9 Ways to Screw Up a Job Search When You’re 50 or Older

Tens of millions of Individuals are job looking throughout their 50s, 60s and past. A few of these seniors are on the lookout for a job as a result of they like to work. Others are sending out resumes for causes starting from pink slips to monetary want.

Seniors will be engaging job candidates. Many potential employers worth older staff for his or her expertise and work ethic, and for the steadiness they convey to the office. However should you hope to land a job after 50, you need to keep away from some key errors.

Listed below are some essential errors that may derail the job search of anybody who has handed the half-century mark.

1. Forgetting to edit your resume

Right now’s companies get an avalanche of resumes each time they put up a job opening. Laptop packages could first scan these and weed out those deemed misplaced causes. The survivors then go to a hiring supervisor, who could give them solely a cursory look earlier than deciding who strikes on to the interview part.

Age discrimination in opposition to older staff is prohibited. However let’s face it, bias exists. Employers weeding by means of a whole bunch of resumes could discover it straightforward to cull the stack by dropping these from individuals they deem too previous.

Don’t let your resume be a giveaway to your age. Remove the dates in your training historical past and restrict your work historical past to not more than the final 15 years. Each modifications may also help you keep away from standing out because the elder job candidate.

For extra, take a look at:

2. Being too proud to volunteer whilst you look

In case your job search isn’t transferring as shortly as you’d like, make good use of your downtime. Volunteering will be a superb method to get out of the home and make connections that might probably result in paid work.

You can volunteer for a corporation you already know or head to VolunteerMatch to search out new alternatives. Don’t overlook volunteering on your native Chamber of Commerce or skilled organizations in your discipline of curiosity.

3. Failing to replace tech abilities

If there’s one factor that may separate older staff from the youthful competitors, it’s tech abilities — or lack thereof.

Whereas a hiring supervisor could mechanically assume 20-something job candidates know their means round a pc and the web, they could assume the alternative of an older applicant. Show them improper by getting some tech coaching earlier than starting your job search so you may confidently say you’re in a position to make use of no matter packages and functions the place requires.

4. Not having a presence on-line

Whilst you’re updating tech abilities, take a while to create an internet presence. Right now’s HR departments could also be extra prone to plug your identify right into a search engine than to make a cellphone name to your references.

And what’s going to they discover after they do this? Crickets? Or worse, that indignant letter you despatched to the newspaper and nothing else?

It is advisable take cost of your on-line presence by, on the very least, making a LinkedIn profile. This may function your on-line resume, and also you’ll wish to fill it with knowledgeable photograph and particulars about your work expertise.

5. Ignoring your networks

You’ve been across the block a few occasions, proper? Nicely then, put all these connections you’ve made to good use.

Decide up the cellphone, shoot off an e mail or ship a textual content. Be direct and to the purpose. Inform individuals in your skilled community that you just’re on the lookout for a brand new place and ask in the event that they know of any alternatives.

For extra, take a look at “9 Simple Tips for Successful and Painless Networking.”

6. Being shy about emphasizing your expertise

A deep community isn’t the one factor you’ve most likely collected over time. You most likely have a boatload of expertise, too. Put that to your benefit.

The truth is, when you get to the interview stage, don’t skirt the difficulty. The interviewer could already be considering, “Wow, this man is previous!” So, go forward and acknowledge it.

Clarify that whilst you will not be the youngest job candidate to stroll by means of the door, your oodles of expertise will likely be a profit to the corporate. Particularly, stress that you just’ll want little to no coaching to hit the bottom working, and the way that reality can save the enterprise each money and time.

7. Performing like all of it

Emphasizing expertise is nice — to a degree. You don’t wish to make your observe file look intimidating to these youthful than you. A 30-something boss could also be fearful a 60-year-old job candidate goes to wish to run the present. The very last thing younger whippersnappers need is a mother or dad peering over their shoulders and critiquing their each transfer.

Positive, you’re not going to behave that means, however you’ve received to persuade the interviewer of that as effectively. Be enthusiastic in regards to the present enterprise management and have a few tales to share that spotlight your work as a part of a staff.

8. employers who don’t worth older staff

Relatively than attempting to persuade a youth-centric firm that you just’re proper for the job, it might be saner to focus your efforts on employers who worth older staff.

You might be able to discover these employers by means of these assets:

9. Being unwilling to bend on earnings

Whereas your expertise will be an asset, an employer may see greenback indicators after they weigh it. Firms typically want to rent a youthful employee who will likely be content material with decrease wages.

After all, you should be well-compensated on your expertise. Nonetheless, some earnings is healthier than no earnings, and if you wish to get again into the workforce shortly, your finest guess is to be versatile along with your earnings necessities.