by Steffan Lozniak,
Goliath-SilverCensus Intern

Each and every one of us encounters marketing every day, and is well aware as to what it is. We see advertisements on TV, in the newspaper, on billboards, and on banners in the sky! But did you know that there is marketing that goes on even between you and I? Did you know that when you talk to that friend of yours, that you are both in the process of marketing? You are in the process of marketing yourself.

Intrapersonal communication, friendships forming, relationships, opinions, judgments, being judged, are all ways we affect and in a way, manipulate each other. It really is insane when you think deeply about what communication actually is. Let’s break this down a little bit further to get the grasp of, life as we know it.

The first encounter: This is where two people run into each other, see each other, talk to each other, hear one another, hear OF another, and where a first impression gets formed. We all know the power of a first impression, and how much influence it holds on the rest of the relationship, which is why we usually try our best to make a good first impression. At this stage, we play both the marketer and the customer as we try to advertise ourselves to be the best product we have to offer, and at the same time, we are judging the product placed in front of us. We judge everything about that product… How it looks, smells, sounds, and if it is interesting at all. Towards the end of this article, I will get into “making the product” and I feel that will be the most important thing I will talk about.

Forming the relationship: After the initial judgments are passed, if both parties decide they are satisfied with the products offered, a relationship can be formed. This relationship may be one of an acquaintance, friendship, a sexual relationship, one in which one party is using the other, one of common interests, or one of many other kinds of relationships. The general goal of the relationship from the perspective of both parties is, mutual gain. Problems that occur here include the gain being not balanced and the most common problem… One party being unsure of what it is they actually want, or are trying to gain, causing them to think they are getting nothing, but yet being unwilling to leave the relationship. This happens a lot with people who are actually addicted to abuse and stay for the abuse, though think they are the victim and that the relationship is worthless yet are unwilling to leave. (This is not ALWAYS the case in an abusive relationship, there are other factors. Like wanting to help/save the abuser). At this stage, it is still usually pretty easy to break apart from the relationship.

Continuing the relationship: Once two people form a good relationship, the type of marketing changes quite a bit. You are no longer trying to pick up a “new customer”, but are now in the process of maintaining the relationship. At this stage, oftentimes the gimmick is dropped. The gimmick is the main front that is put up in the first stage that is used to pick up “new customers”. It’s true that some people do not have a gimmick at all, and this is the best way to be! Again, I will talk about this in a little bit. At this stage in the relationship, it becomes harder for the relationship to break as the parties involved start to cement their perception of the other person in their mind. Here is where the problems I discussed in the second phase can really get out of hand, as they can be completely denied if they go against the cemented idea of the opposing party.

MAKING THE PRODUCT: This is where it all ties together. I talk a lot about people and their relationships above, and I treat them oftentimes like non living products. I do this purposefully so that it is easier to see how closely connected relationships between people are with relationships between customers and a business. What I am about to say applies to both businesses and people alike.

DO NOT TRY AND ADVERTISE A PRODUCT THAT YOU ARE NOT OFFERING!!! NO MATTER HOW APPEALING THE OTHER PARTY MAY BE!

This is one of the biggest problems we have today, both with people, and with businesses, though in truth it is getting much better.

First to continue on the train of thought as of with people: If you try to change yourself to appease the other party, you are more than likely going to end up unhappy in the relationship… either because you don’t like the change you made, or because you won’t be able to hold onto the false image, and they won’t be happy when they see the real you.

People are often way too concerned with trying to shape themselves in order to “fit in”. But what they don’t understand is that by just being yourself, you are automatically weeding out those “bad fits”. By putting up the real product, you are only going to get takers that actually want what is being offered, or people that are trying to put up a false image themselves to get it.

Being a smart businessman and advertising the real product is only step one. Step two is being a smart consumer, and making sure the product being offered is what they say it appears. Though this second task seems to be the more difficult one, let’s not forget how appealing it is to be liked, and how hard a person will try to change themselves in order to fit in. Remember, there is a whole branch of business and marketing that thrives by trying to convince us what we should be, and how we should look.

From a business perspective, by advertising what you actually do, and by offering the product you want to offer… You are actually going to care about each and every customer. They are not just buying your product, they are buying you. By doing this as a business, the relationship formed will be strong right off the bat, as the customer doesn’t have to work to see what you are really offering. The bond can only grow as they realize you are what you say you are, and that you really do care. This leads to long term customers, happy customers, and word of mouth advertising.

