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#JobSearch : To Avoid Age Discrimination Eliminate 7 Things From Your Resume. We Are Seeing More People Over the Age of 50 Losing their Jobs. Question: Is Their Age Discrimination?

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We are seeing more people over the age of 50 losing their jobs. They worry about ageism, which is a legitimate concern. When you are close to 60 or older, the discrimination becomes even more apparent. John, age 60, was an HR director at a Fortune 500 company where he worked for 20 years. Having just been laid off from his job, he contacted me for job search and resume writing assistance. He became very worried when he realized his age was an obstacle to securing a new job. John has the same issues I see in many older workers. He didn’t know how to sell himself in his resume, on LinkedIn, and especially not in an interview. Recent accomplishments were few and far between. A resume that should be full of achievements only had generic job descriptions. Often a mature worker’s resume is tremendously outdated, screams “I’m old,” and won’t be an asset.

Let’s compare John’s situation to Mary, a marketing director, who called wanting resume writing help. Mary was 64 years old, and as we talked, she mentioned that she had white hair and wrinkles and wondered if that would stop an employer from hiring her. As we started compiling her past achievements, she had a lot of accomplishments in the last few years. Everyone liked working for Mary—she was a great manager and had evidence in her work history to prove it. It was clear she had developed high-performance collaborative teams that beat expectations. Mary didn’t do things the same way just because they always had. Instead, she attended conferences, listened to thought leaders, watched relevant TED talks, and stayed on top of new industry trends. With that new resume in hand, it’s no wonder she quickly found a terrific new job.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You Have to be ‘Sharpened‘?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, Llc (FSC) is celebrating over 32 years in delivering corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, the UK, & Mexico!   Visit us @ www.firstsun.com  OR Ask for a Quote for Services at  info@firstsun.com

We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity to serve & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

 

Article continued …

When it comes to resume writing, many mature workers need a crash course on what they need to stress and what to eliminate. Employers love to see outcomes and results, so always focus on noting those.

Marc Cenedella, CEO of Leets Resume and founder of Ladders, has also seen a lot of resumes from older workers. He offered some good advice on what to change when creating your resume to prevent age discrimination from being a problem.

  1. Chop your work history section. Ancient jobs from 20 years ago have no relevance to the hiring manager. Instead, focus on the last 15 years, cutting your resume down to that. Put heavy emphasis on your last 5-7 years and stress relevant experience.
  2. Drop your college grad year if it’s before 2005.
  3. Watch the technology you mention. Tech changes every day. Only advertise your software skills that are needed and valued now. Anything you did in the 1990s or 2000s isn’t relevant. Drop any mention of things such as Autocad or WordPerfect that are not used anymore. List popular software employers want like Excel (advanced user), SQL, Marketo, Salesforce, Slack, Illustrator, and cloud skills working in AWS or Azure are good to mention.
  4. Emphasize you have a team mentality. Drop any reference that says you avoid or dislike change. No “my way or the highway.” Instead, show you are coachable, and if you are the manager, describe how you mentor team members and focus on their professional development. The goal is to show you have built high-performance, collaborative teams.
  5. Don’t appear out of date. Your resume must reflect that you are a continuous learner and apply the knowledge or new skills at work. Consider getting some current certifications to enhance your background. Classes like project management to improve or gain a new marketable skill are valuable, too.
  6. Drop old-fashioned email addresses. If you’re using an AOL, Hotmail, or Yahoo email address, it’s time for an update. Using AOL tells hiring managers you are a low-tech person and haven’t bothered to keep up with trends for 25 years. Instead, switch to a Gmail address.
  7. Don’t list your home address or home phone number. City and state and a cell number is all you need.

Don’t sell yourself short. You still have a lot to offer. Your resume is an advertising tool, so be sure it markets you in the best possible light.

Forbes.com Author:  Robin Ryan          Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
Forbes.com | September 26, 2023

#BestofFSCBlog : #Recruiting – Are Boomers The Answer To The Great Resignation? Your Thoughts?? Great REad!

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Beginning in 2021 and continuing today, the term “Great Resignation,” was coined by Texas A&M professor Anthony Klotz, referencing the US employees that are quitting in droves. In fact, 47 million workers quit in 2021. According to Klotz, that trend is expected to continue well into 2022, albeit more slowly. Koltz predicts that flexible work arrangements will become the norm, and workers will compete for remote jobs – where digital natives have the advantage.

So, what does that mean for corporate America when working in-person is required for job function? 

Boomers may be the answer to the Great Resignation. 

The boomers make up the largest population boom in the history of the US. Boomers were born post World War II and the great depression between 1946 and 1964, meaning the youngest boomers will turn 58 in 2022.

During the pandemic, as with most recessions, older workers took a big hit. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College reported that during normal years, one in eight older workers leave their jobs. By April 2020, that figure was one in three, finishing the year as one in four. The number of workers over 55 that were forced out or left the workplace during the pandemic rose by a significant 7.6%. Between 2008, when the first boomers turned 62, and 2019, the retired population grew by 1 million retirees per year – during 2020 and 2021, that number increased to 3.5 million.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Interestingly, those forced into early retirement are not collecting social security. You must be 62 years old to collect social security early and at a reduced benefit. After reaching 66 or 67, depending on your birth year, you become eligible for full benefits. That leaves many workers between 55 and 66/67 who are “retired” due to circumstance, rather than choice. And many of those workers simply cannot afford to retire. That is where the gig economy comes to play. According to Pew Research, 20% of gig workers are over the age of 50 and a third of those are over 65. That same study shows that minorities make up most gig workers over the age of 50. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that older workers will participate in the labor force in increasing numbers now through 2030, with a predicted increase in workers 65 to 69 by 30%, that’s likely to be minority workers.

