senior citizen resources

A directory of resources for searching for a new job.








Need specific information for finding employment in St. Louis, MO?

ABOUT FINDING A JOB IN ST. LOUIS, MO


 

 


Employment Opportunities -
Page 2


100+ Resources for improving your employment situation!

Let's get started. What is your definition of employment?
  • Work.
  • My job.
  • My career.
  • A place to learn.
  • A hobby I get paid to do.
For just about every one of us, no matter what you call it, employment is a necessity. Some of us just have more fun at it than others, depending on our situation and our outlook!

Some look at the work place as a great place. We are around friends. We are challenged and enjoy participating and contributing. We are compensated for our talents and efforts, and we give back to the employer as much as we can because we know we are appreciated. We look forward to going to work, at least for the most part, most of the time.

Others of us look at the work place as a place we are forced to go each and every dreaded day. We dream of escaping. Some of us may even dream of winning the lottery and never going to work again, ever. Of course some of those who love their work would still like to win the lottery so the don't have to go to work, but they still would choose to go to work, at least part time.

What is the difference? Is it a difference of personality or the place that we work? Most productive and happy workers feel appreciated, that they feel they have a future with their company, that they are expanding their skills and future options. Of course income, insurance and others perks such as days off, free parking and more also are part of the equation.

Do you feel your current job fits this description and that you control your destiny? Are you happy at work? Do you go the extra mile, do you do everything you can do promote the success and profitability of your company? If not, please read on! Whether you are looking for new employment or to increase your value to your employer for a raise or promotion, this can be an exciting time for you as you plan your future.

If you're looking for that new job, we're here to help you research and land the right, job! We'll point you in the right direction to find the job you want, with great hours, pay and benefits. Just remember that if you're currently employed, your dream job may be just a department away or continuing education class away. In either case, you need to start by analyzing your skills and your goals, then move forward.

If you're wanting to stay with your current job, simply pretend that you are starting the job search process with them. Begin honing your work skills, resume writing and interviewing skills and start your job search, for the right position that meet your requirements. In any case, if you've taken all the steps we will outline, you'll be prepared to make a good presentation and get the job or the promotion!

Here's a quick checklist of the steps to take!

Follow the checklist!

Self assessment
Career selection
Self preparation
Employer Research

Then utilize all of the resources available to you.

Government Assistance
Local support groups
Interviewing Assistance
Resume Assistance
Networking
Internet Resources
Classified Ads
Headhunters
Agencies

A few words about keeping a good attitude.

Before we start, we hope you realize that this may be a very difficult and stressful time for you and your family. So, let's call it a new challenge and opportunity! We'll do your best to lead you to the resources you need to find that perfect opportunity but you be sure to find as much support as you possibly can, even taking into consideration that you may need counseling for financial or marriage needs. We'll provide those links later in this section.

When you're ready to get started.

Of course we will explore many options, from headhunters to employment or temp agencies to government work force assistance. We will explore counseling and financial assistance programs as well as ways to improve your resume or interviewing skills.

A good place to start your job search is by calling your local Work Force office to find out what options for assistance are available to you. I went through the program there and I have to tell you, it helped me tremendously, particularly with mock interviews and my resume.
Here are just a few of the programs they offer.

* Job Listings
* Resume posting
* Resume Assistance
* Interviewing Assistance
* Training and counseling
* Keeping a good job

If you need help but are worried about calling because you are having financial difficulties, most of these services are free. You'll also find that for many of the government services are free, but if not, they may be able to help you on a sliding scale or even at no cost to you.

Find support from nonprofit organizations as well!

Another source of support is a local nonprofit organization called Business Persons Between Jobs. Businesspersons Between Jobs is a nonprofit organization, located in St. Louis, Missouri, consisting of professionals in career transition. As a dynamic networking organization, BBJ is continually changing and stands ready to offer highly experienced and qualified individuals for your organization.