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

…a Goliath-SilverCensus Company

by Michele O’Connor

GoliathJobs is proud to announce that VIPdesk is the newest featured employer. VIPdesk the innovative leader of outsourced virtual customer care solutions for companies who view their brand reputation as a significant asset, and for whom a quality customer experience is not a luxury, but a necessity. As a pioneer of the “homeshoring” business model, VIPdesk’s home-based customer service representatives are transforming the way business services are delivered.

See all their jobs by visiting GoliathJobs.com and entering keyword “VIPdesk” in the Search for Jobs field. Here are some examples:

24021 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Boston, Massachusetts, United States
24020 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Chicago, Illinois, United States
24019 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Phoenix, Arizona, United States
24018 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Detroit, Michigan, United States
24017 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative New York City, New York, United States
24016 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
24015 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
24014 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Columbus, Ohio, United States
24013 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Dallas, Texas, United States
24012 Inside Sales/Customer Service Representative Miami, Florida, United States

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

…a Goliath-SilverCensus Company

by Michele O’Connor

Google is rolling out a social networking site called “Buzz.”

Why? I think the reason is because “Buzz” will be a segway for them to buy Facebook with minimal Antitrust hurdles. A smart move? You decide. Remember, in 2000 microsoft was accused of anti-trust by including Internet Explorer with Windows. This was one of the causes of the tech crash in April 2000.

Here is a summary of a great article that ran yesterday in the Wall Street Journal on this hot news:

These days, it’s near impossible to use a computer without running into a social network. Web sites encourage people to “tweet” links to their articles via Twitter; photo-sharing sites nudge users to post albums on Facebook; and aggregators like TweetDeck display content from several social networks in a digestible way. Last week, Google Buzz joined this trend by integrating social networking into something people use every day: email.

Google Buzz got off to a rough start and still has a lot of catching up to do. Though it could be a convenience for people whose social contacts all already exist in Gmail, it could also saddle them—and their friends—with yet another social network to check every day. For now, my social-networking friends are sticking to Facebook and Twitter, making the buzz on Buzz almost inaudible.

Katherine Boehret at mossbergsolution@wsj.com

—Edited by Walter S. Mossberg.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

…a Goliath-SilverCensus Company

by Michele O’Connor

Read a great article recently in the Wall Street Journal about being happy & positive in the workplace. I thought our readers would appreciate it.

Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work
By SUE SHELLENBARGER

Like many workers, Ivelisse Rivera, a physician at Community Health Center, Middletown, Conn., feels stressedout by mounting workloads. And she didn’t expect to get much help during her employer’s annual staff meeting last November—just the usual speeches on medical issues.

Instead, she got a big dose of something new: Happiness coaching. Keynote speaker Shawn Achor—a former Harvard University researcher and former co-teacher of one of the university’s most popular courses, Positive Psychology—extolled 90 listening employees to shake off dark moods at work by practicing such happinessinducing techniques as meditation or expressing gratitude.

To her surprise, Dr. Rivera says, she drove home filled with thoughts about cheering up; “if I assume a negative attitude and complain all the time, whoever is working with me is going to feel the same way.” Happiness coaching is seeping into the workplace. A growing number of employers, including UBS, American Express, KPMG and the law firm Goodwin Procter, have hired trainers who draw on psychological research, ancient religious traditions or both to inspire workers to take a more positive attitude—or at least a neutral one.

Happiness-at-work coaching is the theme of a crop of new business books and a growing number of MBA-school courses.

Critics say that pushing positive thinking is just a way for companies to improve morale while they continue to burden employees with the threat of layoffs and an ever-increasing workload. Barbara Ehrenreich’s recent book, “Bright-sided,” blames “positive thinking” for enabling people to avoid confronting a wide range of serious problems in the economy and workplace.

Still, there’s no doubt that workers could use a little cheering up. Employee satisfaction has hit the lowest level in the 22-year history of the Conference Board’s annual survey on the topic. Only 45% of U.S. workers are satisfied with their jobs, down from 52% in 2005 and 61% in 1987, says this 5,000-household study. Mr. Achor describes one employee audience he encountered at a big banking concern as “ashen-faced and anxious.”

