Too old for certain jobs

If you were in your late 30s and you played football in the NFL you would definitely be considered old and on the cusp of retiring and that is certainly true of a lot of professional sports. However the vast majority of folks work in fields where age shouldn’t be a problem especially if it is in an office setting. So why are there people who are considered too old for certain jobs?


One of the most interesting fields where age is a factor is the technology and information field. For whatever reason companies love to hire young people for programming and IT jobs. I guess they feel that there are the only people who can keep with the all the changes taking place. It seems that kind of thinking would definitely waste a lot of potential talent that comes from older folks who have had to put up with tech. changes for many years.

Hopefully with the population getting older and the increased awareness of the value of older workers this idea of being too old for certain jobs will fade away. Unfortunately there are still people who believe that age should be factor when considering hiring someone or just keeping someone on the job. While there are age discrimination laws on the books some employers will find ways to circumvent them. If you are in that predicament you may want to think about seeking legal advice.

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Best jobs in 2012

This time of the year you will probably find quite a few articles on the best jobs of the year. Despite the bad economy 2012 will be no different although many of the jobs will sound familiar such as health care and technology. Besides best jobs there are also the stressful jobs and the top jobs for women. They are definitely worth checking out.

 

• From AOL: Best bets for jobs in 2012. The list starts out with biomedical engineering that should reach job growth rates of over 72 percent between 2008 and 2012. Engineering is always a good bet for job growth. Two of the top ten are in technology while the other positions are filled with retail, customer service and three entries with the health care industry. Retail comes in at number 10. 
• Forbes has a list of the most stressful jobs in 2012. Not surprisingly the top spot enlisted military soldier followed by firefighter and airline pilot. The rest of the list is Military general, police officer, event coordinator, public relations executive, C EO, photojournalist and taxi driver. I thought that a taxi driver would have been a little higher up on the list. 
• Monster.com has a best job list for 2012 as well. The first listed is an actuary, who helps determine insurance rates. It pays very well at 137,000 although I can imagine that it would probably take a while to get to that level. A security consultant Is next on the list followed by a physician’s assistant. It seems that you see more and more physician’s assistants in doctor’s offices which is probably why it is on the list. The last three are marketing consultant, biomedical engineer, and financial planner. (there was only six on the list) 
• Forbes also has a list for the top jobs of 2012 for women. The top position goes to secondary education which should have a 15% growth rate in the coming years. Anthropologist is the second on the list which is surprising because I ever remember it ever being on any top job list that I have seen. But I imagine that it would be very rewarding but the number of openings wouldn’t be that great. The rest of the list also has some interesting choices as well such as oceanographer, clergy and geoscientists.
• CareerBuilder.com also has a list that is pretty much the same as the one from AOL

Older workers competing for jobs

No one has to tell you that the competition for available jobs is fierce. Employers that are hiring find that they have plenty of folks vying to work for them. Just having the experience and the education wouldn’t really guarantee anything unless you are in a field that seems to always have job openings like the health industry or some technology fields. And if you are older and competing for jobs than you might think that your experience will win out over younger job seekers, of course that isn’t always the case.


What advantages does the older worker have?

Experience is probably the biggest advantage that older workers have and that isn’t just pertaining to work it also includes life experience that is gained by being in the workforce for so many years. they are seen a lot over the years and that makes them a valuable asset to any company.

Reliability is another feather in the hat of older workers. They see the whole picture and understand how important it is to be considered as someone who can be relied on. They know and appreciate that work is important.

A common misconception is that older workers are too set in their ways to learn anything new. That’s nonsense just because they have become a little older that doesn’t mean that they can’t learn anymore. There are lots of older folks that are going back to school today.

Just remember that you have a lot to offer any employer no matter what age you are.

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Fresh start to your job search

Another year ends and hopefully the one that just ended was a great one. You accomplished what you wanted and you were satisfied. You found that job that you wanted too. That doesn’t sound like last year does it? Well the New Year is upon us and as always the first thing that you need to do is stay positive because you have to believe that 2012 is your year of accomplishments! This is the year that you will find that job that you are looking for.


Forget 2011?

Well you don’t want to completely forget last year you need to remember enough to learn from it. You might have found some things that didn’t work very well and other things that were beneficial during the year. The key is not to dwell on the bad things or mistakes that occurred.

Start 2012 with a plan

You probably already have a job search plan but now is the time to reevaluate it. Are you spending too much time in one area and not enough in another? Maybe this year you can concentrate a little more networking and leaving your comfort zone. Or even a little creativity in your resume might also help.

You should also reexamine what type of work that you want to do. Are you heading in the right direction or is it time to change your course?

The New Year is a wonderful time to restart your job search with vigor and optimism.

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Worker shortages

It’s hard to believe that there some companies that have a hard time filling positions in this economy. Unemployment has been high for several years and it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon so you wouldn’t think that finding workers would be that much of a problem. And the problem isn’t just in the United States it’s all over the world. Every year Manpower conducts a global survey to determine the degree of talent shortage. This year was quite surprising.


Why are there worker shortages?

It basically comes down to skills and experience for the right employment fields. Unfortunately the folks who are unemployed usually don’t have the right skills or experience to fill the vacant jobs of some employers. Certainly education and training can help but getting experience, as most folks know, is tricky since most employers wouldn’t hire someone that doesn’t have any experience, they want someone to fit in immediately into a job position. It is an old dilemma for job seekers.

What jobs need workers?

According to manpower the number one employment shortage is finding technicians which has lead the list for the past four years, followed by sales representative and skilled workers. South and North America are the leading regions of needed employees.

How to fix all this?

If there was an easy fix to this problem it would have be done years ago. Everyone knows that some jobs are difficult to fill and they probably also know that education and training would greatly reduce the talent shortage. The problem of lack of experience is probably the biggest problem and the hardest to deal with especially if companies don’t hire people right out of school.

Hopefully in the near future education will be directed to fill employment gaps and employers will give inexperienced workers a shot.

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