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About Emily Bardeen
Expertise
I have experience working with job hunters of all ages who are looking for their first job, career changers, people who have been laid off, and people who are job hunting for career advancement. I can answer questions on job search strategy, research, finding a "good fit", career assessments including the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII), resume writing, cover letters and other correspondence, networking (I like to call it getting advice), interviewing, negotiating an offer, and getting started in a new job.

Experience
I have 15 years of experience as a Career Advisor, 8 of them serving as the Human Resources Director of Career Services to 7,000 employees, including one-on-one career appointments and workshops on career planning, job searches, resumes, interviewing, career change, career assessments,going back to school and supervisor support for career development. Previously, I provided career advising via available to a community of 150,000 via email, telephone and in-person appointments. I have also career advised welfare-to-work recipients, undergraduate and graduate students, and focused on women's career and job needs while at a Women's Center.

Organizations
NCDA National Career Development Association

Publications
www.emilyoncareers.com

Education/Credentials
M.A., Georgetown University B.A., cum laude William Smith College Organizational Development Certificate, NTL Institute Certified in: MBTI Type Indicator SII Strong Interest Indicator CCL Benchmark 360

Past/Present Clients
My clients range from electricians to engineers and from people getting their GEDs to PhD researchers. They literally go from A (Aesthetician) to Z (Zoologist) and one of my clients was a spy -- getting out of the industry, not in! Some are very sophisticated computer users, and some are just learning. Some of my clients have criminal records; some in have been in law enforcement. Some want to be teachers; some want to leave teaching. Some are executives; some are administrative assistants. I do not usually work with high school students, other than to helping them plan their next steps for school.

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Job Hunting Tips - Very good in Excel, VBA, VB6 but heaing impaired

Expert: Emily Bardeen - 11/1/2009

Question
I am in Los Angeles since 2006 as a Green Card Holder - Now 66 yrs old. Before I retired, in India I was teaching VB, Excel, FoxPro etc in College. I do have a job here but compensation is less than 25% of what my qualificatation and experience would get. I live with my son and cannot work except in Los Angeles. I have been developing applications in vb6, foxpro, clipper since 1985.

I need a better paying job or some assignments as a free lancer.
Please provide guidance.
Vinod

Answer
Dear Vinod,
Thank you for you inquiry. It is good to be with your son, though I sense your frustration. Several suggestions come to mind:

1. Consider combining several jobs in order to maximize your income, rather than just one job.

2. Investigate teaching in your area of expertise. A teaching job could be in addition to another job, and could be in-person or online, depending on the extent of your hearing impairment. Many 4 year and community colleges, in particular, are moving toward on-line classes in order to reach more students and cut costs. Typically a master's level is required to teach for academic credit; for professional development courses an undergraduate degree is the only requirement. Check state and regional websites for lists of public and private institutions - if you have trouble finding a comprehensive list, go to Yahoo, search for California, then education, then public and private colleges and universities - then look for the ones in your area, to start.

3. For many years I worked in the Information Technology industry and reviewed many resumes. The industry moves very quickly, and it is important to refresh your skills. Few businesses still use applications that were used in 1985. To increase your marketability to a wider audience - and get a better paying job - a more current skill set will probably help.

The most effective way to do this is to see what the Market is hiring, and then determine how you can provide what they want:

Go online to job lists for the LA area and review job openings for applications programmers on a broad basis. What applications seem to be most in demand? See if you can identify a set of 5 or 6 applications that you could research and determine if you could learn one or two or the programs. It may well be worth it to invest a little time and money to learn a new application or two to add to your resume.

4. With more current skills, either telecommuting as an employee, or free lance assignments could be good opportunities for you.

5. When you prepare your resume, be sure to highlight your accomplishments and current skills. It is not necessary to have gone to school to learn a new programming language or technique - hiring managers care more about what you know - not what you learned!

Good luck. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Emily

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