Research shows that employees’ positive attitudes can be good for business, too. A 2004 study of 60 business teams in the journal American Behavioral Scientist found teams with buoyant moods who encouraged each earned higher profit and better customer-satisfaction ratings. A 2001 study at the University of Michigan says people who are experiencing joy or contentment are able to think more broadly and creatively, accepting a wider variety of possible actions, than people with negative emotions. And a 2005 research survey in the Psychological Bulletin shows happier people miss work less often and receive more positive evaluations from bosses. Of course, coaches have long tried to instill proactive skills to help clients extract career or personal success from tough situations. What’s different now is the emphasis on inner happiness, and controlling your own mood in the face of turbulence or misfortune.

Indeed, the happiness coaches go beyond traditional positive-thinking approaches, taking new tacks that tend to ring true with workers. Some examples: Write e-mails to your co-workers every day thanking them for something they have done. Meditate daily to clear your mind. Do something for somebody without expecting anything in return. Write in a journal about things you are thankful for; look for traits you admire in people and compliment them. Focus on the process of your work, which you can control, rather than outcomes, which you can’t. And
don’t immediately label events good or bad, but remain open to potentially positive outcomes of even the most seemingly negative events.

Mr. Achor bases his training on a burgeoning body of research on the positive psychology movement, which emphasizes instilling resiliency and positive attitudes over analyzing mental illness and dysfunction. Srikumar Rao, a Long Island University emeritus professor whose training courses in workplaces and business schools have earned him the nickname “the happiness guru”, draws on tenets common to such religious traditions as Hinduism, Sufism, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism. People who use the principles say they work. Greg Johnson, a Charlotte, N.C., corporate real-estate executive, says Dr. Rao’s training helps him avoid rushing to negative conclusions about daily events. Amid staff changes or
reorganizations, he has taught himself to think, “Good thing, bad thing? The reality is, I don’t know” how the change will turn out in the long term. That mindset helps him remain open to the possibility that seemingly negative events can produce positive outcomes in the long term, he says.

Andrew Potter, chief executive of National Car Parks, London, says a tenet he learned from Dr. Rao to focus on work processes, rather than outcomes you can’t control, helped him manage his company’s recent bid for a big contract. His employees felt intense pressure to wrest the contract away from a competitor. But instead of “talking to the team about how great it would be if we win it,” Mr. Potter says, he asked them, “What more should
we be doing” to prepare?”

His company didn’t win the contract, but “We had 20 minutes of grumbling,” then everyone bounced back, he says. When the next bidding opportunity rolled around, “we walked in with confidence and we won it.” Dr. Rao’s training is “very, very practical in the fiercest corporate battle,” he says; he plans to enroll several of his
executives.

In Marshall Goldsmith’s new book, “Mojo”, the respected executive coach emphasizes finding “a positive spirit toward what we are doing now, that starts from the inside,” he says. Many companies are trying “to increase employee satisfaction by asking themselves, ‘What can we do to make the employee’s job more meaningful? How can we make employees happier?”‘ Dr. Goldsmith says. “My approach is quite different, in having employees ask
themselves, ‘What can I do to make my work more meaningful? What can I do to make myself happier?”‘

To help employees keep tabs on their inner attitudes, Dr. Goldsmith will start offering free software for iPhones and BlackBerries on his Web site next month.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

…a Goliath-SilverCensus Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Richard J. Anthony, Sr.
Member, Board of Advisors
JobsOver50.com, a Goliath-SilverCensus Company
610.225.0277

by Richard Anthony, Sr.

Boomers Blocking Career Paths
Historic Intergenerational Clash Predicted

The US workforce may be on the verge of an historic clash as four distinctly different demographic groups compete for jobs, pay, benefits and opportunities for advancement.

“For the first time in history, we have four, and some people argue five, generations in the workforce - the Traditionals, Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y,” says Richard J. Anthony, Sr., author of Organizations, People & Effective Communication. “The normal stresses in the workplace are being exacerbated by the fact that the leading edge of the 79 million Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are not moving out of the workforce as expected. Because of lifestyle preference or financial necessity, Boomers in large numbers are trying to hang on to their paychecks and their health care benefits, blocking the career paths of younger employees and putting pressure on employers’ payroll and benefits costs.”

