By Ashley Andrus and Linda Anderson

An April 2009 New York Times article confirmed that unemployed baby boomers are facing some steep odds in the current depressed job market. They noted, “workers ages 45 and over form a disproportionate share (pdf) of the hard-luck recession category, the long-term unemployed — those who have been out of work for six months or longer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” On the bright side, some seasoned workers have avoided layoffs as employers utilize a “last hired, first fired” practice to ensure they are avoiding age discrimination.

A May 2009 TIME article discusses age-based stereotyping and its impact on performance, and confirms that impact on older workers is real. Again on the flip side, the effect is offset when a positive stereotype or example is presented at the same time. Experience counts!

Job search advice runs the gamut from the obvious (”spell-check your resume”) to the creative (”think like a gourmet chef“). If your efforts have yet to produce the results you want, why not try something different? We’ve found several resources on the web to make your job search quicker and easier, with the following tips:

• KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR: If you don’t know where you’re going, all roads will get you there…or none will. Many transitioning workers find this an ideal time to reassess their skills and employment objectives—maybe it’s time for a change. Resources like ONetCenter.org and CareerOneStop.org offer a mind-boggling array of career exploration tools, including self-assessments to determine your Ability Profile and Career Interest Profile, among others.
• THEY’RE FROM THE GOVERNMENT…AND THEY’RE HERE TO HELP: The Federal Government is getting into the act as well. CareerVoyages.Gov provides a run-down on “hot” industries and occupations. Opportunity.gov provides a wide variety of resources from the Department of Labor for displaced workers, including a portal that will allow you to research opportunities for transferring your skills between related occupations.
• KEEP YOUR SKILLS CURRENT: When you stop learning, you stop growing. What have you done lately to enhance both your resume and your mind? Public workshops abound on just about every topic you can imagine, and many classes are low- or no-cost. Find something you’ve always wanted to learn and jump in with both feet! You can see some workshops with Zoe instructors here, on everything from Project Management to Twitter, and opportunities abound at local community colleges, county workforce centers, and more.
• AVOID SCAMMERS & SPAMMERS: With unemployment on the rise, job-hunt scams have unfortunately been on the increase as well. See here for a rundown of “The Dirty Dozen Dangerous Online Job Search Assumptions” to help steer clear of the bad guys.

As the late Miles Kington summed it up: “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.” You’ve got the knowledge and the wisdom—figure out what kind of salad you’re looking for!

Ashley Andrus is President of Zoe Training & Consulting. Linda Anderson has served with Zoe Training in various roles over the past 14 years, and is currently webmaster and web content developer.