BBJ welcomes the opportunity to help you find your next career challenge or to help you find the correct professional for your growing organization.
Use these sources to keep a positive attitude and explore all options open to you, including advancement! Even if you need continuing education or remedial education. The local community college has a variety of options for you and you may qualify for funding through loans, grants or other instruments and programs. You may even qualify for a grant or loan to pay for your schooling!

Where to start to help improve your skills set (and get a raise!)

The Process: Start with a visit to the local Work Force to test your skills (test your computer skills here), then look for tuition assistance, a directory of Colleges or look at technical certifications from a local program or you might try a few free on-line training courses.

You can do much of this on-line, but one of your best options will be to check with the local work force to take a personal assessment test to determine your skills and the best job opportunity for you.

Once you have explored all your options, you are ready to start looking for companies you would wish to work for, then target your efforts on those companies!

Getting a raise or promotion at work.

Remember, your best option may be to stay with your current employer, so you just want to improve your skill set for a raise or a new position with the company!

At one time, getting a raise at work was just a matter of showing up on time each day and doing a good job. Or by being willing to work overtime or a different shift.

Of course prospective employers are going to look at your past record for attendance and job performance, but they are also going to look at your education and your skills set, and how you can fit into their program. If you can learn a new skill or improve your current skills set, you can easily find a new job or even ask for a raise at your present position. Continuing education and certification should be a life long goal in the new economy.

Today, getting a raise or promotion at your present job is mainly about increasing your contribution to the company by increasing your skills set. The fact is that employers are going to look at your past record for attendance and job performance, but they are going to place more emphasis on your education and your skills set, and how you will contribute to the company in the future with your new skill set.

So, if you have asked for a raise but have not received it, you will either have to increase your skills for your current job, apply for a different position in the firm, or go find a job with a new company. Either way, it's best to know what you offer your employer compared to the rest of the work force so you can justify a raise or higher remuneration with a new employer. :)

Finding the right employer.

Now you need to review the companies in the community. Start at the St. Louis Business Directory, Sorkins' Directory of Business and Government and the public libraries before you start looking at specific jobs in the marketplace. You can also find much of this information at the local Work Force office or Business Persons Between Jobs office, or your temp agency or placement service.

Don't count on getting the first job you see that interests you. Concentrate on finding the right type of job and the right company first, then once you've found the right type of job and company, then you start looking at which of these companies have job openings. One of them is probably looking just for you! Be sure you have sharpened your resume and interviewing skills first, so when they do call you, you are ready!

Honing your resume and interviewing skills.

Being self employed for nearly 20 years, I had no idea how truly complicated writing a good resume could be, or what it really takes to be good at interviewing. It's an never ending process of adapting your resume and answers to the prospective employer, and it's always stressful going to interviews.

Thank goodness I found both the Business Persons between jobs and the Work Force office. They were both able to help me understand the process, and the Work Force even hooked me up with advisors from the community college to help me with this process.

You may also opt to utilize the on-line tips for writing a good resume, but your best option is to try to get professional and sometimes free assistance from the Work Force or the Businesspersons Between Jobs organization. One of my advisors at theWork Force even sat at her computer and helped me create it on her computer! My new resume is 100 times better than the first three that I did by myself and with the help of a job hunter! I can't tell you how important it is for you to utilize this resource.

I was also able to sit in on workshops for interviewing techniques, and had mock interviews to practice! I was even able to take the tape home for review. You cannot get this type of experience anywhere else without paying big bucks for it. Use these services to expand your skills and you may increase your income for years to come.

If you are utilizing a temporary or employment agency, or even a headhunter, they may be able to help with your resume or interviewing skills, but don't count on it. Their main job is to find an employer who will hire you.

Now it's time to find the right job!

Where to start? Statistics from Work Force and other organizations show that many job listings do not ever make it to the classifieds, and most jobs are filled by other means. All the information I have read tells me you will have the best results finding a job by networking with other people. Networking is talking to talking to friends, former employers, fellow employees, etc. and even from volunteer work. Of course you will still want to check the classified ads and the Internet, just be sure this not the only place you look for a new job.

