Age bias exists, but may be counteracted. Many experienced workers over age 50 often find it takes two times as long to find a new job, especially in this troubled economy.
Experts
agree one of the biggest barriers is not knowing how or where you may
fit in when your industry is shrinking. First you must be able to list
and verbalize your unique strengths.
• Think beyond job titles which limit career options. List skills
which can have broad appeal across industries.
• Think career shift, not career change. This means transferring
skills into other environments, e.g., Manager of Sales can
be Customer Service Supervisor; Customer Service can be Quality
Control; Office Manager easily transfers
to Administrative Support. CFO’s fit Controllers positions.
Brainstorm with former colleagues and friends.
• Network broadly with people at all levels. Join networking groups.
Or, volunteer to meet new people and provide
a service which makes you feel you are contributing.
• Sell yourself based on gaps in the current job market. This requires
research, networking, and information meetings.
• Present yourself as a mentor. Emphasize strengths associated with
wisdom and experience.
• Seek contract work. Downsizing means there are lots of gaps out
there.
• Get to the point quickly. Hiring managers often run into experienced
persons who want to tell all in one run
on sentence. Practice brief.
• Identify why you want to work. Is it for the money or is it because
you want something meaningful to do? Options will
be easier to find.
• Think multiple-income streams. Several part time jobs can be fun.
Add to your career portfolio and get your foot
in the door several places.
Times may be tough now for older job seekers, but their long-term
prospects are improving. Organizations face skills shortages that will
worsen as baby boomers retire. To cope, they'll likely ask older
employees to stay past traditional retirement age. This can only
benefit society as a whole since it will stem a profound loss of
knowledge, maturity and experience.