Planning for Career Success in your Fifties
Who says you cannot have a successful job search if you are in your fifties? I have not seen or heard of any instances that indicated that people in their fifties cannot be a highly valued and productive part of the workforce. That fact that you might be a bit older should not deter you from getting out there and pursuing opportunities that might be appropriate for you. After all you have a lot to offer. So what are your unique selling features? Well, I’m going to tell you:
Extending Your Job Search Through Your Friends
People like to do business with their friends and connections. When searching for a job, who better to network with than people who can vouch for your character. Good friends are worth their weight in gold. Why? They will praise you; they will tout your positive attributes; they will pump you up; they will SELL you – need I say more? So it stands to reason that you should engage your friends and generate new connections to help you with the search. Here are some guidelines to get you going:
Resumes Done Write
Resume writing can be a tricky thing. What type should you use? Should it be hybrid, reverse chronological or functional? How do you know which one is right for your particular situation? Color? Do you need color? What about a picture – of yourself or something else? How do you figure out what to do?
Tips to a More Productive Professional Life
Who among us wouldn’t like to be more productive? I know I would. I often find myself working longer days than I would like, though this has a lot to do with the fact that I work for myself. This means that I can do other things during the day and interrupt what would be a normal workday for things like running out to the bank or going to stand on line for the latest video game that my son MUST have before the initial 1,000,000,000,000 pressing is sold out. He then might have to be placed on the waiting list! What will he do if that happens? Simply unacceptable!
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
You get up and go to work everyday; so it’s reasonable to want to enjoy it. I remember a time (long ago now) that I wanted to run like my house was on fire simply thinking about getting up to go to a place that I did not like. This was highly peculiar for me; being someone that likes to work – I work all of the time, even when I don’t feel well, not wanting to go was a new experience for me. Well the truth is, and a little-known secret – I grew to detest my job so much that I actually called in sick – not for a day, mind you, but an entire week! Now that I work for myself I look back on this situation and am shocked that I let it go on for as long as I did. Thankfully my new and vastly improved husband who was my boyfriend at the time said – “Just quit, Deb. Don’t worry about it. We will figure it out. You look so miserable and are so stressed all the time; it is simply not worth it.” Well, I took his words to heart and resigned my position. How liberating! I remember feeling relaxed for the first time in I don’t even know how long. That day was exhilarating; I was in control, happy and grateful that I didn’t have to run to a local medical practitioner to prescribe Xanax for my anxiety attacks.
Top Five Reasons Why Your Resume Sucks!
You have sent out hundreds and hundreds of resumes with barely a response. You reason that it’s the economy and some other factors that you are simply not aware of. How can this be? No response whatsoever? You have accomplished a lot; you were well liked in your last role and did a number of things for the company that even resulted in a promotion. So what’s going on? I will tell you. It has nothing to do with you. It’s your resume that sucks! What’s wrong with your resume? It may be these top five things:
This blog's author, Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write, provides executive career services including resume and cover letter preparation, job search / interviewing strategies and professional branding including how to effectively use LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media in your career.
Visit CareersDoneWrite.com to learn more about how we can put your career in gear with interview catching resumes and professionally written career documents.