As mentioned in my last post, Civic Ventures, a think tank on boomers, work and social purpose, reports 9 million people ages 44 to 70 are already in encore careers (careers AFTER doing something else for a number of years — or their whole lives) that combine personal meaning, continued income and social impact. Another 31 million people, ages 44 to 70, are interested in finding encore careers.

What about you? Are you thinking about what is next? The best advice — for anyone thinking about  a career change or shift, is to plan ahead. Ruth Wooden board chair of Civic Ventures and former president of Public Agenda, where she is now a senior adviser, offered ideas about how people (especially those of typical retirement age) may take the next, logical steps in their lives and careers.

She explained how a lot of people who want to engage in purposeful work, or to “give back,” default to starting their own ventures, because there are so many obstacles: age discrimination, learning how to make a transition after years of doing the same thing and just not having access to clear resources to decide how to fit into an existing organization.

Ruth noted, “This movement is about trying to find other pathways for these motivated professionals – pathways that are not necessarily entrepreneurial, since not everyone wants to go that route.” She noted that community colleges offering continuing education programs can be a wonderful entreé for someone who wants to make a career shift to an encore career. For example, in less than a year, many will be able to earn certificates for practical, worthwhile jobs in healthcare and the medical field, or even in education or teaching English as a second language.

What can you do now if you are planning your next step?

Ruth says, “If you have a vision that someday you are going to want to be working in social purpose, start thinking now about it being something you care about. Where do you give money, where do you volunteer – cultivate those aspects of your life now. Even if right now, your involvement is as simple as writing a check for an organization you are passionate about – do it. If possible, volunteer – find your way into the field. Distinguish yourself as different from anyone else based on the skills you know you want to use in your next career and because of your strong interest in the new field. Be on a board, if possible. Consider how you can help out at your church or local school. If youâ€re interested in education, educate yourself – work in after-school programs, or volunteer to help out at a nearby school. If you are interested in that kind of thing, you are going to have to get going.”

How to Get Going

No doubt, there’s no time like RIGHT NOW to start thinking about tomorrow. Do you have a new year’s resolution to make a change? Maybe your resolution is to start THINKING about your change?

With the right information and a planned approach, it is possible someone with corporate experience to transition to a job with one of the over 1.5 million non-profit organizations in the U.S. Youâ€ll want to plan and plot out your future moves in advance.

Marci Alboher is a vice president at Civic Ventures, An expert on career transitions and workplace trends, she is author of One Person/Multiple Careers. She also coined the term “slasher career” to refer to people who canâ€t answer the question “What do you do?” with a single word or phrase.

Marci offers the following suggestions, insights and resources to help you shift to a non-profit career:

Become a “slasher.” (e.g. sales rep/literacy mentor). This could play out in two ways. Slashing can help you transition from your current field into a non-profit job. If thatâ€s your target, Alboher suggests you hold onto your day job while you dip into the nonprofit world on the side (using the suggestions below). By taking the slash approach, youâ€ll be able to continue earning a living and simultaneously build skills and relationships to help you transition to the non-profit sector.

On the other hand, you may wish to create a permanent “slash” career, where you have one foot each planted in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds. Either way, follow the advice below and carefully carve out time for each of the sides of your “slash.”

Volunteer in organizations where you have a strong interest and you can create real impact. Donâ€t just set aside a few days a year to work with Habitat for Humanity, for example. Incorporate high-level volunteer work and make a real effort to be involved in substantive projects that expose you to the field and introduce you to people doing the kind of work you want to do for a living.

Consult. Take on a consulting project for a nonprofit as a way to showcase your skills. If you choose to work for free, make sure youâ€re building relationships, knowledge, or something else to help you as you try to find a paying job. Non-profits appreciate and seek employees who are passionate about their missions, so it makes sense to identify issues and organizations you may want to work with for the long term.

Meet people. Leverage your social networks to help. Consider using Branchout or BeKnown (Facebook applications) or SimplyHired.comâ€s application to help you learn where your Facebook friends work. Add your volunteer interests and work experience to LinkedIn via the “add sections” tab when you update your profile. Search on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ for groups and people either working for or actively involved in non-profits that interest you.

Get involved in your target sector. Go to conferences or panel discussions. Look for Twitter “chats” about your interest area. Reach out on Facebook and LinkedIn to your friends. Update your Facebook status to let people know when and where you are volunteering. Share information and news about your favorite non-profit organizations and causes via your social media platforms. Subscribe to LinkedInâ€s newsfeed on nonprofit news. If youâ€re a good writer, consider authoring a blog highlighting those interests.

