Middle Aged Workers & Their Valuable Brains – Why Some Employers Are Missing Out

February 10, 2010 – 1:49 am

“Younger brains, predictably, are set up to focus on the negative and potential trouble. Older brains, studies show, often reach solutions faster, in part, because they focus on what can be done.”

As a middle aged worker (deemed to be someone in the 40 – 60 year age bracket) the job search process can bring with it extra challenges. Age discrimination is a big one, with too many employers overlooking the experience, expertise and brain power a middle aged worker brings; instead opting for the youth and energy of younger applicants. According to new research in a post Brain Functions That Improve with Age, as we get older we become a greater asset to employers due to our brain changes.

“Over the past few years, neuroscientists have begun to zero in on the brain’s changes in middle age, and what they’ve found is encouraging. Results of long-term studies show that — contrary to stereotypes — we actually grow smarter in key areas in middle age which, with longer life spans, now stretches from our mid 40s to our mid to late 60s. In areas as diverse as vocabulary and inductive reasoning, our brains function better than they did in our 20s. As we age, we more easily get the “gist” of arguments. Even our judgment of others improves. Often, we simply “know” if someone — or some idea — is to be trusted. We also get better at knowing what to ignore and when to hold our tongues.”

This is an interesting article for anyone involved in hiring or who is considered middle aged, job seeking and is finding that doors are not opening. It may well be worth raising some of this research in the interview when questions come – “Why should we hire you?”

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Baby Boomers/ Third Agers, Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Job Searching, Information of Interest, Recruitment | Leave a Comment

Is a mobile phone still considered a perk of the job?

February 3, 2010 – 9:44 pm

When negotiating your remuneration package with a current or prospective employer you have to ask yourself if a mobile phone is still considered a perk or not. The same could also be said about the laptop really. Given they are tools of trade required to do our jobs and that for most of us we are working longer and / or more ‘fluid’ hours – are they a perk anymore or just essential tools to do our jobs?  If they are no longer considered perks,  should they be factored into our remuneration packages?

Interestingly in late 2008 the most popular executive perk by far was a mobile phone, according to Compdata Surveys.

What are your thoughts – two years on does it still rate as a perk?

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Job Searching, Recruitment, Salary & Negotiation | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Hiring on potential – does it exist or is it only about what you have done?

February 2, 2010 – 11:09 pm

I  have been reading the fantastic book by Charles Handy ‘The Age of Unreason’ over the summer holidays. I was hooked after I found it on my father’s bookshelf and I cannot seem to stop thinking about the myriad of fascinating points the book raises. One of those points is the fact that most intelligent and talented people want the chance to learn new skills and take on new job roles, yet most recruitment seems to go against this philosophy with organizations preferring to hire someone who has done the job before – regardless of how good or motivated they really are to do the job.

Six Figures has previously undertaken various research projects on this subject before (the High Income Earners Report & the Executive Job Market Confidence Report), which confirmed this point. Most of our members, who are professionals and 30 years plus, are looking for the opportunity to do something a little different and are even willing to take a significant salary cut to do so; yet the reality is that there are few opportunities in the market where this occurs. It’s rather sad really when you think about it – all that wasted talent.

Now ‘The Age of Unreason’ is 20+ years old and was written whilst I was still at high school. What has shocked me most about reading this book is how little has changed when it comes to how organizations attract and retain talent.

Prompted by this book and looking through various job ads on different sites, it struck me that most job ads are a shopping list of what an organization wants – i.e. must have x,y,z. I don’t think I have ever seen a job ad that says must have the potential to do x,y,z. It seems that potential, desire and motivation have no place when it comes to seeking employment – it’s all about what you must have and must have done before. Now I too am guilty of this, however I will certainly make more of an effort when writing job ads to not be so limited to ensure that I don’t screen out the talent before I have even begun hiring.

What are your views on recruiting based on potential, be it as a job seeker or recruiter? Have you ever seen a job ad that actually highlights the fact that they are looking for someone with the potential to do x,y,z?

Note: I have since discovered this book was rated in the top 10 business books in 1990 by Business Week. So it’s well worth a read.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Job Searching, Executive Talent Attraction & Retention, Interviewing, Recruitment, Recruitment Agencies & Search Firms, Six Figures News | Tagged , , , , | Comments (9)

Six Figures Shortlisted for onrec Awards

February 1, 2010 – 5:14 am

Six Figures has been shortlisted for the 2010 onrec Awards in the Niche Job Site Category. The awards to be held in London, 31st March are one of the industry’s most prestigious Awards Ceremony.  To find out more about these awards or to attend visit onrec

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Six Figures News | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Why not to disclose your current salary at interviews

January 27, 2010 – 1:55 am

As 2010 kicks off, there will be a rapid increase in those moving jobs over the coming months – resulting in a lot of salary negotiations taking place across the country. When looking for new employment, inevitably you will be asked by recruitment agencies and employers alike for your salary information. Don’t fall into the trap that many do – which is to tell all! A good negotiator understands that the moment you show your hand, your negotiation position dwindles. Now is the time to prepare for the inevitable salary negotiation questions to make sure that you don’t end up with a raw deal.

