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AGE & EXPERIENCE: ADDRESSING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

age and experience

It is time to name the elephants in the room – age and experience!!

There is not a week that goes by that I don’t hear from job seekers about how frustrated, angry or simply dumbfounded they are by their inability to land a job that suits their experience! Hiring managers are saying over and over again they are overqualified for the job which is code word for they are too old.

The next time you see those two elephants dancing in the background of your interview, you can make one of two choices: 

 

  • Buy into the assumptions, questions, and concerns of the hiring manager. OR
  • Be prepared for the elephants and change your own mindset and responses in that situation.

Chris Farrell, (author of “Unretirement”) offers great advice when confronted with the “overqualified” response in an interview.  Acknowledge the concerns that the hiring manager has and reassure them you are working for a better work-life balance and not another rung on the career ladder.

John Tarnoff, a nationally recognized career reinvention coach, offers a few tips to minimize the great age divide between you and the younger hiring manager.

  • Do not shut down or over react when ageism rears its ugly head.
  • Do not lecture or give advice to the younger manager during the interview.
  • Avoid telling stories about how things were when you were their age.
  • Remember you

    are not here to impress them with all of your years of experience, but to be of service and to contribute to the organization.

I have heard from so many of our workshop participants that hearing they are too old or too qualified starts playing into their own self-identify and mindset.  This is your time to shine and point out all that you have to offer an organization or team of people!

age & experience Here are some additional strategies to strengthen your mindset/ attitude and address the elephants in the room:

 

  1. Do your homework and soul searching on the kinds of jobs and working conditions you are looking for.  Here’s a great article on getting started.
  2. Talk about your character strengths and “potential “. A service attitude, a long term vision, strong work ethic, curiosity, flexibility, engagement, willingness to try something new.  Another great article by John Tarnoff. 
  3. Keep up with the times.  Be familiar with changes in the field, new technology, use of social media and realities in the workplace. Refer to Kerry Hannon’s book, “Getting the Job You Want after 50”, a great resource for all job seekers!
  4. Market your age and experience as a plus. Being experienced means you are resourceful, a good leader, great networker, team player, and political savvy.
  5. Be clear in your own mind and with your interviewer why you want this job.  Clearly state your motivations and expectations for taking this job at this time of your life.
  6. Show a willingness to learn, try something new, and adapt to this new way of work!

Finding a job in 2016 is a whole new ballgame with new rules and new skills to stay competitive with the younger generations and tougher job market. It means learning different ways to search, network, and interview.  Most important, it starts with YOU. Have faith in yourself and adopt the right mindset. Build a great support system to pull you back up whenever you see those elephants in the room!

Encore Tampa Bay:

There are plenty of upcoming Encore Academy sessions along with our other Encore Tampa Bay network of resources/organizations that are ready to support you in your job search.  Go to our website under Encore Resources for all the upcoming events and programs!

 

Living Life on Purpose – A New Year’s Resolve

Living on purposeThe New Year is the perfect time to step back and reflect on the past year and identify what you want to accomplish in the upcoming year. When people reflect on the past the biggest questions they ask is “What did I accomplish?”

I would like to add a few other equally important questions:

  • Did I accomplish my goals and check off everything on my to do list? Success is often measured by job status, wealth, influence and busyness.
  • Did I spend most of this year focused only on advancing my goals while sacrificing time with family and friends?
  • Was it all work and no play?
  • Was I busy pleasing others and neglecting myself?
  • Did I get stuck in this place of doing what I have always done, something safe?
  • Did I constantly live in the future instead of being fully present in the now?

PURPOSE

The most important question we can ask ourselves at this time of year and time of life is: “Am I living my life on purpose?” Dr. Richard Leider, author of “The Power Of Purpose”, says that living on purpose is a choice that we make every day.   Living on purpose means becoming aware of who we are and what we bring to life each day. Dr. Leider suggests a good place to start living on purpose is to ask the question: “Why do I get up in the morning?” This requires taking time everyday for a brief moment of reflection, being still and asking this important question. Meditation or sitting quietly in the morning works best for me.

Now don’t get me wrong. There are lots of obstacles in this fast paced digital world and there never seems to be enough time in the day to get it all done! But taking time for that inner stillness can provide clarity, help you discover your true self and purpose and really understand the true person you are trying to become?

