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WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ MARCH 23, 2016 ❘
SECTION C
Siuslaw News
Careers & Employment
F LORENCE C OMMUNITY J OB F AIR
DAY FOR
B Y C HANTELLE M EYER
Siuslaw News
Several dozen jobs offered from
several dozen employers will be on
display at the Florence Community
Job Fair tomorrow, March 24, from
10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., sponsored by
Three Rivers Casino Resort, which is
hosting the fair in its event center at
5647 Highway 126.
The Community Job Fair will also
feature networking opportunities and
resources. Tables from various local
and regional employers will show-
case jobs in healthcare, service indus-
tries, school districts, offices, youth
opportunities and more.
“People should come expecting to
meet with businesses who are active-
ly seeking employees,” said job fair
coordinator Pam Hickson, recruit-
ment specialist for Three Rivers
Casino Resort and the Confederated
Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and
Siuslaw Indians.
It is a free event.
“Participants will find out hiring
specifics for businesses, as well as
learn about those businesses and
what they are looking for,” Hickson
said.
She said to think of it as an inter-
view, as some businesses will have
applications ready at the event.
“Come prepared for people who
are actively hiring,” Hickson said.
“That means dress appropriately, and
bring a resumé if you have one avail-
able.”
The job search and application
process can be difficult for both job
Job hunting tips
for people over 50
T
F LORENCE
hough the job market has improved in recent
years, many men and women are still out of
work. Perhaps most troubling, many of those
people are age 55 and older who are fearful of an uncer-
tain future and a job market where they are seemingly
overlooked.
According to a 2012 study from the Government
Accountability Office, the number of long-term unem-
ployed people age 55 and older has more than doubled
since the onset of the recession.
For many unemployed men and women over the age of
50, the harsh reality of a job market that does not value
their experience or skill set is deeply disconcerting. But
as difficult as the job market can be for older men and
women, it’s not impossible to find a job, though it might
take some ingenuity and perseverance.
Don’t limit yourself. Those who were victimized by
layoffs should expand their job searches to more than just
their previous fields.
While it’s definitely a good idea to maintain contacts in
your old field and routinely look for openings in that
field, it’s also a good idea to exam-
ine your skill set and experience and
Applicants
find a new field where these things
who can
apply.
demonstrate
Chances are your years of experi-
their skills in
ence are transferable to many fields,
the latest
and redirecting your job hunting
efforts to a new line of work might
technologies
yield opportunities you are not even
can put them-
aware existed.
selves above
Embrace the 21st century. Many
other applicants
companies or organizations mistak-
enly assume that the digital age has
passed older workers by.
Workers in their 50s might be unfairly categorized as
dinosaurs with no grasp of mobile technology or the lat-
est software programs. But those applicants who can
demonstrate their proficiency in the latest technologies,
including mobile technologies like smartphones, tablets
and social media, can put themselves above fellow appli-
cants.
Start working. If you are mired in long-term unem-
ployment and spend every day at home, get out and start
working. Volunteering is a great way to lift your spirits,
network with other professionals and maybe even learn of
employment opportunities you won’t hear about on the
couch at home. And volunteering, be it with a charity or
a professional organization, is a great way to revive your
resumé and continue to add accomplishments despite
your unemployment.
Emphasize your age. Many unemployed men and
women over 50 tend to look at their age as a hindrance
that is preventing them from finding gainful employment.
But your age can be an advantage, as many organizations
find older applicants are more reliable and need less time
to adapt than younger applicants with less experience.
When emphasizing your age as a positive, don’t focus
on job titles, which many other unemployed men and
women your age likely highlight on their resumés.
Instead, focus on specific achievements and accom-
plishments and reduce the emphasis you place on job
tasks. Achievements tend to stand out above titles, and
men and women over 50 likely have achieved more than
younger, less experienced applicants.
Think small. Smaller companies wherein employees
tend to wear many hats are more likely to value experi-
ence than a larger company.
By the age of 50, many professionals have vast experi-
ence in a host of different positions, and that versatility is
likely to appeal to a small company looking for employ-
ees who can multitask.
Finding a job after the age of 50 isn’t easy. But taking
a broad approach and emphasizing as opposed to down-
playing your experience might help you stand out among
a crowded pool of applicants. —Metro
seekers and employers; job fairs such
as this one bring those elements into
one space with a goal to form a net-
work in the local community.
“We chose spring break so that
visitors to the area, as well as young
people, could attend. People are hir-
ing now for the busy spring and sum-
mer seasons, and we want people to
know the opportunities are avail-
able,” Hickson said.
Job seekers of all ages are wel-
come to the fair. Vendors will be
available throughout the day, includ-
ing assistance with job search tools
from Worksource Lane and its part-
ners in the employment system.