Boomers were the answer to the Great Recession, and their parents saved the post-war labor shortage.

As history has a way of repeating itself, the last labor shortages occurred post-World War II and after the Great Recession of 2008. In the post-war period, older workers fueled growth. By 1950, one in two men in the labor market were over the age of 65. Following the Great Recession, the economy took a nose-dive. The housing bubble burst, stocks plummeted, and the unemployment rate rose to almost 10% by April 2010. In 2008, the first boomers turned 62. However, boomers were needed in the labor force, much like they are now, only in 2008 boomers stayed employed out of necessity. Today, housing prices are through the roof and stocks reached record highs throughout the pandemic. The national unemployment rate dropped significantly.

However, according to another Pew Research study, retirees of today tend to be educated white US nationals. Today, 34% of the population is over 50, but less than a quarter of those are minorities

Nonetheless, unemployed or underemployed boomers are available to fill the gaps left in the wake of the Great Resignation. The bigger question is, will they?

 

Forbes.com – March 3, 2021

Forbes.com Author:  Ashley Stahl    – Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

#BestofFSCBlog : 10 Steps To Change Your Career Path At Any Age. Wondering To Make a Job or Career Change? Take a Free 60-Second Career Quiz and Find Out!

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The pandemic has changed workers’ professional expectations for the foreseeable future. According to Randstad’s latest Workmonitor Survey, employees feel empowered in new ways as they reassess their careers and the role of work in their lives. A stunning 81% of those surveyed say they have gained more clarity around their personal and professional goals over the last 12 to 18 months. As a result, they desire more training, work-life balance and, in many cases, a different career.

The thought of changing your career path may seem scary, especially if you are over 40. But it is not uncommon or impossible. In fact, the average American worker has 12 jobs in their lifetime with an average tenure of around four years with a single employer. Given the current hectic environment, flexibility, fulfillment, and work-life balance are taking center stage. That means more people are thinking about pivoting professionally.

The good news—the majority of older career changers are successful, based on a study from the American Institute for Economic Research. Changing your career path doesn’t have to be as overwhelming or difficult as you might think. These ten steps will give you the framework you need to come out on top.

1.      Upgrade your mindset

Ultimately, what you think, you become. Altering your career path means being open to the possibilities. Change your self-talk so that you can move forward despite your fears. Even simple mantras like “I can do this” or “I am fearless” really work.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

2.      Take money off the table

One of the most common excuses for not changing career paths is money. Some common phrases are, “I can’t afford to change careers,” “I’m the main breadwinner, so I can’t take the risk,” or “What if I fail?” Of course, there are no guarantees in life. But who’s to say that you can’t earn a higher salary in your new career? It may not happen overnight, but it’s possible. Think of changing jobs as a calculated risk. If you plan for it, it will come.

3.      Focus on transferrable skills

Another common misconception is that changing career paths means starting from the bottom. Wrong! You already have an enormous number of transferrable skills. For example, if you are a lawyer, you have writing, speaking and research skills. As a marketer, you understand customer lifecycles and personas. Or maybe you are an accountant who is great with numbers and reporting. All of these are assets that can be valuable in almost any profession.

4.      Consider your why

Think about why you want to change your career path. Don’t change careers because you were passed over for a promotion or hate your boss. Make sure you are running towards something instead of running away from something. Let faith, not fear, drive your decision-making process.

5.      Identify the sweet spot

Find the intersection of the things that you enjoy and are good at. That’s the sweet spot. This exercise will help guide you towards career possibilities that align with your values and interests.

6.      Brainstorm new career paths

Make an exhaustive list of potential career paths. Keep an open mind! Defer judgment and try to have fun with this exercise. You can even throw an “idea party” where you invite friends to brainstorm different options.

7.      Research your new career path

Find people in the career you are interested in and ask them for their advice. That way, you can learn first-hand what it’s like to work in that field. You can also do research online and join professional organizations that will allow you to expand your network.

8.      Acquire new skills

Find out whether your new career path requires additional education or certifications. You could consider taking online courses or even find webinars, books and podcasts to hone your skillset. Think about how you learn best, and then set specific training and development goals.

9.      Test the waters

Try shadowing someone in your chosen profession. Create a side hustle that you can focus on in your spare time. You may even consider volunteering or working part-time to understand whether this new path may be the right fit.

10.  Develop an action plan

Once you’ve decided on a chosen career path, create an action plan. Your plan should include short and long-term goals along with specific milestones to hold you accountable. Think about how long it will take you to transition from where you are now to the new life you want to lead.

It’s never too late to change your career path. Whether you are in your 40’s or your 60’s, you can do it. The key is to have a plan and stick to it. Be fearless. Making a career change can be scary. But you know what’s even scarier? Regret.