Boomers Blocking Career Paths
In a chapter titled “Bridging the Great Divide among Four Generations,” Anthony writes: “The underlying trend lines that will ensure intergenerational conflict for at least the next 20 to 25 years have finally captured the attention of researchers, social scientists, government and corporate policy makers. Most seem to agree that simply tweaking existing policies won’t be enough. We need new approaches to managing divergent generations and to supporting 79 million Boomers who will be transitioning to the third stage of their lives over the next 30 years. We need a new vocabulary to redefine words like work, career, success, retirement and quality of life. Words like ’senior’ and ‘mature adult’ are resented and irrelevant because they have been code for ‘old.’ Although late in coming, awareness of the need for change in the way different stages of life are perceived is becoming a daily topic of discussion and debate. Solutions, however, will be hard to come by.”

Anthony, a consultant with more than 35 years of experience in human resource management and organizational effectiveness, is the founder and managing director of The Solutions Network, Inc., a management consulting firm. He teaches a course at Villanova University titled “Managing the Aging Workforce.” He was cofounder of iGrandparents.com, a website for the 73 million grandparents in the US, about half of whom are Baby Boomers, and is on the board of advisors of five companies that provide products and services to the aging population.

Intergenerational clashes in the workforce can be averted, Anthony asserts. “It will require management and labor to close the book on more than 50 years of employee and labor relations and adopt new rules of engagement between employers and employees. Managing the intergenerational workforce requires employers to do a better job of forecasting their staffing needs, developing competency models, redesigning their pay and benefits programs, introducing job sharing and mentoring programs, investing in training and retraining, and designing career paths that match the profiles of younger employees whose aspirations are different from their older coworkers.

I realize that this is a tough message for employers who are struggling because of the economy. On the other hand, when the economy recovers, employers will still be challenged by intergenerational issues they have never experience before.”
______________________________________________________________
About Richard J. Anthony, Sr. - In addition to his consulting, Anthony is an entrepreneur, speaker, educator and TV host. He is founder of The Entrepreneurs Network, a venue for aspiring and serial entrepreneurs and accredited angel investors. He is a member of the adjunct faculty at Villanova University where he teaches courses in Organizational and Leadership Communication, Entrepreneurialism and Managing the Aging Workforce. In 2007, he co-authored a chapter in a book titled After Sixty: Marketing to Baby Boomers Reaching Their Big Transition Years. He is currently leading a project for the Delaware County Community Foundation to provide easy, multimedia access to county residents 50+ and their families to information about volunteerism, lifelong learning and employment. His book, Organizations, People & Effective Communication, is in its third printing.

# # #

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

…a Goliath-SilverCensus Company

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

US Department of Labor announces results of
“Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge”
Voting tallied, public’s favorite online tools posted on site!

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor announced on February 2, 2010 the results of its Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge. Recommendations have been tallied, and the top-rated sites in each of 6 categories – general job boards, niche tools, career tools, career exploration tools, web 2.0 and “other.”

“My thanks go out to the businesses and organizations that submitted their tools for evaluation, and to the members of the public who offered their input,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “We called on the public to let us know what they want out of online job tools, and they have responded in great numbers. In the process, we also created a great resource for job seekers.”

During a two-week period in January, more than 16,000 members of the public registered to vote for tools and leave comments. The job tools postings are the culmination of an eight-week effort to offer members of the public an opportunity to weigh in on their favorite career sites and to provide the sites themselves with a chance to raise awareness about the tools they offer. Government agencies, private companies, nonprofit organizations and many other entities came together to make the project a success. An alphabetical list of all sites will be available in the coming weeks.

JobsOver50.com, The Source for Hiring Baby Boomers & Retirees, placed 10th in this challenge. According to many agencies, public & private, there are over 50,000 job boards in this country. “Placing 10th is significant and we are very satisfied with the results,” says David Mezzapelle, Founder and Director of Marketing at Goliath-SilverCensus. (parent corporation of JobsOver50.com).

David Mezzapelle, Founder and Director of Marketing at Goliath-SilverCensus. (parent corporation of JobsOver50.com)

Mr. Mezzapelle adds, “As we continue to penetrate regions and emerging markets, we believe we will be #1 by next year. The launch of our international version will also increase our value and allow us to meet the needs of domestic and global clients. We look forward to the upcoming launch.”

