A Facelift In Your Job Finding Toolbox

Will a facelift help you in your search for a new job?  It just might.  In today’s economy, many middle-aged employees are finding themselves laid off from their long term jobs.  They may have worked for companies for twenty years and suddenly find themselves pounding the streets looking for another position.  This can be a tough experience to deal with when you’re closing in on fifty, sixty or even seventy years old.  Nowadays, most individuals don’t have a cushy retirement fund waiting for them either.  Shockingly enough, some workers who contributed to their pension thinking they’d be just fine and dandy have now found that their pension fund is belly up and not going to cover their living expenses of old age, after all.  And their stock market accounts?  We don’t even want to think about those.  There are a few tools to add to an employment seeking toolbox that can get a middle-aged man or woman back in the corner office at a new firm.  Here are some things to think about:
- Resume:  If you haven’t searched for a job in a couple of decades, chances are that your resume is a bit antiquated and downright rusty.  Time to revamp it by yourself or with some help from a pro.  Some tips:  
o Make it simple, concise and keep it to one page if possible.
o Spell check it!  You’d be surprised how many people don’t.
o Be honest!  Don’t embellish or omit.  Dishonesty is bad karma.
o Find a template online and follow it.
- Clothing:  Learn about the culture of the company you’re interviewing for and show up dressed accordingly.  For example, don’t wear a three-piece suit if you’re going for an interview at Home Depot.  Don’t wear a t-shirt that says “Make Love Not War” if you’re interviewing at a shotgun factory.
- Jargon:  Learn about the jargon of the business you’re interviewing for.  If you’re applying for a management position at a tech company, better learn what “cloud computing” means.
- Facelift:  It’s not fair but it happens.  If a person has a wrinkled and saggy face, he or she may have a wealth of knowledge but still may be perceived as washed up, has been or too old.  While it’s illegal to discriminate against individuals because of their age, try proving that in court on your meager unemployment benefits.  A facelift is a procedure performed by a plastic surgeon in a hospital or clinical setting.  Excess skin is nipped away and sutured behind ears or along scalp in hair line.  Makeup can cover any scars that remain evident.  Drains may also be placed in order to get rid of excess fluids during the healing process.  After recovery, watch those job offers start rolling in.
In today’s competitive business world, it helps to have an entire arsenal of tools at the ready.  With an updated resume, the appropriate clothes, knowing the lingo of the business and a more youthful looking face thanks to your facelift, you may be back in the world of work sooner than you’d thought.