Monthly Archives: April 2021

Why independent living enhances life

Many people think of retirement as a time to truly live life.

You’ve spent years working, caring for children, potentially even caring for your grandchildren and spending your time serving the community. When it comes time to retire, many older adults often want to take some time to do what they love, explore passions and focus on everything they’ve been wanting to do for years.

At an independent living community such as those Diakon offers, we understand this fact, so we provide opportunities and amenities to enable residents to have the freedom to do as they please, every day.

Focus on hobbies and passions—because of the freedom you’ll have!

Our independent living lifestyle allows residents to be as busy, as relaxed and as adventurous as they wish. Click here for just a few of the ways we ensure our residents have more time to focus on their interests and hobbies.

Tips that can help you get hired

In the first part of this blog post, we discussed ways to approach applications and resumes, as well as steps not to take. In this final part, we review how employers tend to evaluated applicants.

Besides your resume or application, employers use various other evaluation tools to determine if someone would be a good asset to the company. 

These tools may include screening for minimum and preferred qualifications, phone or Zoom interviews before an in-person one, reference and background checks and employee referrals. 

Another popular screening mechanism some potential employers now use is a review of your social media pages, a good reason to review that potential post before you make it. Will something posted in an emotional moment come back to affect you later? 

Job hunting? Start here…

You may have experienced this situation yourself: You apply for a job and you, one, never hear from the potential employer again; two, receive a form letter indicating the position has been filled; or, three, are interviewed but don’t receive an offer.

Disconcerting and disappointing, right?

As Diakon’s Human Resources recruiters, we want to offer some tips to help you potentially experience better results. 

Most important, you need to understand the qualities and skills an employer is seeking, so that you can stand out in a crowded field. 

For example, many employers look for skills beyond the academic qualifications of candidates. Prospective employees may share similar education and experience, but how they present those as ways to make the company more successful can create a huge difference in initial perceptions. 

In fact, incorporate that approach in your resume or application. Learn about the company and the open position and then determine ways your particular skills will successfully address the needs listed for that position. Emphasize your value and efficiency.

And, certainly, never rush through this process or omit details. (And a very simple caution: If you use the same cover letter for multiple applications, make sure you change the name of the company and job title. You would not believe how often people send cover letters addressed to a different organization!) 

These are key characteristics we seek on applications and resumes:

  • Summary statement 
  • Clear section headings
  • Use of correct grammar
  • Elaboration of core competencies (the attributes that make you stand out from other applicants)
  • Strong work experience, including names of organizations, employment dates and job titles
  • Length of work experience

Alternatively, here are “red flags” that will stand out to potential employers in an application:

  • Applications with spelling mistakes
  •  A suspicious work history
  •  Incomplete fields
  •  Inclusion of negative statements about previous employers 
  •  Indicating you left a job because of an unresolved disagreement. 

In addition, if you receive an interview, here are common missteps: 

  • Arriving late
  • Not having done research on the company
  • Looking at phone or texting during the interview
  •  Any other lack of attention during the interview 
  • Gossiping or making negative comments about former managers or employees
  • Showing a lack of understanding about the industry 
  • Not being able to explain why you are interested in the job

Remember, an interview is an excellent opportunity to showcase how your experience, education and initiative will make a difference for the employer. That’s why doing your research about the company and the role are so important!

Part 2 (coming): How employers evaluate applicants.

By: Christa Corum & Chip King, Diakon recruiters

It takes a village…

The Rev. Dr. Colleen Kristula, chaplain at a Diakon senior living community, has written a number of blog posts with reflections on the past year. This is one of those reflections, important as we note the one-year anniversary of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am thankful for the community that surrounds our campus, and the ways they have supported us through this long, oh-so-long journey.  

From the hand-made signs thanking our staff to the flamingos (we were “flocked”) to gifts of food and “Happy cards” and musicians standing in cornfields to sing and play.  

And oh, the pop-up parade that, with the help of area churches and organizations and school district, brought more than 60 cars, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles to our campus, decorated, with honking and hooting and smiles, to cheer our residents.  Too many kindnesses to name them all, but so appreciated.