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

JobsOver50.com is a Goliath SilverCensus Company

January 25, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Media Support
SilverCensus.com
info@silvercensus.com

SilverCensus.com pledges funds and support for the Earthquake Victims in Haiti

JUPITER — SilverCensus Inc., the premier resource for senior living and health services based in Jupiter Florida, has pledged an undisclosed amount in order to provide aid & support for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

According to the American Red Cross, On January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.5 to 7.3 devastated Haiti. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Haitian Red Cross, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster. Pledges will support emergency relief and recovery efforts to help those people affected by the earthquake. Assistance provided by the American Red Cross may include deploying personnel, sending relief supplies, and providing financial resources.

“Our company is committed to providing aid, financial & otherwise, to the cause in Haiti. We are hoping that other corporations continue doing the same,” says David Mezzapelle, Director of Marketing & Development at SilverCensus. “These types of events remind us of the power of Mother Nature. Fortunately, these events also unify the world by allowing individuals & organizations to display care & compassion any way they can,” adds Mezzapelle.

SilverCensus will continue to offer support as the days and weeks pass in Haiti. The rebuilding of many areas has already commenced and relief efforts seem to be under control.

About SilverCensus.com:
SilverCensus is a senior living and health services resource where consumers are educated on options, facilities & rights. The site serves as a means of connecting providers with potential residents and their caregivers unlike any other service. Clients, including nursing homes, assisted living residences, rehabilitation facilities, home healthcare agencies & independent living communities are offered tools to market their organization.

SilverCensus is a Goliath Company, the parent of GoliathJobs.com and JobsOver50.com.

By Jennifer Porter

GoliathJobs.com and JobsOver50.com fully endorse this great article which recently appeared in several publications and online. You can read the whole article by clicking here.

10 Reasons To Put ‘Em In Your ‘10 Plan
by Matt Thornhill, Monday, December 28, 2009, 9:18 AM

For the last two years, the Marketing Executive Networking Group has polled its members to learn about the issues on the minds of top marketers. Both surveys included questions about the “most important marketing segment.” Both times Boomers topped the list. Higher than Women or Hispanics/Latinos.

We wonder, though, how many of those marketing executives even have a marketing plan that includes Boomers. Our bet: practically none.

Twenty Ten (get used to it, trust us) is going to change that. Years ago, David Wolfe, author of Ageless Marketing and one of the most visionary marketing minds out there, was asked when marketers would wake up to the older demographic. He said, “When there is pain.” That is, when business softens and marketers realize more money is in the hands of the older half of the population — the one they’ve been ignoring.

In the last year we think marketers have experienced enough “pain” to their bottom line to examine the opportunities of targeting Boomers, or those over 50. To help in that examination, we offer 10 reasons Boomers need to be part of your marketing plan in 2010.

1. You will build your career and legacy on their backs. (We thought we’d start with a personal reason to motivate you to keep reading.) In 2020, the marketing leaders in organizations will be the ones that figured out how to make their products or services relevant to the over-50 crowd. That’s because the over-50 crowd will grow 21% in size in 10 years. The 18-49 crowd will remain the same size. We’re not making this up. It’s Census data.

2. They buy things. Lots of things. Overall, the over-50 crowd outspends the under-50 crowd by $400 billion. That’s more than Walmart sells annually. Want some of that action?

3. They try new things. Boomers were raised in front of the TV; they are not “set in their ways.” They’ll buy your product if you make it relevant. So make it relevant.

4. They are easy to reach. They read newspapers. They watch TV. They listen to the radio. They are easier to target than younger generations.

5. They think they are in the middle of Middle Age. With a median age of 54, Boomers are far from being done. They don’t think they will reach Old Age until age 75 or so. You have plenty of years of strong revenue from their wallets.

6. They use the Internet. They search, they shop, they buy. There may not be as many of them on social networking sites, but they are online — just as many and just as often as younger generations. You can sell to them online.

7. They have grandkids. Some 40% of all Boomers are already grandparents. Over 55% of all grandparents alive today are Boomers. They spend money on their grandkids, practically without thinking. It’s like taking candy from a grandbaby.

8. They are control freaks. They control their parents’ consumption of healthcare and their kids’ education. They are a sandwich generation that likes being in the center of it all. Think “ham.” They like to influence everyone’s purchases — family, friends, Facebook buddies.