Wondering if it’s finally time to make a job or career change? Take my free 60-second career quiz and find out!

 

Forbes.com | February 16, 2022 | Caroline Castrillon

#JobSearch : Insider Gives Top Resume Tips For Older (40 & Up) Job Applicants. “Yes, Ageism is Real,”

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“Yes, ageism is real,” said Ron Visconti in a recent career guidance webinar geared at applicants aged 50 and older. Visconti, the founder and executive director of Phase2Careers, a nonprofit organization assisting workers over age 40, knows a thing or two about ageism in the workplace. He has worked with small and large organizations, both public and private, on recruitment and career transition issues.

When it comes to the resume, Visconti says job seekers must understand the negative perceptions and bias directed at older workers. When applicants know the barriers they’re up against, they can craft their resumes to defuse those stereotypes and dismiss fears. 

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Visconti offers these guidelines to increase interview opportunities and, if all goes well, a solid offer.

  • Recruiters are overworked and don’t have time to analyze your resume for possibilities. They want to see evidence that you can do the job. That’s why it is critical to ensure that your career story is a perfect match for the position.
  • Most resumes go back ten years; however, older candidates typically have valuable experience beyond that. If that experience is relevant to the position you seek, you can add the heading other relevant experience at the end of your career history. Include the name of the company and your title, but do not include the dates of employment.
  • Don’t oversell yourself. Candidates with 20 or 30 years of experience are inclined to emphasize that experience. If a vacancy requires 8 years of experience and you have many more, write that you have 8+ years of experience. Otherwise, you risk experience discrimination if recruiters and hiring managers consider you overqualified.
  • Do not submit a resume longer than two pages. If you require two pages, make sure the content is relevant to the job you seek. Use language that is current and relevant to your industry. And, if you are skilled in outdated technologies, don’t include them in your skillset.
  • Recruiters spend an estimated seven seconds per resume. Make your resume pleasing to the eye with the use of white space. Highlight skills that align directly with the role near the top of the page, emphasizing metrics.
  • COVID has made remote work the new normal. Show relevancy by including your work-from-home setup and familiarity with critical applications such as Slack and Zoom. If those applications are not familiar to you, find someone to mentor you so you can include them in your skillset.

“Your resume shouldn’t be about responsibilities,” Visconti said. “It should be about your achievements and directly relate to the job you are applying for.” 

While there may be stereotypes in the workplace that make it harder for older applicants to get noticed, following these guidelines will increase your visibility to talent scouts.

References to older technologies feed the stereotype that older applicants are not in the game. As an example, Visconti warns applicants never to use a Hotmail or AOL address as a contact.

“Get a Gmail account and don’t feed the myth!”

To join Visconti in a future free job search offering, check out his events page and register.

Forbes.com | November 17, 2020 | Sheila Callaham

#JobSearch : How To Beat Age Bias In Your Job Search – 3 Techniques. Fact: The Unemployment Rate for 45 to 55-and-Older Workers Exceeded the Rate for Mid-Career Workers During the Pandemic.

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For the first time in nearly 50 years, the unemployment rate for 45 to 55-and-older workers exceeded the rate for mid-career workers during the pandemic. The relative jump in this rate underscores the age-related challenges that older workers face in getting hired. If you fall into this group, there’s good news: you can usually overcome age-related barriers to being hired relatively easily.

To do so, understand this key insight: you’re usually not facing age-bias per se. Rather, you’re facing underlying issues that employers think about when they compare you to the younger competition. These issues include:

  • You’re not as motivated to give it your all; you’re coasting until retirement
  • You won’t fit in; you’ll be uncomfortable reporting to someone much younger than you
  • A younger employee can be paid less
  • Your skills are not as cutting-edge as those of someone younger
  • You’re a short-term hire because you’ll want to retire soon

Here’s how to easily address these potential objections to your candidacy (and by the way, these tips are useful for job-seekers of any age).

Show Your Enthusiasm: You can overcome the first three objections around motivation, fit and pay by proactively showing your enthusiasm for the role, and for the prospective employer, in every communication. For example, here’s what my 61 year old client said when she was interviewed by the much younger person she would work for and he asked her “So why did you leave your last employer?”

“I had a good five year run at the company, they liked me, I liked them, and I really helped them over the years. But others were being let go and I had the opportunity to take a package, so I took it. And I’m glad I did because I’m excited to be talking with you. What you’re looking for is exactly what I want for my next act. I understand you’re seeking to expand into Latin America. With my experience there I could help you to jump-start that expansion. In addition, I’ve picked up on your employees’ enthusiasm for YourCo’s positive, collaborative culture from reading online reviews and talking with my colleague who works here. This is just the kind of environment I’m looking to work in for years to come. And I wanted to ask you more about how I can best help you with your….”

Let’s analyze what my client’s response accomplished. The truth was that she was let go and wasn’t happy about it, and also didn’t get along with her prior boss. But she didn’t mention these aspects of her departure because the negativity would hurt her prospects; she would never have gotten an offer. Instead, she briefly described her reason for leaving while emphasizing the positive in her experience, and then pivoted to the three things her interviewer really cares about: how she can help, her motivation and whether she’ll fit in.

