What new opportunities are out there in your job search?
➔ Most older job seekers have developed lengthy resumes. Several employers. Several positions within each company. A lot of experience. And what do most employers want? Applicants with experience. It sounds like a perfect fit.
You’re looking for a job. You have a lot of experience – and varied experience. What could possibly go wrong?
The old fly in the ointment
You might find this in the chapter titled, “Been there. Done that.”
Older job seekers can’t be criticized for wanting something new, something different. After 20 or 30 years, you might be tired of doing the same thing day after day, year after year. You might want new challenges, different experiences. Something to excite you. Something to make you want to go work in the morning.
"What if, of all the jobs on my resume, I don't want to do them anymore"
It’s an interesting conundrum to be sure. You have experience. Employers want experience, but you don’t want to do that any more. How do you propel your strongest selling point – your experience – past the prospective employer’s preconceptions? How to repair that kind of disconnect?
That’s a mountain that can be climbed, but you need to take a closer look at what you have to offer. Look past the functionality of what you did before and highlight the skills you learned to enable to do those jobs. Leadership. Planning. Being resourceful. Being able to pivot. Thoroughness. Dependability. These are the kind of skills that most employers will be more than happy to embrace – despite the actual work you were doing at the time.
Selling yourself goes beyond your previous company and job title. What did you learn? What did you accomplish? What skills can you apply to your next job?
Do that and you and your prospective employer will be on the same page.