Another great article I recently read nailed it for those of us pursuing our encore career –  “Five New Year’s Resolutions for Older Adults:

  • I resolve to embrace uncertainty rather than avoid it. The world of work and life has changed dramatically. It is time to explore and embrace new trends and tools in business, technology and work.
  • I resolve to seek opportunities in changing conditions. Dealing with change is hard but if we can begin to see change as an opportunity and to identify the benefits for that change we will be ready to move forward.
  • I resolve to stop and reflect on my second act. Carve out time at the beginning of the day to reflect and make adjustments moving forward.   Journaling and Meditations are great ways to capitalize on this inner reflection time.
  • I resolve to remove and improve. This is a perfect time to not only talk about what you want to start doing but also to identify what activities and relationships you want to drop.
  • I resolve to make friends with risk. This means stepping out of your comfort zone and taking action instead of letting the future just happen to you. This may mean going back to school, learning new technologies, starting your own business or following your dreams.

Living Life on PurposeEncore Tampa Bay is committed to help you take that next step on your encore journey. We have been creating a wonderful network of individuals and organizations that can help connect you in three ways:

  1. Connecting to who you really are and your true purpose.
  2. Connecting to each other. You don’t have to go on this journey by yourself!
  3. Connecting to your encore. Whether it is learning new skills, finding part time contract work, connecting to a non profit to share your talents and experience, or starting your own business.

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE FOR UPCOMING DISCUSSION GROUPS AND PROGRAMS THAT CAN HELP YOU TAKE THAT NEXT STEP AND TO ACHIEVE YOUR NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS!!

I would like to leave you with two inspirational quotes:

“You must do the thing you cannot do, it’s the only way to overcome the fears we all face in doing something new, take a leap into the unknown.”    -Eleanor Roosevelt

“ The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet”  -Lau Tzu

Happy New Year- Let’s all commit to living our life on purpose in 2016! We are happy to help you along the way….

Our Aging Workforce – An Opportunity or a Burden?

Encore CareerBetween 1990 and 2010, the percentage of people 65 and older in the workforce increased from 12.1 percent to 16.1 percent. Today, adults 55 and older are the fastest-growing segment of the workforce. Rather than viewing this as a potential opportunity for economic growth, many people fear that more older adults in the workforce will block opportunities sought by younger people and drain our social security.   People had these same fears back in the 70’s when there was a large influx of women in the workforce. What actually happened in the 70’s was a stronger economy with a large increase of disposable income and new emerging industries.

We also know that over-60 adults not only want to stay in the workforce longer but are looking for money and meaning (otherwise known as encore careers).

So here we are with the largest generation in history redefining this stage of life, but we have not envisioned how to tap into the meaning or the opportunity!

Burden?

Unfortunately, many negative stereotypes about aging blind our society and organizations about the potential of adults over 60 who are robust, engaged, experienced, talented and capable! In a recent article in the Atlantic, Linda Fried talks about how we are missing the opportunity to create the roles, infrastructure and policies that embrace the notion of positive aging and plugging people into roles that align with their purpose and utilize their talents.

Encore.org has identified several industries (education, healthcare, non profits, social services) that directly benefit from these older workers. One of the biggest barriers to embracing this older workforce is that organizations have not figured out how to leverage this talent and create new pathways once these individuals have identified their encore career interest.

Marc Freedman, in a recent interview with SHRM foundation states, “The mismatch between [the number of] those who want to move into encore careers and the [number of] opportunities is kind of outrageous. “Compounding the problem, so many are stuck, fumbling forward because the pathways are confusing and poorly marked.”

Opportunity?

There is good news on the horizon. Recent research shows that longer workforce participation does strengthen the economy in a variety of different ways. There is also plenty of positive data from Brookings Institute’s book, “Behavioral Dimensions of Retirement Economics” that describes how the redefinition of retirement has a positive economic impact.

Aging Workforce BenefitsAnother benefit of older workers remaining longer in the workforce is the value of age-diversity. A study by the Munich Center on Economics of Aging, found that age-diverse teams are more adept at problem solving, idea generation and productivity. The intergenerational opportunities are being recognized more and more by organizations and individuals.

There are also great examples of how large organizations such as Marriott and CVS have started creating new strategies for retaining and recruiting older workers to strengthen their bottom line.  

Advantages include; older new hires can better reflect the needs of older customers and extensive work experience and problem solving skills.

There are also organizations such as Encore.org and ReServe, a New York City-based nonprofit that matches professionals age 55 and over with nonprofit positions. These organizations are leading the encore career movement by creating models and programs such as the Encore Fellows Program that help non profits leverage and hire high skilled professionals that they normally would not be able to afford.

In a recent business survey by SHRM two-thirds of the respondents said that the exit of Baby Boomers will have a major impact on the workplace in the next 5 years. “In this knowledge economy, the retention of older workers gives employers a competitive edge by allowing them to continue to tap a generation of knowledge and skill,” says Mark Schmidt, executive director of the SHRM Foundation.

Linda Fried in her article “Making Aging Positive” states, “When we examine issues through a lens that recognizes the value of older adults, we can envision them in many new roles–both paid and volunteer that can strengthen our society.”