In pivoting to the things her interviewer cares about, she chose her words carefully: “I’m excited to be talking with you…,” “how I can best help you…,” “I could help you…” Her frequent use of “you” and “help you” serves to overcome the interviewer’s concerns that my client would not feel comfortable working for someone 20 years her junior, and underscores that the age difference will not be an issue. So use words like ‘you’ and ‘your’ in your answers, and keep reminding them how you can help them personally.

Also note that she was very specific about the reasons for her motivation to work for the interviewer’s company. Being specific conveys sincerity and credibility. You do not want to give generic responses like “Your company is great” without explaining why.

Finally, by emphasizing her strong motivation to help the interviewer and the organization, she reduces the centrality of compensation concerns in the conversation.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Make it clear that you’re looking for something long term: They may be thinking that you’ll retire soon, so you are only a short-term hire. If you think this might be an issue, mention in your conversations or emails that you are looking for a long-term opportunity. In the case of my client, she included in her response “This is just the kind of environment I’m looking to work in for years to come.”

Be perceived as cutting edge: Older job-seekers are too often perceived as not having skills or interests that are attuned to the latest trends or innovations versus younger job-seekers. Take a three-pronged approach to addressing this issue:

  • Fill any relevant gaps. For example, another 55+ client was an old-school marketing VP, looking for his next role. He really wasn’t well versed in the latest digital marketing approaches, including social media marketing. So he took a class and conducted some additional research. Now he could say he had experience in digital marketing because of the class project he completed and the knowledge he gained.
  • Look for ways to demonstrate that you’re up-to-date. This same client wrote an article on LinkedIn about social media marketing best practices that received great feedback. He linked to this article in his email correspondence and received at least one interview because of it. So consider creating an example of your cutting-edge knowledge somewhere online (LinkedIn article, blog post, website).
  • Demonstrate your expertise through your insightful questions. For example, in an interview this client asked “Have you tried using LinkedIn Sales Navigator in sourcing new business development opportunities?”

Lastly, look to turn your age into a strength, by emphasizing how the years of experience you’ve gained gives you an edge in helping them over your younger competition.

What if they ask me how old I am? While not technically illegal, this question is inappropriate as it implies they are making a decision based on your age – which is in fact illegal. Nevertheless you may occasionally get this question. Like any inappropriate or illegal interview question you receive, focus your answer on addressing their underlying issue without feeling you have to give them the literal answer. For example, you could say something like: “Old enough to have the experience that will help you, and young enough to provide the energy and motivation you need for years to come.”

Forbes.com | November 16, 2020

#YourCareer : Ageism Is Forcing Older Workers Out Of The Job Market. “Older Workers are Losing their Jobs at a Faster Rate, Relative to Younger People.”

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In our youth-obsessed culture, the devastating plight of older workers is glaringly overlooked. We are all having challenges dealing with the virus outbreak. Over the last six months, over 60 million Americans lost their jobs. The weekly jobless report from the U.S. Department of Labor released Thursday indicated that another 870,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits.

As bad as these numbers are, it’s even worse. There’s a dirty little secret that no one likes to talk about because it’s very uncomfortable. According to research from the University of Chicago, “the pandemic has derailed the finances and careers of individuals of all ages” and  wreaked havoc on older people—particularly those who are 50 years of age and older.

Many seasoned workers have found themselves between jobs. I’ve spoken and communicated with several dozen people who are 40 years of age and older and they’ve said that it’s getting nearly impossible to find a new role at the level and compensation that they previously earned. Many of them, as months go by, realize that searching for a new job is futile and throw in the towel.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

An uncomfortable amount of the 45-and-over crowd have been forced to take jobs at the Home Depot or take on gig-economy-type roles, just to pay the bills and get health insurance. A large percentage have just given up on the job hunt and called it a day. Sadly, the experienced people were unceremoniously pushed out of the job market and did not leave on their own volition.

Let’s be brutally honest—New York and other states sent Covid-infected patients to nursing homes without conducting appropriate testing, which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. This is a clear sign of how we devalue the worth of this group of people. The entire mantra of the medical community and politicians at the offset of the outbreak was to “protect the old, sick and infirmed.” The reality is that we didn’t pay that much attention to them and warehoused our parents and grandparents in nursing homes—two or three to a room—and allowed them to baste in coronavirus until they took sick and died. Requests from families and friends to visit their loved ones was denied. They were also prohibited from having traditional religious services or funerals.

These actions highlight our treatment of older people. It’s not surprising that workers 40 years or older face tough difficulties in the job market. They fall victim to the “juniorization of jobs,” erosion of middle management, relocation of jobs to lower-cost locations and an unconscious bias in the hiring process.

If you casually check out the career sites of major corporations, you’ll be greeted with fresh, shiny and happy faces of 23 to 33 year olds. When you go to tech, startup and “cool” companies, the young staffers are wearing beanies, jeans, T-shirts and hoodies. Once in a while, there will be a token, grey-haired person. The message is clear. ”This is the type of person who works here. If you look like them, we want you to join us.”

