How to Get a Good Job After 50

A step-by-step guide to job search success

Rupert French

• Publisher: Exisle Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781925820829
• eBook ISBN: 9781991001054
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

Many people are looking to stay in the workforce longer and are seeking satisfying, fulfilling jobs. With age comes experience, reliability and practised skills, and this step-by-step guide explains how to market these qualities with confidence. Covering all aspects of the job search, this is a tried and tested recipe for career success!

CHAPTER 1

Establishing You & Co

So, you’re over 50, you’re looking for a job and perhaps you’re worried that no one will want to hire you because of your age. This book shows how you can avoid age discrimination with your own well-planned, proactive job search campaign, one which dispels any concerns employers may have regarding your age.

At the same time, a well-planned, proactive job search emphasizes the many benefits that your maturity and experience will bring to the workplace. This approach shows you how to run your campaign and gain the sort of employment you want. Whatever your age and situation, if you use the strategies outlined in this book, you could have the sort of employment you are looking for, and usually within a relatively short period of time.

Concerns employers have regarding older applicants

Some employers have concerns which are based on mistaken stereotypes of older applicants. Because these stereotypes are so prevalent, they are widely accepted without question. This means that older job seekers need to clearly demonstrate that these stereotypes do not apply to them. The entrepreneurial approach to the job search, described in this chapter, is an effective way of achieving this.

The misconceived stereotype of mature workers is that they may have health problems; that they lack the energy and stamina of younger workers; that they are stuck in their ways and unwilling to learn and adapt to change; that they are unlikely to work well under a younger supervisor or relate well to younger co-workers; and that they are not up-to-date with technology. All of these have been proven to be fallacies and yet they are still believed by many.

Unfortunately, because they are so prevalent, these stereotypes often affect how mature job seekers view themselves. Instead of seeing the benefits of their experience, they start to believe in the popularly accepted but ill-founded perception of age-related decrepitude.

The benefits older applicants bring to the workplace

In spite of continuing discrimination against older workers, there is strong statistical evidence that many employers would prefer to hire workers over 50 to those under 30.¹ According to a survey by Adecco of 500 hiring managers, 60 per cent answered that, given the choice of hiring a Millennial or someone over 50, they would hire the mature worker.² The reasons for this are that older workers are seen to have a good work ethic; they are more reliable and responsible, and that, because they have experienced difficult situations and crises in the past, they are good problem-solvers and are able to help and mentor their younger colleagues.

One 2017 study published in Forbes found, ‘An older worker’s experience increases not only his own productivity but also the productivity of those who work with him.’³ Another article, also published in Forbes just two months later, showed that productivity does not peak until age 50 when it is 60 per cent higher than that of the average twenty-year-old.⁴

While ‘mental power’ — the ability to quickly grasp new facts and ideas — seems to decline after the age of 30, knowledge and expertise keep increasing well into old age, according to research quoted in the Harvard Business Review in 2019.⁵ The report states that knowledge and expertise are the main predictors of job performance. Older workers retain interest and curiosity to trigger new skill acquisition and, as they learn new techniques beside their younger teammates, because they bring understanding gained in different situations, the learning experience for all is the richer.

Far from being a health risk, mature workers statistically have fewer sick days than younger workers, according to a report in The Independent.⁶ Corinne Purtill writing for Quartz at Work (2018) states that older workers also tend to have greater loyalty towards their employer and their team.⁷

Debunking the misconceptions

A proactive, full-time job search campaign can clearly demonstrate that you do not fit the negative stereotype of an older worker. It can show your employability and how you would fit into a workplace. Your energy, work ethic, motivation, communication and interpersonal skills and your IT competence can all be on display. If you believe that your fitness level could be better, make regular sport, the gym or an exercise routine part of your campaign. If you believe that you need to update your skills, include in your campaign relevant training and development. Do some volunteer work to demonstrate your adaptability, your work ethic and your ability to work with younger people.

The entrepreneurial approach

One of the biggest frustrations faced by job seekers is that so much of the process seems to be in other people’s hands. When you mount a reactive job search campaign, when you rely solely on finding advertised positions, you are putting yourself into a position of dependence on factors which are outside your control; you are at the mercy of recruiters and employers. The accepted method of trawling through job boards and applying for possible positions leaves you feeling powerless. You are relying on employers to advertise positions and to read your application. And there’s not much you can do when they don’t get back to you.

To regain the initiative, mount a job search campaign where you are in control, where you proactively go looking for jobs which have not been advertised.

Be entrepreneurial, not in the sense of starting a small business, but through accessing the hidden job market⁸ and managing your job search campaign as if you were a micro-enterprise looking for prospective ‘clients’. This is not a new concept. However, it’s not as widely practised as it should be, despite its proven success.⁹

Australian entrepreneur Rebekah Campbell, in an interview with Business Insiders in 2018, said: ‘People should think of themselves as entrepreneurs rather than as employees. That doesn’t mean that everybody is going to necessarily start a business. But it means everybody is the CEO/founder of their own business, which is their own career.’¹⁰

Once you take control of your job search in this way, you will experience a welcome boost to both your confidence and your self-esteem. These are both essential ingredients for job search success.