Marc Freedman, in his latest book, “The Big Shift”, talks about an abundancy ratio. “Experience plus perspective plus motivation plus time, multiplied by demography, leveraged by new institutions and policies, realized not only in the coming years but for generations to come, equals a society that makes sense again.”

The 10,000 baby boomers that turn 65 every day is good news for businesses, non profits and the community at large.

It is time for us to consider what we can do in Tampa Bay, to shift our thinking, our policies and infrastructure to see this as an opportunity and not a burden.

Join Encore Tampa Bay and the Community Foundation in an Encore Town Hall event on October 21 where we can learn more about how to leverage this encore talent in our own community. For more details and to register go to www.encoretampabay.com

LIVING LIFE ON PURPOSE

Find your purposeIt has been a little over a year since I founded Encore Tampa Bay and began the mission of accelerating the encore movement in our community. There have been many important lessons I have learned along the way.

At the heart, the concept of discovering your encore boils down to one thing, finding your purpose. There are two incredible books that I am currently reading that have made a tremendous impact on my thinking and shaped my mission for Encore Tampa Bay. (This does not trump the ultimate life changing book for me, “Encore”, written by Marc Freedman!).

In Richard Leider’s book, “The Power of Purpose”, he writes, “Purpose is fundamental to human life. Purpose gives us the reason to get up in the morning. It gives us courage.”

We all have a purpose, whether we know it or not.

Discovering your purpose is at the core of what we are doing at the Encore Academy, through our workshops and discussion groups. Discovering purpose is extremely important for those entering the second half of life when values, roles and situations change dramatically. In a time when people have lost their jobs or have experienced some kind of loss, it is our identity and purpose that centers us and gives us courage to consider living a life that is of purpose. Encore.org has put purpose at the top of their focus as they created the prestigious and inspirational Purpose Prize Awards. Richard Leider’s book does an incredible job of looking at the many benefits of finding purpose from an emotional, physical and psychological point of view. I plan on writing another blog post specifically on the nuggets in this book.

As I began crafting my vision for Encore Tampa Bay, I knew that finding purpose and helping people discover their encore was more than just helping individuals. Aaron Hurst has just written a powerful new book, “The Purpose Economy”that takes the concept of purpose and expands its impact and framework beyond the notion of individual purpose.

In the Purpose Economy, Hurst suggests that we are moving beyond the Industrial and Information Economies to an economy that serves the people and the planet. Hurst writes,

Live a Life of Purpose“The Purpose Economy is defined by the quest for people to have more purpose in their lives. An economy where value lies in establishing purpose for employees and customers through serving the needs greater than their own, enabling personal growth and building community”.

 

Hurst talks about the three types of purpose that are transforming the economy:

  1. Personal purpose
  2. Social purpose (relationships and connections), and
  3. Societal purpose (this is not just philanthropy and non-profits, but includes corporate products and services).

In a recent interview with Hurst, he talks about the myths and misperception about finding purpose at work or in life. There is a misconception that people think to have an encore career they need to move to Africa or start a non profit to make that shift. The reality is there are a lot of incremental changes that can be made at work. People can find purpose in any kind of job. It all has to do with attitude and approach. Purpose is a choice. Marc Freedman, the founder of Encore.org, reminds us that you don’t have to reinvent yourself to find your purpose or encore but simply reintegrate who you are. The important message from “The Purpose Economy”; pathways to purpose are not only the individual’s choice but the organization’s as well. That is the bigger picture.

I will be writing additional blog posts focusing on the many aspects of purpose and content from this book.

Are you wondering about your purpose?

Here is a great diagnostic tool that might help you get started on your Purpose Journey. Go to the Purpose Journey website and find your purpose patterns.. Want to join in the “Purpose” conversation?

The Encore Academy is hosting a free discussion group on June 24 at the St. Petersburg Greenhouse, from 10:30-12pm, “Purpose: Finding Meaning and Happiness in the Encore Years”

The Best of the Vibrant Vintage Years

By guest blogger Lisa Jacobson, Career Consultant and Executive Coach of Workplace Solutions

One of the best workshops I attended at the 2014 Positive Aging Conference in Sarasota, Florida last week was presented by Francine Toder, Ph.D.  Dr. Toder shared inspiring insights and stories from her latest book: The Vintage Years: Finding Your Inner Artist After Sixty. 

Toder began her talk with a potent statistic. “Most people in their 60’s may have a third of their lives to live”. Toder calls these the Vintage Years because they have the potential to be full of beauty, depth, and richness.