Corporations are in cost-cutting mode due to the virus outbreak and need to save money. A big way to save funds is to get rid of middle management. These are the 40-and-up group of folks. Roles are juniorized and middle managers are squeezed out. This means that mid-to-senior level jobs are eliminated and replaced with roles that only require three-to-five years of experience. You’ll notice the proliferation of job descriptions that only ask for candidates with three-to-seven years of experience and the titles are at associate or analyst levels.

To further save money, the companies relocate jobs to lower-cost states and locations outside of the United States. The businesses can pay considerably less money to the workers in less expensive places and demand more of them. The older, more costly employees are not invited to move, as they now possess too much experience and are asking for a salary that is greater than the band allows. Management believes that younger workers are only too happy to have a job and will do whatever is asked of them, as they desperately need to pay off their college tuition payments.

If you are 45 years or older and looking for a new job, you’ll soon see that there are not many jobs left for you. Either they’re in other states and countries or only call for lightly experienced people. Sensing the dramatic turn of events, older workers say that they’ll take less money and a lower title. Instead of being open minded, hiring managers think and sometimes say things like, “Sorry, we feel that you’ll be a flight risk and leave for the next best offer,” and they’ll pass on hiring the person.

There is also an unconscious bias and sometimes not-so-hidden view that experienced workers will come aboard and want to immediately take charge. They’ll claim that they have all of the answers, as they’ve been working in the field for 30-plus years and boss the younger workers around. It is said that people want to work with people who look like them. Young managers are uncomfortable with older workers, as they feel they don’t speak the same language, dress similarly, share the same sensibilities and believe that they are out of touch with current trends.

After searching in vain, getting no traction or attention, it’s understandable that the older workers give up and “retire” unwillingly. The University of Chicago asserts that the unemployment numbers would be significantly higher if they included the seasoned workers who left the job market. Once they’ve finished collecting their unemployment benefits, they fall off the radar of the government data. It’s a neat little trick to make the employment figures look better—just ignore a large swath of the older population.

Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and retirement security expert, said in an interview with MarketWatch, “Older workers are losing their jobs at a faster rate, relative to younger people.” Ghilarducci expresses her concern, “A total of four million people [are] potentially pushed into retirement before they are ready. Half of Americans aged 55 and up will retire in poverty or near poverty.”

According to the study, “Early retirement [is] a major force in accounting for the decline in the labor-force participation. With the high sensitivity of seniors to the Covid-19 virus, this may reflect, in part, a decision to either leave employment earlier than planned due to higher risks of working or a choice to not look for new employment and retire after losing their work in the crisis.”

If the older workers that have been callously cast out of the job market were included in the unemployment data, we’d be at an extremely higher rate. Clearly, our politicians don’t want that number to come out, so they conveniently pretend that this is not happening.

 

Forbes.com | October 2, 2020 | Jack Kelly 

#BestofFSCBlog : Over 6K Reads! Job Search Tips When You’re Over 50. Here are Five Ways to Modify a Search Plan for a Job Seeker over 50.

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I have received several recent reader questions about job search tips when you’re over 50:

When you are an older unemployed professional in your late 50’s how do you survive and what strategies should you use to navigate through these difficult times we are currently in? – Thea

What are the best career pivot options and tactics for workers over 60? — Ken

Is there a point in pursuing/reigniting a career at my age?… Not looking to start a business but I miss being part of something, getting out of the house and feeling productive and saving money for the future. – Wendy

 

I write about job search tips regularly and don’t normally break out tips by age group. The mechanics of the job search are similar across industries, functions, levels and ages. I recommend a six-step job search approach:

  1. Identify your targets
  2. Create compelling marketing (e.g., resume, LinkedIn, networking pitch, cover letter)
  3. Research companies and industries
  4. Network and interview
  5. Stay motivated and organized and troubleshoot regularly
  6. Negotiate and close the offer

I would still recommend these steps for job seekers over 50 (or right out of school). That said, life circumstances and your career path to date influence your job search, and these will be different when you have decades of life and work experience. Here are five ways I would modify a search plan for a job seeker over 50:

1 – Start reconnecting socially ASAP

Reaching out to people generally comes later in your job search when you are clearer about what you want and have prepared how to talk about yourself. However, you never want your first approach to be about your job search, when you have not been in touch for years (or decades). Furthermore, with more experience comes more connections (hopefully) and more reconnections to be made as you likely have fallen out of touch over the years.

Therefore, while you’re gearing up for your search – identifying your targets, creating your marketing – start reconnecting with your network on a strictly social basis. Just say hello and ask about what people have been up to. Focus on having genuine interactions without talking about your job search at all. An additional practical benefit is that it cleans up your database so you can see how many people you already know and can readily contact when you are ready to kick off your search. Your network, especially with decades of contacts, will be much more critical to landing a job than unsolicited applications to job postings (one reason to stop reading job postings).

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2 – Get real about how much flexibility you have for your search

When you’re over 50, you are more likely than a younger person with fewer years to have a life built around multiple relationships. You might have kids to support, elder care responsibilities, even a significant other going through their own career reinvention. You might have purchased a house at this point, making it harder to just pick up and leave. You might be in a job right now that has broad responsibilities.

When your life has multiple obligations to support and moving parts to coordinate, your job search has to accommodate these. How much time do you have to devote to the six activities I outlined? If you are between jobs, how much money do you have to support your financial commitments while you look? Run the numbers on time and money. Gauge your own emotional fortitude and energy level for a search.