When you're ready to start submitting your resume to companies, we suggest you start by listing your resume with the local Work Force or the Business Persons Between Jobs and then start looking at other sources.

Of course most everyone thinks about starting out with classified ads, and this is a good place to start, if you realize that you may end up utilizing one or more of the other resources to find the positions you want, especially if you are in the professional field.
Classified ads

Start with the local newspapers - such as the Post, one of the best source for local classified ads for employment.


On-line Services


Of course there are many on-line services, such as monster.com or onlinejobs.com or myjobsearch.com or flipdog.com or http://www.nationjob.com. You may have good luck here, but if not, you may need to go to another source.

Click here for a complete list of sites (coming soon).

Placement Services (Headhunters)

If you'd like a list of headhunters such as Robert Half or Haldane and Associates, check the newspapers or search for them on the Internet. Just be sure to ask if they charge you for their services, or if the employer pays. If you pay, it can be very expensive unless you get the job that you really want and can justify the expense with a larger income.

Again, For any of these sources, just open the yellow pages in your phone book under employment, or check the Internet yellow pages or search engines, simply type in the key words St. Louis Employment and you will come up with plenty of options.

The final word on this is that I advise starting with research on the Internet, classified and the other services, but the best place to start your job search is with a counselor and support group at either the local Work Force or the Business Persons Between Jobs offices. The local Work Force works with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and local community colleges to help you find your job with little expense on your part. It really is the best place for you to start today!

Now, once you have the company you want to interview with, here are a few quick tips!

Make your office mobile and never miss a call, fax or e-mail!

Before you actually prepare for the job search, take a few minutes to get mobile. That's right, set up a mobile office so you can work and play relaxed, knowing that you wont' miss an important phone call, fax or e-mail even if you are out of the office or even out of town.

This all can be done with the use of the Internet. Most of these services are free or at least very inexpensive.
  • Voice mail
  • On-line Calendar
  • Send / Receive faxes
  • Send / Receive e-mail
  • Online address book
  • Online filing cabinet
  • Online to do list
If you go through this site, you can set up most of these services for free.
You can create a simple free website where you can post your website, accept e-mail, read your e-mail, check your to do list, look up a phone number in your address book and more. You can even store your resume on-line in your filing cabinet so that you can retrieve and edit it from any computer, anywhere!

If you'd like more information on these services, and how to use them, send an e-mail to jddavin@mynewoffice and we'll tell you how to get our weekly newsletter.

Before the Interview


Be sure to follow all the rules that you learned at the local Work Force or the Business Persons Between Jobs meetings about being prepared mentally and physically, groomed and punctual. Be sure to print out a map and driving directions so you're not late and be sure to take 2 copies of your resume.

You should also have your free calling card to hand to prospective employers and anyone who can help you your jobs search with referrals. You can order 250 FREE calling or business cards here, in color! We use them ourselves, and they are fantastic! You simply go on-line, fill out the simple form, decide if you need a rush order or not, then they are shipped right to you! They're very professional as you can see, and they're free! A no brainer.

During the Interview

This can be a defining moment in your earning potential. That's why there's simply too much to tell you all here about interviewing, so please be sure to review everything you've learned at the local Work Force or the Business Persons Between Jobs and good luck to you! You should do just fine along a you've gone through the free practice interviews!

After the Interview

Of course there are many things to consider after the interview, such as the thank you letter and hopefully a follow up call to discuss wages and perks! Of course you'll want o send a thank you letter even if you don't get the job. If you did not know that you should send a thank you letter, or you need examples, just review the materials from your local Work Force or the Business Persons Between Jobs meetings. :)

These are all things that you will learn when you visit the work force or join a group such as the Business Persons Between Jobs. We keep mentioning them over and over, but it really is the best place to start, and finish your job search. We'll also add many of these ideas to our free newsletter. Click here to get your copy by sending e-mail to betterjobs@mynewoffice.com

Keeping that perfect job once you've found it!