Because this approach requires continuous effort, it will demonstrate your work ethic. And because you’ll regularly be communicating with and meeting people, your interpersonal and communication skills will also be shown, convincing not only employers of your worth, but yourself as well. An energetic, proactive, well-organized job search campaign will boost your belief in yourself and will persuade employers to believe in you too.

And one final and great advantage is that when seeking jobs this way, you are usually the only applicant. There will be no younger candidates to compete against you.

Establishing You & Co

The first step is to convince yourself that you and your career do constitute a micro-enterprise and that to manage your career and your job search campaign as a micro-enterprise will give you the greatest likelihood of success.

One very simple strategy which some job seekers have found helpful is to create a certificate stating that you are the CEO of You & Co¹¹ and put it on the wall above your desk. Choose a name for your business, one that best represents you and the type of work you want to do, for example ‘Linda Heatherton, Tour Guide Contractor’ or ‘Tom Matlock, OH&S Consultant’. Make it look as good and as realistic as you can. Certainly, it may just be a bit of aspirational swagger, but it will keep reminding you to manage your job search campaign as a business until this becomes second nature.

A more substantial strategy, one which every job seeker should adopt, is to establish an honorary advisory ‘Board’ for You & Co. This might consist of perhaps three to five people you know and trust, people who would like to help you and provide support, people you can draw on for advice and encouragement. Job seeking can be a lonely occupation and you will find that having this sort of support will make a huge difference to your confidence and feeling of wellbeing and, therefore, to the likelihood of your success.

Meet with these people regularly, not necessarily always in a ‘Board’ setting. Let them know what your ideas are, the progress you’re making and the problems you’re facing. Bounce ideas off them or ask for their advice about a strategy you are considering.

Another strategy you might find useful is to find a ‘virtual mentor’. A virtual mentor could be a famous person, living or dead, or a character from a film, television series or book. The important thing is that your virtual mentor is a character you admire and would like to emulate, someone you think you know well and understand, and someone who acts in a way you believe you need to, in order to find the job you want.

When you face a challenging situation or difficult decision, mentally ask this virtual mentor for their advice. If you know the mentor well you will be able to determine what they would say, and that could be just the advice you need.¹²

Another important strategy which we will discuss in the next chapter is composing a ‘mission statement’ for your job search campaign. Like the certificate, your mission statement should be visible, maybe not on the wall but in your diary or job search action plan; somewhere you will see it on a daily basis.

Managing your own micro-enterprise means working at it full-time. To make the best use of this time, you should plan each day. What do you need to do today to progress your business? Put it in your diary now or make yourself a Daily Action Planner (see Chapter 11). You might be hesitating to get started, not quite sure what to do first, so here are some ideas to get you started:

■ Create a certificate stating you are the CEO of You & Co.

■ Contact someone you would like as a member of your ‘Board’ and discuss your plans.

■ Select the precise sort of position you are seeking. This could include a variety of roles if you are aiming for a mix of employment options, so try to be as precise as you can be for each job option (see Chapter 2).

The last word

Once you have taken just one of these actions, you have started. Don’t give up. Yes, things will probably get difficult at times, you will almost certainly have to face some challenges on the way and there are times when you might feel uncomfortable or unsure. But keep going. Keep your goal in mind. It’s your future which is at stake and that is worth working for. Congratulations! You’re on your way.

CHAPTER 2

A permanent job, the gig economy and other options

The first chapter showed you how to start your job search campaign by establishing You & Co and adopting an entrepreneurial approach. If you want to be successful in your job search, you need to have a clear plan just as you would need in business. A clear plan means knowing exactly what sort of work you are seeking. You will probably know the occupation you want to follow, but you might not have thought about how you want to work.

Do you want permanent, temporary or casual employment? Full-time or part-time work or some mix of the options available? If you haven’t consider...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Content
• Author’s note
• Introduction: What’s so special about this book?
• Chapter 1: Establishing You & Co
• Chapter 2: A permanent job, the gig economy and other options
• Chapter 3: The résumé — a ‘business proposal’
• Chapter 4: The résumé — fleshing out the skeleton
• Chapter 5: The résumé — the more challenging bits
• Chapter 6: The sizzle that sells the story
• Chapter 7: Cover letters and a call to action
• Chapter 8: Addressing the selection criteria
• Chapter 9: Your billboard in the cloud
• Chapter 10: Avenues for marketing
• Chapter 11: Goodwill, market research and networking
• Chapter 12: Staying calm and positive when the going gets tough
• Chapter 13: Preparing your pitch for the job interview
• Chapter 14: Making the sale in the face-to-face job interview
• Chapter 15: Phone, video and robot interviews
• Chapter 16: Assessment centres
• Chapter 17: Sealing the deal
• Chapter 18: Succeeding in the new job
• Appendix 1: Specimen applications for human eyes
• Appendix 2: Specimen applications for ATS software
• Endnotes
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• Copyright