The statistics can be frightening for older job applicants: lengthy search times, limited opportunities, and the unspoken but ever-present reality of age discrimination. So give these unfortunate conditions, how could optimism possibly play a role in one's job search? Actually, it does, and this role is a major one. In fact, an optimistic, positive attitude is perhaps the greatest factor that will determine your chances for success.
Anger, resentment and depression -- understandable as these feelings may be -- are a giant turn off to networking contacts and, more importantly, to potential employers. In fact, I can pretty much predict which job seekers will find work and which ones won't, solely based on the attitudes they express. For those who believe they can't and won't find a job simply because of their age -- they're right. This negativity will show and eliminate them from the candidate pool.
Therefore, how can you be realistic about the ups and downs of a job search today, yet maintain a positive outlook as you move forward? Here are four tips that will help you do just that:
#1 Take care of your physical health. A job search takes vigor and stamina, plus you'll need to make a positive impression at every opportunity -- and that takes energy. Older applicants have to work even harder at this. So make certain to exercise regularly, get sufficient sleep, eat nourishing foods and keep to your general routine as much as possible.
#2 Refresh your skill sets. In my latest post, I listed several low-fee and free sites where you can update your technical skills. Many libraries also offer sites such as Universal Class where you can take a number of classes for free by just entering your library card number. Also check out local community colleges, adult education and community centers for low-fee classes in areas that are of interest to you and which will support your career direction.
Then create a list of the skills you bring in each of the three skill areas:
Also write out several examples of how you've used these skills to make a difference: saved time or money, increased profits, turned around a disgruntled client, etc. And remember that mature applicants generally bring greater proficiency in such skill areas as people management, problem solving, leadership and decision-making skills.
Such examples require thought and effort because you'll be drawing on these statements throughout your resume, while networking, and during your job interviews. Therefore you'll want to constantly refine and add to your list of accomplishments. And better yet, you'll find that focusing on the skills you've mastered and the contributions you've made will prove an ego-boosting activity that will help you maintain a positive outlook.
#3 Realize there's help out there. Baby boomers, by virtue of our numbers alone, have always enjoyed certain perks. Now there are a number of resources springing up that cater to us and our job search. Here are several to get you started:
JobsOver50.com
SeniorJobBank.org
Workforce50.com
Simplyhired50+
Jobs.AARP
#4 Make good use of your network. Bar none, the fastest route to your next job is through people you know. This is especially true when the market is tight and, to an even greater extent, for older job-seekers.
Because openings are scarce, today's employers have the luxury of vetting perspective candidates and finding out as much as they can. Resumes can only take you so far, but a nod in your favor from a valued employee or a trusted peer will go a long way to securing you an interview. And, as an added bonus of networking, there's no better boost to your spirits than a connecting with an old friend or a former coworker who thinks highly of you.
So do whatever you can to keep your attitude positive. Remember: what you focus on expands! Although it's helpful to anticipate pitfalls so that you can address and overcome expected challenges, if you're focusing on barriers and roadblocks, you're guaranteed to find them ... over and over again. On the other hand, if you concentrate on your end goal, believe in your skills and the contributions you can make to an organization, and have the confidence to surmount the obstacles you'll likely encounter, you'll be well on your way to success.
As Arianna Huffington says about fearlessness: It's like a muscle--the more you exercise it the stronger it will get. The same is true with your attitude. Skills can be taught. But a strong work ethic, accountability, industry knowledge, significant experience, well-honed decision-making skills, and a winning attitude come with being a mature candidate with an optimistic outlook. And, for many employers, that's exactly the type of person they're looking to hire!
Mary Eileen Williams is a Nationally Board Certified Career Counselor with a Master's Degree in Career Development and twenty years' experience assisting midlife jobseekers to achieve satisfying careers. Her book, Land the Job You Love: 10 Surefire Strategies for Jobseekers Over 50, is a step-by-step guide that shows you how you can turn your age into an advantage and brand yourself for success. Recently updated, it's packed with even more information aimed at providing mature applicants with the tools to gain the edge over the competition and successfully navigate the modern job market. Visit her website at Feisty Side of Fifty.com and celebrate your sassy side!
Follow Mary Eileen Williams on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FeistySideFifty
If you have been in the professional job world for several ==decades== then THAT is your core strength, not simply your ability to perform the work.
Furthermore, e.g. in my chosen field of data processing, don't be confronted by the fact that your present technical skills no longer exactly match "the latest vogue." You've been around long enough and have yourself been through so many technical evolutions/revolutions that you =know= that change happens all the time ...
... whereas much younger workers, for whom this just might BE "their first rodeo" ... might not.
An older worker is more seasoned; more able to see outside the box of the immediate task and to understand its bigger implications.
BUT ALSO: an older worker might not be a good, easy sell for a recruiter. Therefore, you need to go =around= the recruiters. The business-model of a recruiter is basically (and to put it very lightly) that of, ahh, a pim... okay, a used-car salesman. They want to take your resume and sell it for a profit, so they gravitate both toward easy-to-sell resumes AND (only) to positions likely to want to buy them. That's their legitimate business-model but it's next to useless to you. Bypass it.
To find a job now days it takes a mix of looks, personality, brains, skill and a confident attitude. No doubt being optimistic increases your chances of landing a job. What is called networking now used to be known as it's not what you know but who you know and in some areas (like mine) that is often what makes an employer hire you over any other skill, trait, experience or education, etc you may have. In the past 20 years the job market has been transformed. It's not just this current recession; it's a fundamental change in attitudes of employers too. When employers can pick and choose easily they don't value as much what an employee has to offer. In the end attitude can be a deciding factor in landing a job and the amount of optimism you have may just be what makes you better than the other applicants.
When you are pitching for a job, especially a senior-level job, you are ==selling== and you really do need to learn how to do that properly. You can't delegate that job to a recruiter; they frankly don't know how.
Sometimes you have to create the opportunity. You have to be that shoe-salesman in Thomas J. Watson, Sr.'s famous quote, who, when sent to Pango-Pango, wired back to "send all you have!!" because "nobody here wears shoes."
Very often you have to do your legwork to make your resume "easy to buy," and to target it very precisely just to the slots where what you uniquely have to offer will be recognized and desired. If you are right now slinging shotgun-blasts at Monster along with all of the other twentysomethings, that scatter-shot approach is ... well, it's not too likely to work for the twentysomethings, either, but they haven't figured that out yet. :-/