I am pleased to say that I am not alone in encouraging job seekers to hold off disclosing their current salary and future salary expectations for as long as they can as they progress throughout the interview process. Ideally you want the recruitment consultant or employer to disclose the salary first. Ask the Headhunter has a great article on the topic ‘How to make more money: Withhold your salary history’. As the article states “The advice is simple: Don’t disclose your current salary or your salary history when a prospective employer asks you for it. The reason is also simple: When you disclose your salary information, your negotiating leverage is gone.”

Ask the Headhunter makes the valid point that your salary history is not any employer’s business, nor I suggest should it be a reflection of your future earning potential. When asked the question there are polite and professional responses you can give, which may or may not be accepted by the hirer. However, if the hirer is insistent then you have to make the call if you want to progress or walk away. The Six Figures Salary Negotiation Guide Section 5.1 looks at handling Salary Questions and offers some appropriate responses to give when asked the salary question:

  1. “I would prefer to find out more about the position, the responsibilities and expectations before getting into any salary discussions”.
  2. “I am sure that your company offers a fair compensation scale, and if we both decide that this is a worthwhile match, I am confident we will be able to agree on a salary”.
  3. “I have researched the salaries for this level of position, with the market value of the total compensation package being within X range”.

It is your decision whether you want to disclose your salary information during the early stages of the interview process. If you can, it is best to avoid entering into this conversation too early in the process, as it limits your opportunity to negotiate further on. Being more astute when it comes to salary negotiation can earn you more – so you have to ask yourself is that extra 10% in your pay packet worth it!

What are your opinions, advice and experiences on holding off disclosing your salary information during interviews?

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Services & Advice, Executive Career Management & Development, Interviewing, Recruitment, Recruitment Agencies & Search Firms, Salary & Negotiation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (9)

How Motivating Are Salary Raises Really?

January 27, 2010 – 1:20 am

Salaries are clearly a very important part of work for job seekers, employers and employees alike. When we go to work, more often than not we are exchanging our time for a salary of a monetary value. Daniel Pink, who has authored various terrific books (including my personal favorite ‘A Whole New Mind’) has recently published a new book called ‘Drive’ for which I found an interesting review ‘Drive’ author Daniel Pink: Raises make bad motivators. This was shortly followed by a blog post from Daniel Pink clarifying his stance on salary raises and their relevance when it comes to motivating staff.

In his post ‘Raises *do* matter’ it is clearly not as black and white situation as perhaps it once was – pay them more and they will work harder. Pink highlights that employees will not succumb to childish practices such as “If-then” rewards — “If you do something great, then you’ll get a raise”, which he views as being dangerous.

Pink is an advocate of paying people well and ensuring there is a certain amount of equitability amongst employees for similar roles to keep people motivated. However, I would suggest that for some roles, such as sales, an incentive or bonus scheme can be very effective (i.e. the carrot and stick approach). This may not translate well into all professions and so requires us to look at the topic of incentives on a profession (and potentially individual) case by case basis. Pink concludes his post with “The best use of money is to take the issue of money off the table . . . Effective organizations compensate people in amounts and in ways that allow individuals to mostly forget about compensation and instead focus on the work itself.” No doubt there is some truth in this but in reality we all have bills to pay; have career, educational and financial ambitions; etc which means that remuneration is never too far from our thoughts and can be a good motivator.

Share your views on the topic – are you motivated by salary increases and/or other incentives at work?

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Book Reviews, Career Services & Advice, Executive Career Management & Development, Salary & Negotiation, Searching for the Six Figure Job | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)

Does Success Hinge Largely Upon Our Enjoyment In Trying?

January 12, 2010 – 10:53 pm

The article, “How Not Achieving Something Is the Key to Achieving It” by Peter Bregman recently published by HBR offers a terrific read. It provides a good dose of inspiration for us all as the year winds down and we focus our thoughts on our goals for 2010.

The article highlights a truth that many of us perhaps have not contemplated, that “most of our jobs hinge on repetition. That’s how we become good at anything. The problem is we give up too soon because anything we do repetitively becomes boring.”

