Job Hunt Tips For Older Workers
Allison Allen
July 17, 2008
The hunt for a new job is rarely fun. Even at the best of times, it can be stressful and time-consuming. What happens though if you are a 50 something woman and find yourself laid off, or trying to switch jobs?
Unfortunately, it seems to be true that older workers in general face more challenges in the job market than their younger colleagues. They figure more prominently in layoffs according to the Labor Department. Their data shows that workers 55 and older accounted for 18.6 percent of the layoffs in 2007, up from 13.4 percent in 2000.
Re-employment is tougher as well. The most recent Labor Department statistics (2006) show that 25 to 54 year olds have the best chance of getting another job. Seventy five percent of those had new jobs within a year, compared to 61 percent of workers between 55 and 64.
The situation becomes more complicated if you´re a woman in her 50s who exited the workplace for a few years to care for elderly parents, for example.
What gives? Several things could be at work. Many companies:
Believe they can hire younger workers for less money than a seasoned 50 year old professional.
Fear that older workers bring with them a higher possibility of medical and health complications that can raise the company´s health care costs and lead to greater absenteeism.
Believe many older workers aren´t as tech-savvy or flexible in their ways as their younger counterparts.
See older professionals as having a more limited skill sets and range of work experience. Many workers in their 40s can expect to hold 14 jobs during his or her work life as compared to 7 for the average 50 something.
While sobering, the situation isn´t hopeless by any means. But, it may require some changes in the way you think about the job search.
First of all, understand that if you have not had to search for a job in the last 4 or 5 years, you may be completely out of touch with how the process works these days. Kate McLagan, Vice-President for Right Management in Austin, Texas, manages outplacement services. She offers some words of advice for an older woman looking for employment:
Basically a job search is a sales and marketing campaign with you selling yourself.
In general, networking, not resumes, get you the job. But, there is an art to making networking work for you. Find help with this to keep from wasting precious time.
Begin by getting your verbal and written strategies/materials in place. This includes the important step of distilling your particular gifts into 3 or 4 ´diamonds´. If you skip this step, you can count on doubling the time it takes to find a position.
Too many times, Kate says, we are trying to ´get a job´ rather than figure out what our role in the company could be. We are aiming at some box defined by a job description, rather than thinking about (and helping the hiring manager see) the broader picture of how our particular gifts fit with the organization´s goals.
It´s critical to understand the broader trends that are driving change in our industry to keep ourselves current and up to date.
Renee Trudeau, Founder of Career Strategists, a career planning and coaching firm in Austin, Texas helping people navigate their career path, believes you start by asking: What do I want? What do I do best and how will a particular job leverage my innate strengths? Determining a good ´fit´ is based on factors such as your life stage, personality and preferences with regard to company culture, ideal boss, etc.
"It´s really important that your resume, cover letter, and interview ´success stories´ be tailored to the job you´re applying for. Make sure all of your marketing tools position you for the next job, not the job you used to have." says Renee.
With regard to age, she says, "Many of my clients who are afraid of age discrimination or as being viewed as overqualified, are carrying around self-limiting beliefs which are sabotaging their success in interviews. Go into an interview with energy, enthusiasm and expecting the best. Your attitude has a huge impact on how you´re perceived."
Finally, if you´re still having trouble landing your new job, a career coach can give you some objective, knowledgeable support in determining where you´re ´stuck´.
Sanjay Sathe, CEO of job search web site RiseSmart, also had some practical tips to share for older workers:
Look for a new job before you get laid off. It´s more difficult to find a job when you´re out of work, and this becomes especially true when you´re 55 and over.
If you´ve been laid off, regroup and do some soul searching before plunging in to look for something new. It takes longer when you´re older to find work, so making sure you know what you want to be doing at this stage of your life can save you steps.
To trump the ´over-qualified´ card, you may want to consider ´dumbing down´ your resume. The company may assume you want too much pay for your 30 years of experience and screen you out before you´ve even had a chance to discuss salary requirements.
Maintaining your personal network is absolutely critical. Use online tools like LinkedIn or Plaxo to extend your network, or become an active member of local professional groups.
Patience is a virtue. When you´re over 55, it simply takes longer, but persistence does pay off.
Unfortunately, it seems to be true that older workers in general face more challenges in the job market than their younger colleagues. They figure more prominently in layoffs according to the Labor Department. Their data shows that workers 55 and older accounted for 18.6 percent of the layoffs in 2007, up from 13.4 percent in 2000.
Re-employment is tougher as well. The most recent Labor Department statistics (2006) show that 25 to 54 year olds have the best chance of getting another job. Seventy five percent of those had new jobs within a year, compared to 61 percent of workers between 55 and 64.
The situation becomes more complicated if you´re a woman in her 50s who exited the workplace for a few years to care for elderly parents, for example.
What gives? Several things could be at work. Many companies:
While sobering, the situation isn´t hopeless by any means. But, it may require some changes in the way you think about the job search.
First of all, understand that if you have not had to search for a job in the last 4 or 5 years, you may be completely out of touch with how the process works these days. Kate McLagan, Vice-President for Right Management in Austin, Texas, manages outplacement services. She offers some words of advice for an older woman looking for employment:
Renee Trudeau, Founder of Career Strategists, a career planning and coaching firm in Austin, Texas helping people navigate their career path, believes you start by asking: What do I want? What do I do best and how will a particular job leverage my innate strengths? Determining a good ´fit´ is based on factors such as your life stage, personality and preferences with regard to company culture, ideal boss, etc.
"It´s really important that your resume, cover letter, and interview ´success stories´ be tailored to the job you´re applying for. Make sure all of your marketing tools position you for the next job, not the job you used to have." says Renee.
With regard to age, she says, "Many of my clients who are afraid of age discrimination or as being viewed as overqualified, are carrying around self-limiting beliefs which are sabotaging their success in interviews. Go into an interview with energy, enthusiasm and expecting the best. Your attitude has a huge impact on how you´re perceived."
Finally, if you´re still having trouble landing your new job, a career coach can give you some objective, knowledgeable support in determining where you´re ´stuck´.
Sanjay Sathe, CEO of job search web site RiseSmart, also had some practical tips to share for older workers:
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