There are many things the 50+ job seeker can do now
“What are you doing for the holidays?” Granted, this year is mostly likely vastly different from years past, it’s still a familiar question people ask this time of year.
As an active, 50+ job seeker, your focus may be a little different. Of course you’ll be spending time with loved ones, but, despite the weather, your job search should not be put on ice.
There is much you can do this time of year – even though few hiring managers are interviewing and many are taking time off – most employers are putting off making hiring decisions until the new year.
So, how to get the most of this season? What better time to review and update your resume and/or your LinkedIn profile – and all of your personal branding? Maybe you should re-think your elevator pitch, or create different versions of your resume for different situations. Not only do you have time to accomplish those tasks over the holidays, you also may have time to do some research to find the latest theories on those subjects.
Speaking of research, this is an opportune time to do some detailed research on your target companies. You also may want to consider expanding your list of target companies. Similarly, it’s good time to expand and to research and/or reach out to people in your network.
Looking at the bigger picture, this may be a good time to do some soul searching or some critical self-evaluation of your entire job search approach. What’s working? What’s not working? What can you do better?
Even though (or maybe because) employers may not be actively hiring right now, this is a good time to circle back and reconnect with contacts with whom you have not spoken recently. They may have more time now to speak with you and, with a quality conversation, you can put yourself back on their radar screens.
Then again, in addition to hiring managers and recruiters, this might be an excellent time to re-connect with some of your fellow job seekers. It’s good to commiserate and you might even learn something new.
Although the work-a-day world may be downshifting now, that doesn’t mean that you and your job search should hibernate as well.
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