Wisdom is the hallmark of our Vintage Years. Toder describes wisdom as the accrual and synthesis of knowledge through a lifetime of experiences. At midlife and beyond, our brain’s right and left hemispheres become better integrated and more functionally intertwined. This integration allows for better patterning. We develop “short-hand” processes for ideas and are able to find quicker and more creative solutions in a wider range. That might be why we tend to understand the gist of something or see the root of a problem a lot faster than younger folks. A lifetime of mistakes and experiences matters!

Neuro-psychologists confirm age sixty and beyond can be an ideal for exploring and discovering second careers and new art forms such as writing, musical instruments, chorus singing, painting, sculpting or ceramics. As we continue to grow new connections,  we can become more creative and efficient problem solvers.

Increased focus is another advantage to aging. This is made possible by lifestyle changes. We have the time and freedom to be single-focused, fully present and mindful.  In an age of mindless, half-hearted, multi-tasking, mindfulness can produce dramatic results.

Finally, Toder classifies the Vintage Years as a “gift” for all the hard work we’ve done in our lifetimes. It can be a positive and vibrant stage of life. Her book features several examples of individuals living their lives to the fullest through art and second careers. Age is not pathology and cognitive decline is not inevitable. Take Doctor Toder’s advice and look into exploring the best of your Vintage Years.

PS: A great way to start your exploration would be to sign up for a workshop at Encore Academy!

AGING IN AMERICA: CHANGING THE CONVERSATION

Positive AgingLast week I participated in the Seventh Annual International Conference on Positive Aging hosted by the Institute for the Ages in Sarasota, Florida.  The conference brought together over 370 participants, national thought leaders and local aging specialists to learn how we are changing the way we re-envision the second half of life.  The sessions and workshops were designed around seven focus areas; wellness, creativity/innovation, transitions, community, technology and evangelizing positive aging.  This conference and the Institute for the Ages is bringing to the forefront this most interesting dimension of technology and innovation converging to transform aging in terms of health, wellness, community design and family engagement.

Here are the major takeaways from the conference that ignited my passion around this topic.

CHANGING OUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE SECOND HALF OF LIFE

Marc FreedmanMarc Freedman, (founder of Encore.org) kicked off the conference Sunday night by challenging all of us to look at the idea of staring aging squarely in the face and celebrating the longevity revolution.  He recommended three ideas to fast forward the Encore Movement:

  • GAP YEAR – Encourage older Americans to take a year off to experiment and explore opportunities to identify and apply their passion and purpose in their community or the world at large.
  • EDUCATION – Provide a new type of education that better prepares boomers to identify their encore careers in the second half of life.
  • NEW POLICIES – Create new policies and pathways that support flexibility and new opportunities to those who want to redefine their age of “retirement”.

Marc’s primary message centered around generativity; to honor and build on what we have, to break free of the notion of eternal youth.

OLD IS GOOD: EVANGELIZING POSITIVE AGING

Several speakers focused on the ever growing movement to change the conversation about ageism in America.  Dick Goldberg, Executive Director of Coming of Age, talked about embracing our age and rejecting the idea of older adults being sidelined because of their age.  Annarose Ingarra-Milch, author of “Lunch with Lucille”, shared a story about a woman who proclaims “Age is my best asset!”

SENIOR ENTREPRENEURS ON A ROLL

Recent research reveals that the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity belongs to those aged 55-64.  There is a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on this growing trend in a number of ways.   The pre-conference workshop, “Entrepreneurship Trumps Ageism” set the stage by showcasing an incredible program, E Prov.  The workshop provided an innovative approach to help older adults to ignite and build on ideas for potential start ups through improvisation. 

Positive AgingI had the privilege of leading a 2 hour workshop- Senior Entrepreneurs: New Engines for a New Economy.  We talked about the different opportunities for communities to grow and sustain entrepreneurs.  The Encore Academy will be offering programs that help Senior Entrepreneurs identify and launch their new enterprise.

Elizabeth Isele, one of the nation’s thought leaders in the area of senior entrepreneurship, spoke at the conference of the tremendous impact that older entrepreneurs have on our community, economy, health and well-being. Then, in what was a groundbreaking week for senior entrepreneurs, she flew directly to Washington, DC to lead a US Senate hearing  on the topic: In Search of a Second Act:The Challenges and Advantages of Senior Entprepreneurship. Elizabeth delivered a key message to the Senate Committee that…

“Seniors are not the silver tsunami, they are a silver lining and believe me they will be yielding golden dividends”

I believe Elizabeth’s quote sums up the main takeaway for the entire conference – It starts with us! We need to recognize and embrace our age.  This is our time to live our best life – engaged, healthy, creative and contributing to our community!  How can we change the conversation about positive aging for others? Stay tuned- I will be posting other great insights from the conference next week!

Bevan Rogel – Founder- Encore Tampa Bay