Show up. Once you identify organizations that interest you, go to their events and attend to conferences where you might be able to meet people who work in those organizations.

Dig in. Keep up-to-date on whatâ€s happening in your field. Use social media to identify leaders in the fields that interest you and follow them. In addition to exploring Encore.org, she suggests the following resources for non-profit career job seekers:

•    Job search: Idealist.org and Commongoodcareers.org

•    News in the non-profit sector: Dowser.org, Good Magazine, The Chronicle of Philanthropy

•    Volunteering: VolunteerMatch.org, catchafire.org, AllForGood.org, Idealist.org

Stay tuned for more advice about shifting to a non-profit job — no matter what stage career you are in!

(And, if you’re thinking about making a change — consider a gift for yourself or someone you love — some coaching to get you where you want to go! Once you know what you want to do, I can teach you what steps to take so you don’t have to go it alone!)

If you are in the Atlanta, area, get a taste of my expert advice about social media. I’ll be presenting at the Kennesaw State Universityâ€s College of Continuing and Professional Education for their Career Training Expo. The event, which will be January 12 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the KSU Center, is free and open to the public. To register, call 770-423-6765.

Stay tuned for even more advice about transitioning to the non-profit sector.

photo by orangeacid

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Does “one button” applying help or hurt your chances for a job? Easy isn’t always the best approach for job seekers. I would anticipate a one-button solution (eliminating those pesky “hoops” job seekers usually need to jump through) will result in many more candidates applying for jobs. Just a guess here, but I am also guessing it would appeal to more UNqualified candidates. I’m not sure if that’s useful for employers or job seekers, but it’s sure to feed into an applicant tracking system to help make it easy for employers to scan and screen applicants.

The question of what it all means for job seekers still sticks out like a sore thumb. One of the most important things to do when applying for a job online is to target your materials to match the employer’s needs. How you apply for a job can be the difference between getting a job or not. It’s crucial that your application materials make a case for you. This may be tricky for people applying for various types of jobs. It is much easier to tweak a resume and application than it is to worry about what LinkedIn profile is up. (Although, of course, the LinkedIn profile is always a factor, when it is the clear leading indicator when you apply, it can make applying more complicated for career changers or those career change expert Marci Alboher calls “slashers.” She defines “slashers” as people who have multiple career interests and expertise and “can’t answer the question ‘What do you do?’ with a single word or phrase.”)

Donna Svei points out that reports say applicants will have a chance to edit their profiles when they apply, but as she explains, it’s unclear right now if the changes would be permanent on the LinkedIn profile or not.

These are all important details, and it will be absolutely necessary for job seekers to remember that “one button” applying may shorten the process, but it’s not an invitation to apply for jobs without foresight and focus.

If companies do start to receive a lot of unqualified or un-targeted applicants, we may see them preferring to find candidates from other sources. In fact, Career Columnist for The Seattle Times (NWjobs), Paul Anderson recently shared a column describing the fact that some employers advertise and collect applications from places even though they DON’T expect to hire applicants from that pool! A little crazy, right? Paul clarified for me they put out those feelers “just in case” they don’t get a good pool from their preferred sources.

Job seekers should keep an eye on news about easier ways to apply for jobs. If you want to land an opportunity to interview for the job, though, don’t focus on the “it’s easy” aspect — keep an eye on the prize and spend time needed to tweak and target.

Have you seen my new book — Social Networking for Career Success? Take a look if you want ideas about how to get your job search (or business) going in the right direction!

photo by Jim’s outside photos

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I understand than an encore career can come any time in a person’s work history, not only after a lifetime of working. Are you tired of doing what you are doing? Maybe it is time to think of a new direction, and lucky for you, there is a great resource to help. Here is the information from Civic Venture’s press release:

What: Civic Ventures is partnering with the New York Times Knowledge Network to offer an online seminar for people interested in encore careers. The interactive course will offer practical advice about how to succeed in todayâ€s job market to combine continued income, personal meaning and social impact.

Marci Alboher, careers expert and former New York Times columnist, will be leading the course. According to Alboher, “The idea of encore careers — second acts with social purpose — has started to take hold, but more people are now seeking guidance from experts and others who can teach by example.”

Topics will include: Will there really be enough jobs for the number of people who want to do meaningful work in their encore years? What kinds of job opportunities exist, and how do you make the leap into a field where you may have no experience or contacts? What should you do if you want to work but donâ€t have the interest or ability to work full time? How can you deal with age discrimination?

