Job Hunting After Fifty

Job Hunting After Fifty

Looking for a new job is never fun. But when you’re over fifty years old it becomes a whole new challenge.
Though companies are not legally allowed to discriminate due to age; we all know that ageism exists in hiring practices.
Companies know that experienced workers expect to be paid a higher wage to meet their qualifications.
They may also think that due to the fact you’re older you might not be as tech savvy as a younger person.
But don’t lose heart.

These are the steps you need to take to get your job hunt into high gear.

Rewrite your resume
Focus on your accomplishments not your responsibilities. What exactly did you do for your last company?
Did your increase sales, improve productivity, figure out ways to save the company money? Use exact numbers whenever possible.
The truth is, a company doesn’t want to know what you want. That’s why objectives are no longer used on resumes.
They want to know how you can help them. If you show you did something for your last company than they think you can do the same for them.
Next, don’t try to list everything you’ve done on every job you've ever had. Going ten years back is enough. You don’t have to include the dates you graduated from college.
Try to tailor each resume for each company or for at least each type of position you apply for. You may be qualified for several jobs within your industry. Tweak your resume for each job.
Why? Because employers skim resumes quickly. Often is as little as ten seconds. They shouldn’t need to search within jobs to see how you qualify for the job they need. It should pop out at them.
Leave off extra details so the important details are seen.

Write a Good Cover Letter
This is becoming a lost art. But it can show not only your accomplishments but your ability to communicate in a clear and efficient manner.
You can also use this opportunity to show that you’re familiar with their company and have done some research. Don’t use a generic cover letter. Change at least the first paragraph to show you know about their company and state why you’d like to work there.

Don’t Just Search Online
Don’t send your resume to places like Monster.com and expect the calls to start coming in for interviews.
Your search needs to be much better defined.
Think of the companies you’d most like to work for. List ten companies and focus on them first.
One of things, as an older employee, you bring to the table is a network of acquaintances in your industry. Pick up the phone and start calling people you know who work at the company you’d like to work for. Ask if there are any positions open. Then ask if you can mention their name in your cover letter.
Job hunting is still a game of “who you know”. If you get your foot in the door with a name it always helps.
Second when you find out there is an opening in a company you’re interested in; consider sending your resume by mail or even better FedEx. It will stand out from all the other computerized resumes.
However, if they specifically asked for the resume to be emailed then do so.
If you don’t have an email address go online and see if the company has a way to apply for jobs on their website. This is still better than going through a large job hunting website.
Always list all the software you’re familiar with by name. Sometimes a large human resources department will search resumes using keywords. This is how they find their first round of possible candidates. If you type general statements such as familiar with all types of accounting software they won’t find you.

Proofread
If possible have a friend read over your resume and cover letter for you. They both need to be error free and sometimes it’s hard to find your own mistakes.

A Bunch of Jobs
If your industry is going through a time of downsizing consider starting a consulting business. Instead of looking for one job working forty hours a week; see if you can get subcontracting contracts to work ten hours a week for four companies.
You’ll need to charge more per hour than you were making since you’ll be responsible for your own taxes and benefits such as health insurance and retirement funds.
But you’ll still be saving the company a lot of money as opposed to having a full-time person in the position. More and more companies are doing this type of outsourcing.
The most important thing is to take action every day. Get up, get dressed and start to work on your job hunt.
Keeping the momentum going is important. Don’t let yourself get sluggish or your self-confidence will lag.

If you don’t find a job right away then start your own projects to keep you busy. Write a book or start a sideline business.
Volunteer at local community organizations. This can not only make you feel better for doing something useful; but help you meet more people in your city. These are people who may eventually know of unadvertised job openings.

Keep taking action!