employment

This is a video for those of you who are older workers. If you look at my face, you know I'm not a beginner either. .

So, I just want to start off by saying there are unique issues that come with being an older work. Yes, ageism is an issue, but a lot of the issues that job hunters have who are over 50 (and certainly over 60) relate to the fact that a lot of you have gotten sloppy about so much, you don't really feel like doing it, and it oozes out of your pores.

You don't have the same drive. You don't have the same determination. Frankly, you don't put in smart effort in order to find work. So, yes, I am going to blame the victim here because at the end of the day, you are responsible for all of your outcomes. You can blame ageism to your hearts content, but you still need to find the position.

There is a way that you can short-circuit all of this and that is to start a business, to become a consultant, because, in the case of business owners, in the case of consultants who are operating at a high level like interim roles, looking to be in an interim C level executive for organization, experience is valued.

So, you were brought in in order to be the pro, to do it for a fixed period of time and then leave. So adopting those kind of positions, whether it's starting a business or being an interim exec for a role is a way of short-circuiting the process. .

However, some of the same pointers still apply even to you. And the 1st 2 are kind of linked.

Number 1 is stay fit. I will speak for myself. It's been hard to take off weight period it's been hard to look good. I have gotten fat. I have clothes that the fit me extremely well and a lot of people I talked to don’t. So, I'm at the gym regularly I (right now, I am getting over and injury but still I'm at the gym regularly working out). I sweat. I lift weights. I push myself. You need to do stuff like that plus have your wardrobe do things that call attention to you from a positive perspective, that don’t give people a reason to go, “How old is that that outfit he's wearing? Or, is she wearing something that is from the 70s?”

You know how people are? They get so dismissive. If you don't believe me get on Facebook, again, and take a look at some of the things that people post that are so snarky. So, just be aware of your appearance because that has an effect.

Another thing is practice your skills. Do it at home. You just make the effort to make sure that you don't get sloppy with how you present your knowledge. So, a lot of people I know have been doing their job for so long and so well that they don't have to talk about it well. And they get lazy with. What I will call, “current events,” within their field. You talk to someone 20 years younger than you, it rolls off the tongue so smoothly.. It may not happen that way for you if you practice.

You might also consider, in your presentation, without of alluding to your age by talking about the grandkids, for example. You can talk about the benefits of maturity and your life experience in supporting the lead person or providing access to certain skills and life experiences that a younger worker hasn’t.

You have been there, you've done a lot. It doesn't make you burned out or tired. But what it does do is help you avoid some of the problems, the less experienced worker might not know., So, emphasize some of those attributes when your interview.

I also want to mention networking. Networking is extremely important for you in the value of your network is far greater than the younger workers network. You know senior executives. You know people who are in a position to hire and who can introduce you to other people who can introduce you to roles. So, get out there and talk to people that you know and don't just sit back on your laurels.

The last thing is the tendency that the those of you who are 50 and over have not to take as many interviews. I want to encourage, especially when you 1st getting back in the job search, get out there and take more interviews, even if it's a job that you would never take, even if the commute is too far, because you are going to need some practice. Even if you been a role where you have hired, now you are the other side of the desk period you need to put yourself in the position to practice interviewing so that you don't screw up jobs that really matter.