Who: The course will feature advice from experts as well as people who have or are on the path to meaningful encore careers. Speakers will include:

Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures

 Suzanne Braun Levine, founding editor of Ms. magazine and author of Fifty Is the New Fifty

David Bornstein, author of Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know and founder of Dowser.org

Laura Gassner Otting, president of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group and author of Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector

Lester Strong, CEO of Experience Corps and former television journalist

Stephen Alderman, Purpose Prize winner and co-founder of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation

When: Fridays, October 22 and 29, from 12-1:15 p.m. ET / 9-10:15 a.m. PT.

How: The online seminar costs $95. For more info and to register, click here.

Made possible in part by a generous grant from the New York Life Foundation.

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If you are looking for a job, you may also want to check out THE CAREER SUMMIT. Tons of career advice, all for a low price of $99 for a short time. Check it out now, before the early bird is over.

The topics include everything from how to think about finding a job you love, to what has changed in search, demystifying the recruiting process, online career management, interviewing and (last but not least) — strategies and tips for your resume, social media profile and job search. Read more HERE or visit the site HERE.

photo from gossamerpromise

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Taking advantage of a layoff and turning a difficult situation into an opportunity is not always easy, and it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when making plans for the future. Let’s face it, if you have always done a certain type of work, it is easy to think that your “next” thing needs to be that same thing. If your field does not seem to have much of a future (or even a present!), making a change is obvious and necessary, but I hope my new series of posts will remind ALL job seekers that this may be a good time to take a different path!

I recently reviewed Alexandra Levit’s new book, New Job, New You – A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career,where she highlights stories of people who have made career changes for a variety of reasons, including:

• Family requirements
• Need for independence
• Desire to pursue additional learning
• Financial aspirations
• Pursuit of a passion
• Personal or health setbacks
• Honing a talent or skill

There is no doubt that layoffs can lead to a second career. (Take a look at this piece from NBC Nightly News that highlights people who made big jumps.) It is no surprise that Marci Alboher commented in this story. An authority on career changers, Marci is a senior fellow at Civic Ventures, the author of One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success and creator of the popular Shifting Careers blog and column for The New York Times. I’ve had a chance to talk to Marci about her work for Civic Ventures and the resources they offer via Encore.org. (Learn more about Civic Ventures and Encore.org HERE.)

My discussions with Marci and reading Alexandra’s book inspired me to create a new, ongoing feature here on my blog. I’m going to highlight stories of people who have made big career changes. To start off, I will share information and resources for and from those who have shifted to not-for-profit careers. I will call this feature “Altruistic Tuesdays” and highlight resources, many from the Encore.org site, aimed at smoothing the transition.

If you have a story to share, please contact me! In the meantime, think about how you can use your skills in a different setting…What have you always wanted to do, but never thought it was possible? You can translate your skills (maybe along with some new training) into a whole new career.

photo by pranav singh

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When I started to think about this topic, I remembered a blog that Marci Alboher wrote that described a job hunter, Lisa Johnson Mandell. Lisa was profiled on the Today Show because she had transformed her image as a 49-year old “over-the-hill” job seeker (in her industry – entertainment) by taking advantage of online resources and re-making her image to seem more “hip.” I was intrigued by the story at the time and wrote a blog responding to the topic.

(In a funny coincidence, Marci Alboher, author of the book, One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success, is now a senior fellow for Civic Ventures, an organization dedicated to helping people reinvent themselves with “encore careers.” I’ve recommended their GUIDE for boomers (and anyone) who hopes to reinvent their careers in favor of doing something in the nonprofit world and/or the public sector.)

In doing some digging, I found out that Lisa actually has a book out now on the subject of remaking yourself for the job hunt – Career Comeback. In it, she talks about everything from appearance to attitude as they relate to overcoming age discrimination in your job hunt.

I just received my copy of Lisa’s book today, so I was inspired to share the post I originally wrote in July 2008 on the topic of ageism on the job hunt. I think it is just as topical (if not more so) today! Here is a version of that post…

You thought social media was for the “kids?” Blogging, Twitter, Facebook…You donâ€t have time to engage online with a bunch of people – youâ€re busy with your job hunt! Think again!

If you havenâ€t looked for a job in a while and/or arenâ€t tuned in to managing your “digital footprint” – what comes up when someone “Googles” your name – itâ€s time for a quick lesson in social media. The long and the short of it is this: an online presence is key to how people will perceive you. Especially if you are in a “young” industry that discriminates against workers over 40, appearing connected to new ways of presenting yourself (your brand, as it were), may help you open doors that seemed closed.