3 – Prioritize your goals for this next job

Your job search will be impacted by the time, money and energy that you have, It will also be targeted based on what your immediate career goals are. Are you looking to shore up your retirement so earning potential is key? Are you looking to introduce some fulfillment into your life so passion for the work matters most? Are you finally ready to try something different from your early career, such that you’re flexible on the job, even the money, as long as it takes you in a new direction?

I have posted several real-life career changes over 50, and there is no one path. Karen Rittenhouse pivoted industries and took on more entrepreneurial risk because money was a priority, and she didn’t have time to follow the conventional retirement savings strategy. Melinda Chu leaned on her outside interests and network and ended up making a career change from legal research to affinity marketing. Mark Prygocki was looking for something different and that led to opening a donut franchise.

4 – Summarize your unique value proposition

Whatever you decide to go after, you will have to convince others. To find a job, you need to convince employers. If you go into business for yourself, you need to convince clients. Having decades of experience is one qualifier, but it doesn’t differentiate you from others who also have extensive experience. What is it about your experience, skills and expertise that sets you apart and solves a problem for your employer or client? For example, your decades of work mean that you have experienced both up and down economies. Have you also worked across industries, with big and small companies, in growth market and turnaround situations?

Don’t make hiring managers guess or plow through years’ worth of information to pinpoint what your superpower is. Design your story with the highlights readily available. Have clear examples and metrics to share. Be able to talk about yourself with enthusiasm and confidence. If you don’t feel competitive for a job, then do more work around your marketing, research or interview practice till you feel ready. In order to convince people to hire you, you must first convince yourself.

5 – Address any red flags

Being enthusiastic and confident does not mean glossing over reasonable concerns that you will encounter during your search. Employers are more demanding – a good resume is not enough, and there are typically additional hurdles to landing an interview. Anticipate what might give employers pause about hiring you, and address these red flags directly.

I once coached a mid-career professional who wanted to pivot into business development/ corporate strategy – an area that typically hired either very experienced, longtime dealmakers or recent MBA graduates. My client’s late-stage pivot was an obvious red flag – why is he leaving his current career (i.e., is he being pushed out)? Why should they take a chance on my client rather than continue with the hiring model that has already proven to work? My client had to sell employers without getting defensive. He had to explain his career path and argue that he was the better choice than people 10, 15, even 20 years his junior. He’s now happily working in business development/ corporate strategy, once he learned to address the red flags head-on

Once your job search gets going, focus on keeping multiple leads in play at all times

Every job seeker, from right out of school till right before retirement, needs to keep multiple leads in play at all times, especially in a competitive job market. However, if you tend to second-guess yourself and lose confidence easily, it’s even more important that you make sure your pipeline never goes dry. Continue to apply for additional jobs and reach out to your network and new contacts, even if you’re already in the interview process with other places.

Too many job seekers go after one or two jobs at a time, and if these fall through, then they assume that the search is hopeless. Don’t let yourself off the hook. Continue to put yourself out there. People do get hired – over 50 and in tough job markets.

Forbes.com | July 6, 2020 | Caroline Ceniza-Levine Senior Contributor

#BestofFSCBlog : How To Find A Full-Time Job When You’re Over 50. Great Read!

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With unemployment at all-time lows, now might be the best time for you to be looking for a full-time job. The challenges, however, are greater if you’re over 50 years old.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average it takes those 55 to 64 two weeks longer to find a job compared to those 20 years and older. (The news is worse if you’re 65 and older, where this average duration of unemployment is 10 weeks longer.)

It seems the idea of early retirement hasn’t caught on with those in their 50s (and even beyond).

“Our research shows that experienced workers are staying on the job longer or looking for a job for two reasons,” says Susan K. Weinstock, Vice President, Financial Resilience Programming at AARP. “Financially, they need the money, and, secondly, they like their job and find it fulfilling and want to keep working.”

Bankrate regularly surveys workers regarding their financial circumstances. Its data confirms what AARP found for those working well past age 50.

“When Bankrate asked Americans who were neither retired nor permanently disabled about their retirement savings, more than half said they were behind where they should have been,” says Mark Hamrick, Senior Economic Analyst at Bankrate.com.

“For members of Generation X (age 39-54), the percentage was 63% and Boomers (age 55-73), 54% said they were behind on their retirement savings. No doubt many people who would otherwise be candidates to retire seek to remain in the workforce because they feel they need income, or to further boost their savings. Others may choose to work as a means of remaining engaged and active.”

If you’re like many older workers, you may prefer to retain your current position. But what if your present employer can’t accommodate you? It may have been decades since you last tried to look for a new job. What has changed since then? What do you have to do differently today to land full-time employment?

 

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of the article:

Bryan Zawikowski has been a recruiter for 25 years and is the vice president and general manager of the military transition division for Lucas Group. Forbes ranked Lucas Group as one of the top 10 executive search firms in the nation in 2019. Zawikowski’s team works with many people who find themselves either changing careers or looking for new jobs later in life. He shares the following advice:

“What are the best practices?”

·        To thine own self be true: “Don’t try to hide your age. It doesn’t work, and you end up looking either vain or foolish—maybe both.”

