Advanced Career Solutions (ACS)

​For many, not so great. For others, it’s terrific – they still have their job, got promoted, or landed a new one!
 
There is no question that if you follow the federal government’s, monthly ‘unemployment rate,’ the percentages have dropped to (supposedly) the lowest point in recorded history. Presently, 3.6% of Americans are unemployed through May 2019. Really? There are several different formulas the government could use, however generally the one provided to the media, etc. is the lowest percentage of those truly unemployed and those actively looking for work. I have greater trust in other formulas at their disposal.

Go back 20 years and think of a time when fresh graduates would easily find an entry-level job and make their way up the ladder for the next 30-40 years before retiring. This almost never happens in the today’s job market. Earlier, employees used to stay-on with their employers for a long stretch of time, that age discrimination in hiring was not an issue.

These days, employees normally remain with a company for around two years before searching for something new. This turns into an issue for employment seekers who are 50+. When they apply for another job, the employer might ignore their profile because of the fact that they just have around 10 or 15 years before retirement. This is age discrimination. To avoid this, your best option is to remove data on your resume that gives the hiring manager an idea of how old you are. More importantly, don't take your resume so far into history that (a) the industry has changed, (b) technology has overtaken those positions and (c) more recent duties are similar, or identical. All it does is show 'age' without skills and achievements that are portable to what you would love to do next.

Unless you are not paying attention, the national economy, job growth, and employee compensation have risen in the shortest amount of time in my lifetime!
 
A number of industries, cities, and states now find that they are willing to pay all, or some portion of relocation expenses, closing costs, and sign-on bonuses for skilled workers to join their team. They have more jobs available than qualified applicants!! Nationally, at present, there are more job openings than the number of people receiving unemployment benefits!! NOT IN MY LIFETIME DO I RECALL THAT HAPPENING!
​

​

As a former VP/GM and hiring authority, I’ve been looking at resumes since 1970. 1970! There were no PCs, laptops, iPads, cellular phones, handheld calculators, Internet, flat screen TVs, cable TV, less than a dozen U.S. car manufacturers with, perhaps, only about five different models, FM radio was just broadcasting in a few cities, no CDs, no websites, no computer software, no apps, no Google, no InstaGram, no Facebook, and on and on. Yet the resumes sent to me today look and read, for the most part, just like those in 1970! …and people wonder why they are not getting any responses, or interviews? “The Times They Are A-Changin' ” – Bob Dylan (1963). Not quickly enough for resumes  apparently! (Résumé, by the way, is French for ‘summary’)

​Obviously, your response must be engaging to the interviewer, or your performance is slipping away quickly! No interviewer wants to hear your life story!!