Peter’s story reveals the learning’s that come from those all too familiar situations in life where we try to make things happen yet encounter ongoing set backs, with most of us giving up fairly early on in the piece. While only a few of us will persevere long enough to see any results. This led to him to conclude “that anyone can do anything. As long as three conditions exist”

  • You want to achieve it
  • You believe you can achieve it
  • You enjoy trying to achieve it

What is most interesting is that he identifies points one and two are the easy parts – it is point three where things seem to fall over. Everything rests on point three, the trying to achieve it. The enjoyment factor is included as given how much time, effort and discipline is required to be great at something, the ‘enjoy trying’ part becomes pretty important. Without it you will not last the distance.

As the article title reads “trying to achieve something is very different than achieving it. It’s the opposite actually. It’s not achieving it.” Examples are given to demonstrate this point, such that “if you want to be a great marketer, you need to spend years being a clumsy one.” Hence the need to enjoy trying as it is going to be tough. The reality is that nothing worth achieving is easy, and to get there “enjoy trying to achieve it”. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read this thought provoking and inspiring article “How Not Achieving Something Is the Key to Achieving It”

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Services & Advice, Job Boards & Job Hunting, Job Seeking & Social Media, Personal & Work Values | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)

At Masters / Post Grad Level is it an Internship or a Short Term Contract?

January 2, 2010 – 6:43 am

Last month I was delighted to be invited to speak at Melbourne Business School on a careers related topic, which was around preparation to secure an Internship. As a career coach I enjoy being around such dynamic and inspirational people, who have invested a lot of money and time, as well as making personal sacrifices to develop their careers and work towards achieving their goals.

As a part of the masters programs, students are encouraged to secure a paid Internship. However as we discussed the topic it started to become clear that perhaps the word Internship is not ‘commercially viable’ these days for those at post graduate study level. Often when companies and HR think of ‘Internships’ it is undergraduates who come in for 1 day a week and work gratis. They generally don’t bring any relevant work experience, require a fair amount of training and managing, and the process is coordinated through the university.

As a post graduate or Masters Student seeking an Internship it can be challenging, particularly as you are looking to be paid for your time and expertise, which is not traditionally associated by employers with the term Intern.  Even though more often than not you bring related work skills and experiences with you to justify the fee this is not always valued by prospective employers.

At the end of the session we discussed that perhaps there is a need to rebrand or repackage what an internship means at a masters level, for as you delve into it, essentially it’s a short term contract you are seeking. Rebranding or repacking it may make masters ‘Interns’ more desirable to employers as ‘contractors’ are on fixed term contracts, bring proven skills and experience, and are paid for their time.

What are your thoughts on the subject of Internships and the need to re-package or update the term to be more relevant for master’s or post graduate students?

Does pitching yourself as a contractor make more sense? Will it or has it increased your odds?

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Career Services & Advice, Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Career Services & Coaching, Executive Job Searching, Information of Interest | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

CHRISTMAS WISHES FROM SIX FIGURES

December 24, 2009 – 12:47 am

The team at Six Figures would like to formally thank you for readership and support of the Six Figures blog which continues to grow each week.

We wish you all a wonderful and safe Christmas and much success in the New Year.

We will recommence blog posts in mid January 2010.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Six Figures News | Leave a Comment

Majority of Senior Executives Rate Outplacement Programs Poorly

December 18, 2009 – 4:52 am

More than half of senior executives rated their last or current outplacement experience as poor, citing involvement in group sessions and the lack of meaningful contact with a career coach as leading to less than satisfactory career transitions.

The release of ‘The Establishment Report: What is Important?‘ phase one, has yielded insights for both employers and employees alike. The research involved rating the responses of 102 senior executives who participated in the survey via Six Figures.

The research was developed by ML Career Development Research, a division of outplacement and career transition firm Macfarlan Lane “Whether it was the 45% of executives in the survey who are currently looking for work, or the 44% who have, the story was the same – the majority of executives felt they were hung out to dry,” says Hugh Davies, Managing Director of Macfarlan Lane.

If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this interim report please contact: Ellen Richards, Director, Macfarlan Lane on 1300 852 788 or Kelly Magowan, Director, Six Figures on 1300 780 177. Alternatively email info@sixfigures.com.au with ‘The Establishment Report’ in the subject line to be sent the report.

Note: the full final report will be released in January 2010.

We welcome your feedback and experiences with outplacement providers whether positive, negative or indifferent.

By Kelly Magowan | Posted in Executive Career Management & Development, Executive Channel, Information of Interest, Six Figures News | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (1)