Take the story of a 49-year old entertainment reporter (as reported in Marci Alboher’s blog) who remade her image by freshening up her appearance and wardrobe and creating a hip online presence that made her seem younger than would belie her 20 years of industry experience. She hired people to help her, which is a great idea, but Marci points out that asking fashion conscious friends and teenagers (your children or othersâ€) for advice and information about trends and technology is another option.

The key factor is, no matter how much experience you have, it is important to keep up with what is going on in todayâ€s job market. Video resumes, Wikis, video conferencing, podcasts…Job seekers should be aware of these technologies and willing to use them! Be resourceful and aware – you may be surprised to learn that Web 2.0 tools can be a lot of fun and helpful beyond networking and job seeking. (Be sure to let me know when you start using a Wiki to plan your next potluck!)

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Facing discrimination in your job hunt? I can write your resume to make you look younger. Need help navigating social media and online networking? Keppie Careers is here for you! Donâ€t forget that clear, concise, optimized job search materials AND a strong, well executed plan are key for job search success! I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching? If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While youâ€re at it, donâ€t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…Iâ€d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since weâ€re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by Help Age

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For Boomers ready for a real career change after their primary career has ended, a terrific resource is available. Civic Ventures, a think tank on Boomers, work and social purpose, provides information and advice to help Boomers transition to what they term, “encore careers.” Civic ventures recently hired Marci Alboher, a highly respected expert on career issues and workplace trends, author of the book, One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success (Warner Books, 2007) (and one of my favorite writers on the subject of career and job search issues), to help boomers hoping to transition to meaningful and different career opportunities.

I spoke to Marci recently about her new position and about Civic Ventures. She described  The Purpose Prize, which the organization offers annually to social innovators over 60 who are using their talents to make a difference in the world. (They receive between $50,000 and $100,000 for “creating new approaches to solving tough problems – from education and job training to global warming and hunger.” Read about the recently announced prize winners HERE. You may be inspired to follow in their footsteps.)

However, Marci explained that Civic Ventures does so much more. She noted, “Civic Ventures is committed to reinventing the years formerly known as retirement. Most Americans over age 65 are not planning to idle away their ‘retirement years.’ Many want to do work that matters after their primary career has ended. Civic Ventures is creating pathways to connect these talented professionals with meaningful and fulfilling work that provides continued income, personal meaning and social impact.” (Read more about Civic Ventures on Marci’s blog post announcing her new position.)

Marci also alerted me to Civic Ventures’ new guide for for those hoping to succeed in an encore career who want to get started on the right foot.  The guide is available as a series of free downloads HERE. It covers a myriad of topics, including what to expect, job hunting tips, volunteering as a bridge to your new career and updating your skills, among other key topics.

The opening of the guide resonated with me:

“We like to think that the key to a successful career change is knowing what we want to do next, then using that knowledge to guide our actions, writes Herminia Ibarra, author of Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career.

But, she continues,

“Studying people in the throes of the career change process…(suggests that)…Change actually happens the other way around. Doing comes first, knowing second…It’s a transition, not a transaction.”

If you are a Boomer thinking of making a change to a fulfilling “encore career,” don’t miss the resources at Encore Careers. Even if you are not sure of your next step, explore the quality materials and resources. Remember, as Herminia Ibarra noted, “It’s a transition, not a transaction.”

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

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Jacqui has become a good friend and trusted colleague after we originally “met” via Twitter. I always look forward to our conversations and am so happy to have opportunities to collaborate with her. So, when I saw Jacqui tweet this the day before Thanksgiving, I thought it would make a perfect Thanksgiving post in the midst of my series encouraging you NOT to slow down your job hunt during the holidays:

I agree! While it is important to keep at the job hunt during this time of the year, taking some time off to recharge (by UNplugging!) and rejuvanate is important. In fact, another trusted career advisor and friend, Marci Alboher, author and expert on career issues and workplace trends and Senior Fellow for Civic Ventures, suggested taking time off your job hunt right around the major holidays when people are not likely to be in the office. If there is ever a day to focus on yourself and your family (and eating a good meal, hopefully), Thankgiving is it.

Wishing everyone a restful, peaceful and very Happy Thanksgiving!

Are you relaxing or revving up your job hunt during the holidays? Share in the comments!

Part 1 – My suggestions and a free ebook offer

Part 2 – Walter Akana – take care of yourself

Part 3 – Anita Bruzzese – Stay ahead of the crowd

I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?  If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While you’re at it, don’t forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since we’re on the subject of doing something new…Are you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers.

photo by rogue 3W

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While many of Gen Y’s employment troubles can be blamed solely on the current economy, there are other difficult circumstances they must overcome, Pollak says. Those with the misfortune of having been born in the 1980s are also the first wave of job seekers who have been trained to seek conventional careers yet are entering a workplace that is alien to every previous generation.

