current job. As boomers retire, there will be a shortage of skilled workers resulting in companies recruiting older workers wit valuable skills.

Statistics from the Bureau of Labor, say that 50 percent or more of the US workforce, by 2010, is going to consist of people over 40 years of age. Available employee pool in 25 to 34 year age group will shrink sharply. In other words, managing an increasingly aging workforce will become a priority, in addition to which, the business community will have to begin providing various products and services tailored to an ever increasing number of older adults.

In this scenario, businesses that can learn to use their knowledge of a more mature work group, and can effectively employ older workers will be able to position themselves on a path to much greater success. On the other hand, companies that do not take steps to make themselves conversant with these issues, do not learn to deal with these demographic changes, may have to forego a very valuable segment of business as well as workforce.

At any age, and certainly when you are a mature worker, it is always a good idea to take active control of your professional future. Only you can make sure that you progress on the career path you wish to follow. There are some basic rules, some steps you can follow to get started:

1. Sit down and have a face-to-face and direct conversation with your current boss about your future in the organization. Make it clear that you want your job and your performance to match with the goals of the organization. Share clearly what you see as the ideal growth pattern for you within the company and figure out if that is likely to be achieved.
2. Ask for more work, a larger role. Volunteer to help out in other departments or teams than the ones you are currently on. Or, alternatively, ask for more responsibilities. This can increase your value within the company. Also, asking for more, and extra, work shows your interest in and desire to help your department as well as the company. It can also highlight your role in and your value to the organization.
3. Volunteer yourself for any possible boards. If your career plan includes doing something larger than and beyond what your role is in your present position, be proactive in seeking out any possible opportunities to volunteer for advisory boards. This will allow you to build up a reputation as a person who is passionate about his/her work and dedicated to the particular industry.
4. Sharpen and hone all your people skills. A set of strong interpersonal skills is an essential and crucial part of gaining the respect of both your boss and your coworkers. It will also be useful in attracting the notice of any outside influencers who may be able to open up new avenues of opportunity for you.
5. Be a friendly and outgoing and listen carefully to other people, and spend some time practicing, to acquire a set of clear and effective communication skills.
6. Innovate. Always try to think outside the box. Put your skills, experience and personal business acumen to work. Always keep on the lookout for effective, creative solutions to all the problems you, or your organization face. This will make you, an in turn your boss look good to those higher up the ladder.
7. Finding a mentor can be crucial. Develop your mentoring relationships, whether inside or outside the company. A number of recent studies now show that the candidate’s mentor, who is in a higher position in the company, influences 80% of promotions. Mentors are great as an aid to advancement, but also, they can be good sources of information and career guidance in general.

Claim your FREE special report The Successful Career Change Guide when you visit http://www.AnnaBanks.com.

© Anna D Banks, Certified Mind Scan Business and Personal Coach. Since 1996, I have helped hundreds of job-seekers, managers, business owners, and sales professionals achieve business and personal success.

Take some time out to envision how you would like to spend your time on retirement and once you have established certain retirement goals, you must determine how your financial resources can be invested. Retirement planning is the only way to ensure you enjoy a comfortable retired life.

Yes, financial security is the key element of any happy retirement. How you plan on spending your retirement time is also extremely important. If you have no fixed plans for your retirement, then you might as well start thinking of alternatives for your regular work schedule. By the year 2008, most of the senior workers and baby boomers will be getting ready for retirement. So, if you happen to be heading towards retirement, here are a few ways to help you get started with your retirement plans.