9. They like advertising. Sure, they are skeptical, but they are also fans of good advertising. They will respond to your effort if it speaks to them.

10. They are the future. “Old” is where the action is for the next 20 years and Boomers are the new “old.” New products, businesses and industries will cater to the new “old.” Will you?

Put Boomers into your 2010 plan and demonstrate you’ve got 2020 foresight.

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

GoliathJobs is a SilverCensus Company

by Michele O’Connor

GoliathJobs was featured in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday January 5, 2010. Article titled “The New Job Is in the Details.”

MANAGING YOUR CAREER

The New Job Is in the Details - The Wall Street Journal

Copyright ©2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

by Joann S. Lublin

Here’s an important New Year’s resolution for job hunters: Sweat the small stuff.

Minor missteps can derail your search. With U.S. joblessness still rampant, numerous hiring managers are knocking applicants out of the running over the slightest mistake.

That’s what sporting-goods sales executive Daniel Obergfell did while seeking a marketing manager last winter. He rejected one contender for mispronouncing his surname four times—after correcting her thrice. (His last name actually is pronounced “Oberfell,” with a silent “g.”) She was among 40 people he interviewed for the $80,000 post, which attracted more than 400 prospects from one online listing.

“Your nerves cause you to do things you would not normally do when you must vie against many people for a job,” Mr. Obergfell says. Despite such sentiments, he explains, he “couldn’t get past” his disappointment over the woman’s failure to pronounce his name right. “Given she never really got it right—even after being corrected, told me it was probably started with nervousness, but the issue more than likely ran deeper than that,” he says.

Small interview errors are becoming more common. “Compared with two years ago, about 20% more candidates interviewed by our clients are not getting offers because of gaffes made due to their high anxiety,” says Dave Campeas, president and chief executive officer of PrincetonOne, an executive-search firm in Skillman, N.J.

The incidence of nervous job candidates has doubled since 2006, causing some to commit careless mistakes that “ruin their chances because they didn’t present themselves well,” says David Mezzapelle, director of marketing and development for Goliath Jobs Inc. in Stamford, Conn.

He bases his estimate on several thousand calls from job seekers, who use a free phone service provided by his firm’s two employment Web sites. The 39-person concern grew from 28 staffers a year ago.

Mea Culpa?
Other small snafus that can derail job seekers:Failing to make direct eye contact with a hiring manager.
Giving long-winded replies—even after interviewer signals your time is up.
Making cultural faux pas, such as an American who gave an Australian employer the “thumbs’ up” sign, an insulting gesture there.
Bragging about your irrelevant prior duties. Requesting reimbursement of expenses at the outset of an interview.The best solution? Prepare better for interviews. Added legwork should include extensive role playing, thorough homework about a possible employer’s culture and an empathetic sense of how your skills match its needs. “Turn your dial up on sensitivity,” suggests Gerard Roche, senior chairman of recruiters Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. “The little stuff counts.”Here are five danger zones where small slip-ups could damage your chances:Your attire. A middle-aged executive with an impressive résumé wore a slightly low-cut blouse during her interview with the head of a hospital in a small Texas town. Leaning across his desk, she revealed a black panther tattoo on her breast.

The CEO nixed her for the finance chief’s role. The large tattoo “would not fly with the board members and the community for someone in that position,” he told Bradley G. Richardson, a partner at recruiters Kaye/Bassman International Corp., which handled the search.

Extra preparation helped Mr. Obergfell avoid a sartorial misstep. After losing his job last September, he hoped to become national sales manager for Mahco Inc., a sporting-goods importer in Bentonville, Ark.. The night before his final interviews, he asked a Mahco vice president he previously worked for elsewhere whether donning a suit might intimidate potential colleagues.

“Don’t wear a tie,” the former boss replied. Less worried about looking overdressed, Mr. Obergfell says he concentrated harder on selling himself. He began his new job in late December.

Your meal etiquette. Most job seekers know not to order messy food. Your timing matters, too. Hoping to join a big Midwestern bank, a recent college graduate arrived late for a group interview at a restaurant. Officials and fellow candidates already were seated.

The latecomer “ordered the most expensive item on the menu, ate and finished his meal before others were served,” recalls Barbara Pachter, a business-etiquette specialist who advised the bank. She learned about the young man from a successful attendee at the group dinner who participated in an etiquette class that Ms. Pachter led for the bank. She says poor manners were the main reason the bank spurned the latecomer for its management-training program.