“The old paradigm is clearly not working anymore,” she says. “The thinking was that all the baby boomers would start to retire and there would be lots of new positions open, but that’s not happening. Even the meaning of the word ‘career’ is changing. You’re not going to see people working for one company for 30 years anymore.”

There’s no doubt that Gen Y (and all) job seekers who embrace the new paradigm will be the most successful finding fulfilling positions, but those positions may look very different from the old norms.

The article notes:

Pollak, author of the new post-grad bible, “Getting From College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World,” says some new terms are cropping to describe the peripatetic nature of employment today, in which workers will commonly jump from job to job, sometimes moving into several different fields. Some are calling these “slash-careers,” she says, referring to the need to add a series of slashes in job descriptions (e.g., editor/speaker/dancer). Others say young job seekers are members of “free-agent nation” and need to become their own CEOs and take more control of their careers.

Marci Alboher, author of One Person/Multiple Careers,  authority on “slash careers” and the writer who likely first coined the term notes on her website:

“…slash careers integrate and fully express the multiple passions, talents, and interests that a single career often cannot accommodate.“

Anyone looking for a job, particularly young people with less experience, will do well to embrace a variety of types of internships, part-time work and entrepreneurial options to take advantage of the opportunities the current economy offers. No, it isn’t your father’s job market…The situation requires a creative approach and may result in different types of results from the ones college students might have expected. However, there are positive aspects to the situation – the proverbial “silver lining.”

For one Gen Y’s optimistic take on the situation, see the video interview with Stephanie Perrett, a Gen Y intern for Stephanie A. Lloyd and Radiant Veracity:

If your search is stalling, consider getting some help to get it jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

photo by hana8hana

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In our conversation during a walk around Marci’s Greenwich Village neighborhood (where she seemed to know everyone!), we discussed a topic that is often on my mind – how much should we reveal about ourselves online? It’s a topic that is salient for job seekers using social networking sites and blogging to get their name out as an authority in their subject, and it is just as relevant for entrepreneurs, coaches and anyone engaging in the sphere known as Web 2.0.

Marci wrote about our conversation and raised some important questions about this topic on her blog today…be sure to click through to read more about our conversations and learn about “the illusion of transparency,” which may be just the ticket for job seekers!

There is no “one size fits all” career advice. Don’t you deserve the best, personalized information and help? Learn how I can help you with your search.

Frustrated that your search isn’t resulting in a job? In Atlanta? Join me and Stephanie A. Lloyd, CEO of Radiant Veracity for our series of in-person job search interventions. Read more about how to propel your search and sign up here.

photo by atrotskyite

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You thought social media was for the “kids?” Blogging, Twitter, Facebook…You don’t have time to engage online with a bunch of people – you’re busy with your job hunt! Think again!

Yesterday, I posted about the value of social networking for the job seeker. Then, as I usually do, I went through my blogroll to see what’s out there in the career space. Coincidentally, Marci Alboher’s blog for the New York Times, Shifting Careers, reminded readers of another great benefit of getting involved with social media such as blogging, Twitter, Facebook, linkedin, etc. It can help keep you looking young in a job market with a tendency to discriminate against older workers.

If you haven’t looked for a job in a while and/or aren’t tuned in to managing your “digital footprint” – what comes up when someone “Googles” your name – it’s time for a quick lesson in social media. The long and the short of it is this: an online presence is key to how people will perceive you. Especially if you are in a “young” industry that discriminates against workers over 40, appearing connected to new ways of presenting yourself (your brand, as it were), may help you open doors that seemed closed.

Take a look at Marci’s blog…It tells the story of a 49-year old entertainment reporter who remade her image by freshening up her appearance and wardrobe and creating a hip online presence that made her seem younger than would belie her 20 years of industry experience. She hired people to help her, which is a great idea, but Marci points out that asking fashion conscious friends and teenagers (your children or others’) for advice and information about trends and technology is another option.

The key factor is, no matter how much experience you have, it is important to keep up with what is going on in today’s job market. Video resumes, Wikis, video conferencing, Second Life, podcasts…Job seekers should be aware of these technologies and willing to use them! Be resourceful and aware – you may be surprised to learn that Web 2.0tools can be a lot of fun and helpful beyond networking and job seeking. (Be sure to let me know when you start using a Wiki to plan your next potluck!)

Facing discrimination in your job hunt? We can write your resume to make you look younger. Need help navigating social media and online networking? Keppie Careers is here for you!

If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you!

photo by Sarah Camp

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