Planning for your Retirement

• Make New Choices – Now is the time for you to focus on what it is that you want to do. What activities are you planning on signing up for? From education to caring for animals to handiwork and even volunteering, retirement will provide you with enough time for all such activities. Once you join in the activities, you won’t have to sit idle anymore, making your retirement less boring.
• Travel – Travel is one of the most popular activities amongst retirees today. Most airlines, restaurants, tourist attractions, hotels and car rental companies offer discounts for seniors. This is a good way to enjoy your retirement time and to make up for all those long and dreary working years.
• Whether or Not you want to Work – If you’re one of those people who prefer working even after retirement – either because you enjoy working or you need the extra income, then you could probably continue working with your current employer as a consultant or even a part-time employee. With the valuable knowledge that you’ve gained over the years, getting a good job shouldn’t be a tough prospect.

When it comes to working after retirement, keep in mind that your retirement could actually give you the perfect opportunity to turn a hobby into a business. Whatever may be your plans, if you’re planning on working after retirement, remember that there are an increasing number of baby boomers who are also working in a variety of ways ranging from second careers to part time jobs.

The additional income that you may earn in this way will go a long way in replenishing your savings and the retirement benefits that you are provided with, like social security and pension fund. As far as savings are concerned, time can be one of the best resources in helping money grow. When saving for retirement, it is advisable to consider your retirement goals first, the number of years left for you to retire, the tax implications and your tolerance for risk.

© Anna D Banks, Certified Mind Scan Business and Personal Coach.

Since 1996, I have helped hundreds of job-seekers, managers, business owners, and sales professionals achieve business and personal success.

Before we start discussing the facts about baby boomers, let us discuss who these baby boomers are. Baby boomers are those who were born between 1946 and 1964. There were 78 million babies born in America during these boom years of 1946 to 1964. These baby boomers turned 60 in 2006, and they are expected to live till a ripe old age of 83. Interestingly one out of four Americans is a Baby boomer. This means that 28% of the total population of the United States of America is that of baby boomers.

Baby boomers as volunteers

Volunteering is something that baby boomers seem to be inclined to do. Almost one third of all the baby boomers, nearly 25.8 million people have become volunteers for some organization or the other. An interesting fact to observe here would be that baby boomer volunteers form the highest group of volunteers at 33.2% and that is more than the national average of 28.8%. The rate at which baby boomers are volunteering is increasing steadily and gradually. It was 25% in the year 2002 and reached 30% in the year 2004. Now the reason why so many baby boomers are volunteering is because they feel obliged or out of a sense of duty. It is because they want the kind of social interaction they would not otherwise get because most baby boomers are retired. Volunteering gives them a sense of social and self-development and motivation, it also helps to build their self-esteem.

Baby boomers and National service

Baby boomers should not be viewed as a cost to the economy; in fact they are an asset to the economy and the community and an underutilized asset at that. In fact, the conference on ‘Aging of 2005’ was completely based on promoting the volunteering of baby boomers for national and community service. It was also centered on changing the infra structure, so as to enhance the volunteering and the conference even put forth some policies to benefit the volunteering by baby boomers.

These policies and initiatives were:

- To change the way the non-profit sectors think about how to use the volunteers and to make a cultural shift that would encourage the baby boomers.

- To offer flexibility to the older volunteers like the baby boomers and to encourage a feeling of better corporate citizenship.

- Handing a more prominent and appropriate role to the government, which includes involving the baby boomers in civic activities.

- Promoting the need for volunteers and services and civic engagements by baby boomers and retired adults.

- To encourage educating the public and the promotion of health benefits.

Before getting these already capable baby boomers to volunteer in the field of national service and community it is important to change the image of age. These baby boomers are going to be attracted to programs that do not use words like old, seniors or retired. It is also necessary to reflect volunteer work as not something only retired people can do; it needs to be portrayed in a way that appears challenging to the baby boomers.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your FREE access to a special report The Successful Career Change Guide when you visit http://www.AnnaBanks.com.

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From Anna D Banks, Certified Mind Scan Business and Personal Coach.

Your interview will most definitely be conducted by some one who is younger…he will be smartly dressed and you do not want to look tired and old in front of him/her. The reason you want to look young and fit is so that the young executive doesn’t question your skills and ask if you’re capable enough to work the long hours that may be required of you.