The event will also feature some
volunteer opportunities.
According to the Oregon
Employment Department and the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Oregon's
unemployment
rate
dropped to 4.8 percent in February,
from 5.1 percent in January. The last
time Oregon's unemployment rate
was this low was in April 1995.
The Florence area hopes to contin-
ue to increase employment statistics
and improve lives in the community
by putting on this first Community
Job Fair.
“I’m hoping for a great turnout.
We would love to make this an annu-
al event,” Hickson said.
The participating employers are:
Angel Job Corps; Berkshire Hath-
away Home Services NW Real
Estate; City of Florence; Confeder-
ated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua
and Siuslaw Indians; Driftwood
Shores Resort; Elderberry Square
Community; Florence Area Chamber
of Commerce; Fred Meyer; Lane
Community College; Native PTAC;
New Horizons In-Home Care; NW
Youth Corps; Oregon Department of
Transportation; Oregon Pacific
Bank; PeaceHealth Peace Harbor
Medical Center; Regency Florence;
Safeway; Shangri-La; Shorewood
Retirement Residence; Siuslaw
News; Siuslaw Public Library
District; Siuslaw School District;
Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue;
Spruce Point Assisted Living and
Memory Care; Three Rivers Casino
Resort; U.S. Coast Guard; U.S.
Forest Service Siuslaw National
Forest and Worksource Lane.
For more information, contact
Hickson at 541-902-6504 or stop by
the event.
How
How social
social media
media can
can
affect
affect your
your career
career
COURTESY PHOTOS
Social media can either positively or negatively
affect your employment prospects, depending
on what is shared. It is a networking tool for
people of all ages and walks of life.
Careful choice of posts,
photos and friends best
represents online presence
ocial media
has become an
integral part of
modern society.
Millions of people
around the world —
and of all ages —
use social media to
connect with one
another. But this
valuable tool also
can be a detriment,
particularly to men
and women seeking
employment.
S
What a person says or does
on social media can come
back to haunt them with
regard to the impression they
create with prospective
employers. Questionable
antics and comments may
reflect negatively on a person
without him or her even realiz-
ing it.
According to a study by
Reppler, a social media moni-
toring service, 91 percent of
employers use social media
channels such as Twitter,
Facebook and LinkedIn to
screen prospective employees.
Many people are completely
unaware how others view
them through their
social media pro-
files and usage, but
social media pro-
files give away
more information about a per-
son’s character and personality
than many people would ever
imagine. Even seemingly
innocent remarks and observa-
tions can be misconstrued.
Use of profanity or offering
commentary on controversial
subjects may be a person’s
right. However, such com-
ments may not sit well with
prospective employers.
Some may think the solu-
tion is not to have profiles on
the popular social media sites.
But avoiding social media
entirely can send the wrong
message to prospective
employers. It may suggest that
you are not a person who is
current with the latest trends in
technology and may give
employers the impression that
you are not adept at keeping
up with the changing times.
The key is finding the right
balance with social media. The
following are a few tips to
ensure your social media
usage does not do more harm
than good.
Do not post or tweet infor-
mation that should be kept pri-
vate. If you would not tell inti-
mate secrets to another person,
Do not complain about a
especially an employer, do not job or boss publicly. Even if
convey these details to your
your boss is not on your list of
group of “friends.”
friends, he or she may still
Recognize that it’s not
learn about your comments
always your comments that
through gossip. While verbal
can affect perceptions of you.
complaints with others may
The friends you choose to
not be accurately tracked back
accept and socialize with via
to you, text is hard evidence to
social media can impact how
discredit.
others view you. If
friends are prone to
Social media profiles give away
vulgarity and off-
more information about a per-
color commentary,
employers may sur-
son’s character and personality
mise that this type of than many people would ever
behavior is accept-
imagine.
able to you. Screen
friends and block
those who do not meet your
Use social media as a net-
standards.
working tool to find other like-
Know that security fea-
minded individuals in the
tures on social media applica-
same fields. Join industry-
tions change frequently. It’s
based groups and organiza-
important to know just how
tions so that you can share
private your information may
your ideas. Further expanding
be. For example, if you are
your reach through blogs and
tagged in another person’s
websites can also help your
photo, people outside of your
job hunt.
friends’ list may be able to see
Social media is here to stay,
that image. You have to police making many details of peo-
your sites and lock down the
ple’s lives more public, so
information as you see fit,
exercise caution with social
only posting what is appropri-
media so your career is not
ate for the general public.
negatively affected. —Metro
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
F AIR
Thursday’s job fair takes initiative
for area employment opportunities