·        Polish up your online presence: “Your LinkedIn profile should be very professional, including the photograph.”

·        Emphasize your real-world experience: “No ‘functional’ resumes. They end up in the trash.”

·        Brevity is the soul of wit: “Maximum 2-page resume. The further back in your work history you go, the less detail there should be.”

“What are the easiest ways to make it happen?”

·        Recalculate: “Be financially prepared to take a step back in compensation (either scale back your lifestyle or be prepared to dip into savings if need be).”

·        Re-calibrate: “Be emotionally and mentally prepared to work for someone younger and perhaps more talented than you.”

·        Circulate: “Network with former classmates, former work colleagues, friends and acquaintances that know something about your desired career path.”

·        Captivate: “Have a GREAT story about why you are interested in this new career field and why you’d be good at it.”

“What are the do’s and don’ts?”

·        DO something you enjoy: “Pick a career that you are really into, something that energizes you and somewhere you look forward to going to work most days.”

·        DO maintain your health: “Stay physically active. You don’t have to be a marathon runner, but do something to keep your energy level up.”

·        DO continue to learn: “Read as much as you can about your new career field.”

·        DON’T lie: You can’t “pretend to be an expert at something just because you were good at something else.”

·        DON’T assume the status quo: You’ll be disappointed if you “think you will be able to make a lateral move from where you are in your current career field.”

·        DON’T be unrealistic: You’ll only hurt yourself more if you “sacrifice more than you can afford to in terms of compensation. Retirement isn’t too far away and you don’t want to jeopardize that.”

You are the master of your own destiny. If you want to find a job, you can. No matter what your age.

Forbes.com | January 17, 2020 | Chris Carosa

What To Do When Your Career Is Disrupted Later In Life. A Stable Job for Life is Arguably a Thing of the Past.

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Despite the various proclamations that we are living in an age of increasing footloose behaviors and we are going to have multiple careers throughout our life, the prospect of losing one’s job still has many of the pangs associated with other forms of grief. Indeed, losing your job is perhaps the toughest thing you can ever face, with damage not only in the immediate aftermath but over a prolonged period of time.

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Overall, 31% of job seekers aged 55 and older report they have been looking for work for 27 weeks or longer.

Around 50% of American workers over 50 years old are at risk of redundancy. The research, which was conducted by ProPublica and the Urban Institute, grimly tells us that this cohort is being pushed out of jobs held for some time before retirement causing the kind of financial damage that is irreversible.

Acting now

At the later stage in your career, the chances are that you may have developed a degree of financial security, and this can hinder your efforts to reinvent yourself as it removes the sense of urgency that is required to successfully transition into a new career. What is more, you may also be lulled into a false sense of security by the skills and experience that you have built up over the years.

Valuable though these skills may have been in your old career, there’s no guarantee that they will be equally valuable in your new one. This narrow focus and intense specialization may have worked in the past, but careers are changing, and the stability and security that typified the work-life when you were growing up are increasingly being consigned to the dustbin of history.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of the article:

Now, skills such as adaptability and agility are far more important, with organizations relying heavily on cross-functional teams where collaboration and emotional intelligence will come to the fore. Here are a few things you can do to make a successful transition:

  1. Forget your titles – Chances are that your old career came with a good dose of prestige, with titles and all that came with them attached to your seniority. Those are lovely, but they are holding you back from moving on.  It is far healthier to think akin to a film director who goes from project to project. Your past work was nice, but this is a new you, applying yourself in new ways.
  2. Develop your portfolio – As you will no longer be able to rely on your title to open doors for you, it is important that you start to develop a portfolio of projects to showcase your skills. In this transitionary period, these can be projects outside of work. Not only will they give your life a renewed purpose, but you will almost certainly develop a wide range of invaluable skills too.
  3. Adjust your outgoings – If you have high expenses, it can be tempting to jump into the first opportunity that presents itself, just to get some money coming in, but it is quite likely that this will be a bad choice. If you can build up some savings so that you can go for the right opportunity rather than the first opportunity then you are likely to be happier in the long-run.
  4. Embrace the unexpected – Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA) has become a bit cliched in the business world, but the essence of uncertainty and volatility do nonetheless ring true.  You will need to be agile and open-minded to make the most of your new-found freedom, so consider fresh ways to stretch yourself and develop new skills.
  5. Develop a love of learning – When you achieve a certain level of seniority it is tempting to rest on your laurels, but the world waits for no one, so it is vital that you are learning each and every day. There are countless opportunities to do this, from books, blogs and massive open online courses (MOOCs). You might even find mentoring young people can be a great way to learn from them as much as they from you. Admit where your knowledge has holes and work to plug them.

The chances are, your previous status gave your life a certain narrative, with your role and title key parts of that story. Now, you have the opportunity to craft a completely new narrative, and it is important that you spend time thinking about what that is. When you meet people, this is your point of entry into the conversation. You will be telling this story as your introduction to you to each new person you meet.

A stable job for life is arguably a thing of the past, so the ability to pivot one’s career and adapt to the changes in the market are likely to be valuable skills to learn. If you have to learn them later in your career, then so be it. In this way, the stability in your life comes not from your employer, but from within you, which is an altogether healthier place to be.