Smarten up

The first thing that you can do is smartening up your dressing style. This doesn’t mean you have to wear double-breasted suits it just means you have to look smart and efficient in the clothes you wear. You need to look sharp and resourceful. Nowadays people do not expect you to be formally dressed at work. You just need to be smartly dressed. This means wearing trousers and shirts for guys or even jeans and a shirt for guys. The ladies can wear pants and skirts or even jeans with form fitting shirts. It’s all about looking smart. Even a minute thing like wearing stylish frames for your spectacles could make you look so much better than that oh-so-boring frame you have had for years. Carry a smart piece of technology with you, like a blackberry so that the interviewer is aware that you too can keep up with technology and won’t have a hard time adjusting in the technology oriented work environment.

The right image

Every professional has to project an image. That image could be the pure professional; the approachable professional or the laid back professional. Whatever image you decide to project, make sure you do it appropriately. If you are trying to land a promotion, then don’t try to be cute by wearing short skirts if it’s not age appropriate. Increase the hemline and see what wonders that will work instead of flashing those long limbs at work. Be confident in whatever you choose to do. If you are confident and believe in yourself others are going to believe in you.

Looking younger

There is no harm in trying to look younger. Every one wants to look younger than they are. But please be sensible about it. If you are touching 50 there is absolutely no sense in dressing up like your teenage daughter in short skirts and midriff baring tops. You will just end up looking ridiculous instead of younger.

Many people these days are opting for plastic surgery to look younger for their careers. Most men are indulging in breast reduction surgery and women in face and body lifts. Another thing that most people do is dyeing their hair with artificial looking color at home, avoid this and go to a hair stylist.

Claim your FREE special report The Successful Career Change Guide when you visit http://www.AnnaBanks.com.

© Anna D Banks, Certified Mind Scan Business and Personal Coach.

Since 1996, I have helped hundreds of job-seekers, managers, business owners, and sales professionals achieve business and personal success.

Many have decided and already made a mid career change to farming. Most baby boomers have been brought up on farms and have been exposed to organic farming and gardening in their early years. They have attained economic stability and possess considerable financial assets. This has allowed them to return to some of the ideals that drove them in their formative years. They have given shape to their dreams of farming.

This is confirmed from the latest Census of Agriculture data of the federal government. It shows an uptick in small farms between ten to forty-nine acres. Twenty seven percent of the farmers have been on their jobs for less than four years are fifty-five years or older. These are baby boomers moving towards their golden years.

Economically powerful, they are interested in maintaining healthy energetic lives and are anxious to connect back to the soil, by adopting a changed lifestyle, giving up smoking, eating less and a maintaining a better balanced diet for a higher fitness level.  The passion for good health also rests on the inference that if one focuses on fitness and good health it can result in being around for a long time to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. In pursuit of good health there is an overwhelming preference for ‘fresh from the farm food’ over products that are packaged and shipped from far away destinations. Packaged food remains packed for long periods before becoming available for consumption. Farming provides the perfect answer to healthy living.

Farming as an occupation is also supported by social trends. A confluence of market forces has given rise to the growing number of farmer markets and community supported agriculture (CSA). A CSA farm is a small family owned farm usually located on the fringe of a populated urban area. It is an independent and labor intensive enterprise. Sale of produce is guaranteed throughout the year through customer pre-payments. This helps to finance the farming operations. The farmer can concentrate on quality produce and also have support to counter market forces of industrialized farming. The customer gets healthy fruits and vegetables grown organically throughout the year/season.

Farmer markets provide the traditional way of selling home manufactured and traditional products from small farms. They feature locally grown fresh nutritional products that are organically grown on nearby farms. The growing popularity of farmer markets is due to increased preference of locally grown produce, which is fresher, healthier and comes from small farms, which also help to sustain ecological balance.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your FREE access to a special report The Successful Career Change Guide when you visit http://www.AnnaBanks.com.