Whether you 've just found your new job or realize your current job could be perfect if you could change just a few things, fight to keep improving your skills and make it the right job! It really is easier to keep a good job or grow into a new position with a good company than it is to look for a new job. Be sure to look at continuing education as a necessity of life today, and work at keeping your current job by being a valuable employee to your employer.

You will benefit from a seminar by the Work Force which tells you how to be a good employee and how to make the most of your time and skills to keep the job and to move up in any organization.

Relocating to a new community - a big move in more ways than one!

If you are are you relocating for a new job, we understand that it' an exciting time and a large undertaking. In fact we experienced this event recently when my wife took a new position in St. Louis, Missouri and we needed to make a move to a new community and adjust to life in the big city. We'd like to share a few resources that were helpful to us in our move. We've found that if you follow the links to these sites, print out the guides that are supplied and follow them, you will have a much higher probability of having a smooth and enjoyable move to your new community and job.

Once you do have a prospective employer, you'll want to compare the cost of living for each respective community to assure yourself that you can afford to take the new, "higher paying" job in the new community. You might even find you will be making more money and spending less money with your new move. Let's hope so! You can compare the cost of living for about any community by clicking here for the "Cost of living Guide".

To start, you'll need to find and compare places to live. Either in a new home or apartment. This is a big decision, and one many times dictated by finances and future career options. We can't tell you about your future career options, but we can show you how to calculate your monthly house payments for a buy/rent analysis.

Once you've decided, you can visit realtor.com to find a real estate agent to help purchase a new home, or apartmentguide.com to view all the available apartments in the area. If you buy a house, you'll also need to find a mortgage institution, which is the entity that will loan you the money for your home. If that did not make sense and you need a glossary of terms, click here! If you will be renting, you may need renter's insurance if you decide to rent.

Next, you'll need to start looking for someone to move you, if the company is paying for the move. If not, here are a few packing calculators and links to moving companies and truck rental companies to help you make the decision to hire a company or to move your household items yourself. Either way, here are a few excellent guides for moving.

Once you are ready to move, make sure you have driving directions to your new community and home, as well as the work place for the first day. You can print out an excellent map complete with driving directions direct from yahoo.com.

Oh, and don't forget to make your change of address with the post office. You can do it from this link on the Internet quickly!

If you're feeling stress or just down, here are some motivation tips!

Looking for new employment is always stressful.

Volunteer work will make you feel you're helping someone, which is good for you in general, but especially in this time when you may be suffering from low self esteem and concentrating only on your problems, which are not always as bad as they seem by the way.

You may want to find sources for motivation and encouragement on the net as well as from friends, professional therapists and clergy. Becoming active in your church is one of the very best sources for support.

Get active in your church or find a new one in your new community!

Now is a great time to build your faith and to get support from old and new friends! There are many excellent churches here in St. Louis and many resource on the Internet to build your faith, so take the time to visit them for support.

Click here for more resources for your faith from our faith site. We'll be adding a list of churches in the future but just go throught the yellow pages under churches to find a good church today and just get started making new friends. It will help you and your new friends when you get active and give something back!

Closing words.

The best plan is to make a plan for the future. Find what you do best, love the most, and be the best at it! Change your attitude and change your attitude of work. Continually improve yourself , your work skills, your attitude and you will see that your work environment will be changed too, even if it's not the perfect job, yet!

As we asked at the beginning of this document, what is your definition of employment?

Work.
My job.
My career.
A place to learn.
A hobby I get paid to do.

We hope you make employment a hobby that you get paid to do, or at least enjoy your work. Let's make the most of it!


That's all for now. Best of luck to you in all your endeavors!
Best of luck!
 
A wish for successful computing to you!

Sincerely,
John E. Davin




A directory of resources for those looking for employment opportunities
(A new job!)