Your tactfulness. As an executive vice president of a technology management consultancy, Dan Burns often asked promising prospects when they could start work before he made an offer. They often said they weren’t available for weeks because they needed to give notice.

“That’s the last thing a hiring manager wants to hear,” says Mr. Burns, a recent retiree and author of “The First 60 Seconds: Win the Job Interview Before It Begins.” You risk killing your candidacy unless you tell an interested employer that you’re equally interested in the job, he cautions. Once you get an offer, you’re in a better position to negotiate your arrival date.

Your sweat. A project manager hired by Mr. Burns a few summers ago jogged 12 blocks from a train station to the office of a client that was considering the recruit for a consulting gig. “Overheated and soaked, he asked if the company had shower facilities that he might use before the interview started,” remembers Mr. Burns, who met the project manager in the lobby of the client’s building before the interview. “You could see the sweat stain on his white shirt.”

The company lacked showers and executives refused Mr. Burns’s request to reschedule the meeting. They chose a different consultancy for their project.

“Plan ahead,” Mr. Burns warned the project manager afterward. He arrived an hour early for his next client interview, “and he wasn’t sweating,” adds Mr. Burns.

Arriving early also lets you practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, that may dry your sweaty palms before shaking hands with a hiring manager, says Gail Golden, a Chicago leadership coach.

Your deportment. Inappropriate behavior can cause problems. Ms. Golden, who helps companies screen top-level candidates, dislikes male ones who put a hand on her shoulder following an interview. The patronizing touch comes across as “‘Thanks for your time, sweetheart,’” she complains.

During a July interview at Goliath Jobs, an aspiring marketing manager waved his hands wildly to demonstrate his enthusiasm for the job. The gesturing prospect knocked over his sealed water bottle twice. An intern soon served coffee. Extending his arm to show how far he’d go for a sale, the man toppled the mug. Coffee covered the conference table. “He was very passionate, but way too much,” Mr. Mezzapelle says.

The man nevertheless landed the job—thanks to strong references. But he quit in November, frustrated by his scant commissions.

“He could not handle sales in an industry he knew nothing about,” Mr. Mezzapelle says. In hindsight, Mr. Mezzapelle realizes the anxious hand waving “displayed a lack of confidence in his abilities.” He regrets hiring the unemployed man.

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Copyright ©2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

GoliathJobs is a SilverCensus Company

by Michele O’Connor

Here are some great statistics from Boomer Authority and the US Census Bureau:

For the first time in 13 years, the U.S. Census Bureau has released a collection of statistics on the Baby Boomer generation, those people ages 42-60 years old in the year 2006.

New population number: There were 77,980,296 Baby Boomers living in the US in 2006 (50.9% women). That number is projected to be 57,793,135 in the year 2030 (an estimated 54.9% will be women).

Where they live: The states with the highest number of people ages 42-60 years were California, Texas, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania. The states with the highest percentage-of-population of Boomers were Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Montana and Connecticut.

Heritage: Among the Boomers, 89.7% were non-Hispanic and 10.3% were Hispanic.

Education: An educated group, 29.8% were high school graduates, 28.9% had some college and 28.8% had a bachelor’s degree or higher. A much smaller number (12.5%) had less than a high school degree.

Employment: Most Baby Boomers (74.1%) were employed; 22.4% were not in the labor force. The remainder were in military service or unemployed. In the prior 12 months, household income came from earnings (91.8%), retirement income (11.3%), Social Security (10.4%) and food stamps (6.9%).

Housing: Two-thirds were homeowners living in their homes and 25% rented.

SOURCE: US Census Bureau (November 2009)

About GoliathJobs & JobsOver50:
GoliathJobs.com is a free web-based employment service for students & alumni. We connect job seekers to employers via schools & alma maters. GoliathJobs creates partnerships with schools throughout North America which serve as liaisons. This model delivers a powerful edge to schools at no charge (and lifelong career services), a competitive edge to job seekers and high-quality results to employers. We believe that employment starts with education regardless of age, experience or educational level. 100% spam-free. The #1 Job Site on the Web!

JobsOver50.com is a dedicated employment portal for baby boomers & retirees built on the same platform.

GoliathJobs is a SilverCensus Company