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#CareerAdvice : #CareerChange -How to Change Careers at 40 & Over. Great REad!

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IN MANY SPORTS, halftime is when the coach changes up the strategy and can redefine success for the rest of the game. Positions are adjusted and players are swapped. The team that takes the field or court in the second half often has a completely different approach to the game in terms of pace, priorities and tactics.

The age of 40 is a similar waypoint for when people reconsider their career and whether they are in the right position or even the right sport. Following seven steps will guide a job seeker through the unique journey of making a major career change at 40 and older.

Understand Yourself

Philosophical wisdom usually starts with an exhortation to know oneself. After all, if you don’t know yourself, who does? What motivates you? What are you good at? In what areas are you less skilled? Starting with a clear measure of who you are and where you fit in the world of work is critical to any job search but especially if you seek a change of function, industry or profession.

The good thing about being 40 is that you likely have about two decades of work experience and have both received feedback and contemplated your own successes and failures. Think about when you have felt the most competent. Was it when you “nailed” an oral presentation? Or was it when you closed a difficult sale, fixed a technical problem or when you helped a colleague with a social issue? Unlike a recent graduate who needs to speculate regarding her strengths and weaknesses, the 40-year-old should know them cold.

Like appraising a piece of art from a different vantage, it is important to look at one’s career from varying perspectives. Why did one assignment go well and another less so? If you can explain your value retrospectively with confidence, you have a much better chance of articulating the value prospectively into a new role or field.

The 40-something job seeker needs to work his or her plan even while remaining open to changing the self-awareness, goals and execution plan along the way

Determine Your Goal

Having decided on who you are, you must determine what you seek. Life and careers are full of tradeoffs. Are you willing to move? How much of a step back are you willing to endure to make a change? What do you really want to do? What function, industry, level and location do you seek?

The goal needs to be specific, measurable and actionable. “I want a better job” is not a helpful goal. “I want to make a move into sales management at a service-oriented company with revenue of more than $25 million on the West Coast of the U.S.” is clearer and more definable. The goal may change in focus and clarity throughout your career change journey, but the struggle for definition is at least half the battle.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

Articulate Your Why and Why You

If you know yourself and what you seek, how will you communicate to others in such a way that they can inform, help and direct you? A clear and concise elevator pitch is a key tool in learning how to present yourself and tell your story for opportunity. Tie the past to the future through the mechanism of your self-understanding and future goal.

“I have enjoyed good success as a salesperson and as a sales manager. When I think back on the first half of my career, I have noticed that my biggest impact was in the analytical support of my clients and teams. It turns out that I am very good at quantitative and qualitative analysis. It is the reason why I want to shift my career into a financial analyst role.”

Note the use of the personal narrative and career search goal as a bridge from the past to the future.

Assess Your Resources

Once your intellectual house is in order, you must turn to the practical aspects of executing your plan. Start with a candid assessment of your resources. These are your financial, social and intellectual capital. Financial resources include money and investments on hand, of course, but also an inventory of obligations. A single parent with limited means who is also supporting an elderly parent, for example, may not have the same risk tolerance as someone in different circumstances.

Social capital includes your contacts database but also your friends and family who can support or provide friction for your career change plan. Get the key people in your life on board with your plan by providing the same insight that you learned by articulating your “Why and Why You” statement.

Finally, take stock of your intellectual capital. Do you have the right degrees, certifications or licenses for the move? Not all fields require these designations, but you need a clear understanding of what might be required early in the process of making a career change.

Research and Network

Online and print research is a big part of executing a career change at any age but especially at 40 or older. Since you are selling wisdom and experience as a key part of your value offering, you must in fact be informed and knowledgeable. In addition to personal research, the best source of access to information, people and organizations is networking. Aggressive and focused networking is the most effective route to new opportunities. The good news is that these steps can be done before you leave your current position. Set a goal to meet two additional people each week for focused networking and be sure to offer assistance to others as you work toward your goal.

Take the Plunge – but Only After Reducing Your Risk

At a certain point, one must take the plunge. This does not mean hastily quitting a current job in order to dedicate oneself to a poorly conceived quixotic quest. It does mean breaking the cycle of procrastination that afflicts most people (when they are honest with themselves). A written plan with deadlines and goals will provide accountability and ensure that real progress is being made.

Rapidly Iterate and Repeat

Few startup companies stick with the same business model with which they launched. And so it is with a career switch job search. The six steps above are a process that may be repeated multiple times throughout a career. What you want and how you conceive your goal will likely change and adapt to real-world conditions and learning. For example, a social worker interested in getting into corporate sales might be surprised to learn that there are selling opportunities in the nonprofit world that may not require as radical an industry change as previously thought to gain access.

The 40-something job seeker needs to work his or her plan even while remaining open to changing the self-awareness, goals and execution plan along the way.

Career change is challenging at any age, but the 40-or-older job seeker has the advantage of greater resources, wisdom and insight than her younger colleague. Midlife career change is possible and likely when the candidate follows these seven steps and comes back after halftime ready to win.

Author: Peter A. Gudmundsson, Contributor

Peter A. Gudmundsson has written for U.S. News and World Report since 2015. He is the CEO of Th…  READ MORE

 

USNews.com |  July 26, 2019