Get Employed!
(3) Tips for Finding a Job After 50
It never occurred to me that I would not be a sought after candidate for a job. I have had a number of successful careers as a career coach, executive search consultant, and a commercial real estate agent, among with a being an author and having produced a documentary.
I was never one to think about my age as I stopped counting my birthdays at 40. My career advice to others was to keep working and trying to find a profession that supported ones’ unique talents and keeping up with business relationships.
Then COVID hit, a life-changing event that we as a world are still dealing with. Never in my lifetime have I seen businesses forced to shut down. The carnage of this pandemic is still being revealed as workers start looking for employment and the lucky ones who kept their jobs and trying to get back to some sort of “normalcy.”
Many of the business relationships I had prior to the pandemic have changed as some have left the job market completely, as they were in a financial position to do so. But, what about those of us who still need to work to make ends meet? Where is the work for us?
It’s a challenge for those of us to get employed over 50, even though we have the experience and insight to be a valuable asset to a company. And, part of the problem is that often our resume reflects too many experiences, in too many industries that make us less attractive to a recruiter, especially if we are currently unemployed.
Here are (3) tips to help you in your job search if you are over 50:
Update Your Resume: This is a given for most job seekers, but you would be surprised how many of us just re-list the same achievements on our resume that we have had for the past thirty years! Its time to redo your resume and customize it to the job opening you are applying for. Many of the items on our current resume are not applicable to the new position and appear dated in today’s job market. You need to only list what is important to a position and where your experience can add value to a company. Too many skills and too much experience can confuse a recruiter or hiring manager and detract from your skill set and experience.
Go through your Contact Database: We all have contacts from former coworkers and bosses. When was the last time you reached out to them? These people know your work and may offer you referral or information on your industry that may help you in your job search, even those who may have already retired. Many of us have an abundant list of social media contacts on Linked In and Facebook. Be smart about how you contact your social media friends. On Facebook, if you don’t have their email or telephone number, reach out on Messenger and ask for their information so you can follow up with them. When using LinkedIn, only send a private message here and never send out automated messages. I call it “lazy marketing” and it is not effective, especially when you are looking to network for a new job.
Identify exactly what you want to do: This is the first step to organizing your job search. You need to really think hard as to what you really want to do over the next ten years and what you want you day to day life to look like. For many of us, we don’t know what we want to do and how hard we want to work. Some of us don’t even know where we want to live. So before you start any job search, you need to have this all flushed out before you send out your first resume or make as networking phone call.
Looking for a new position or changing careers is always possible, even after 50. Be clear as to what you want to do and be honest with yourself as to what your want you work life to look like and how much longer you want to work. This is the time in your life to continue growing, learning new skills and doing something you really want to do and get paid for it. It just takes a well thought out and executed strategy!
Happy job hunting!
Filed under:
Business, career, Jobs, social media
Tags:
career advice, employment advice, employment tips, job search
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Meet The Blogger
Terri Lee Ryan
Terri Lee Ryan is the host of the popular radio podcast, Shades of Gender, which is streamed at https://www.kgay1065.com. In its second season, it explores gender identity. She is an author of “Life is One Big To-Do List” and has won awards at the New York Television Festival for her unscripted shows, Tails in the City (2012) and Rori’s Party (2014). Her documentary segment , “I Married a Crossdresser” was aired on SKY TV (FOX) in the UK and on ABC in Australia. A popular radio/television guest, she has appeared on ABC TV, WLS-FM, WGN-AM and numerous national radio stations.
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