Past Age 50 Heres Why Youre Getting Ignored.

Past Age 50 Heres Why Youre Getting Ignored. Past Age 50 Heres Why Youre Getting Ignored. A survey just out says it takes jobseekers over age 50 approximately 20% longer to get hired than someone who’s age 41-45. Considering that the average length of unemployment now stands at 22+ weeks, let’s talk about what needs to happen in order for you to buck the trend and land the job you want in a shorter time. You Think Like A Commodity First 2 things everybody does in job search: dust off your resume and hop online. The problem with online channels, though, is that you’re putting yourself in a sold-out stadium with a million other people, but expecting a magical employer to reach down and grab you and only you. Think outside the job boards. Where do you want to work? List the companies. Don’t overthink this at first. What industry are you in, have you been in, or do you want to be in? What companies in those industries are within a commutable distance from where you live? That’s it. The one online platform I want to see you hop on to is LinkedIn. No, not for “Easy Apply,” but for some specific research. You just listed the companies you’re interested in. See who works there who’s relevant to the hiring process, whether they’re connected to you or not. In addition to submitting your application through the traditional online channels, send a personal note about your expertise and how you can deliver immediate impact because of what you see (from your research) is going on in the company right now. You Look Like A Commodity This happens because the skills you choose to emphasize are not the skills recruiters and decision makers are searching for. The most popular offender is, “Problem Solving,” which is decidedly not an area of expertise. What problems? In what realm? To achieve what? I understand where “problem solving” comes from. It’s a desired skill listed in 99.9% of advertised jobs. However, the issue is that by the time you get down to reading “problem solving,” I guarantee you’ve bypassed 10 other elements that are unique, core, and central to the job. All those things you bypassed are the precise points I want you to look at again. Here’s why this is hard: when an ad for Marketing Director says, “Produce highly effective region-specific marketing plans using robust analytics and creativity which deliver superior results,” whew! That’s a mouthful that you now have to pull some keywords out of, plus say on your resume that you do those keywords. So, your eyeballs just float down to something a little easier that you can say on your resume, such as, “People-oriented results-driven leadership style, with effective problem-solving skills.” Boom! You’ve got 3 keywords right there: “People Oriented,” “Results Driven,” and “Problem Solving.” Easy-peasy, right? Wrong. It’s easy for EVERYbody to claim filler language as skills and expertise. I want you to do what’s a little bit harder, to avoid looking like a commodity. You Talk Like A Commodity Guaranteed the 1st question in the interview is, “So, tell me about yourself.” And you say something in response. Then you end your answer and stop talking. I know that sounds like what you should do. But what you have to understand is that’s what EVERYbody does. The pattern is: they ask a question, you answer it, they ask another question, you answer that. Break the mold. Elevate your thinking from “interview,” where you’re being questioned, to “business meeting” where 2 colleagues are having a discussion. You’re not colleagues in the same company, but you’re quite likely colleagues in the same industry. A discussion is a 2-way street. Someone asks a question (okay, let them go first) but you come equipped with questions of your own. Make sure your questions aren’t 100% self-serving. Pose questions that demonstrate that you conducted some preliminary research, and have formulated a few thoughts and opinions about where the company is considering going. Who do you think the hiring manager will remember more: the person who checked off all the boxes, or you, who thought things through ahead of time and recommended a sales approach you used successfully before, that is likely to work on the product the company is about to launch. Mature, experienced candidates win at job search not just because of offering things like wisdom and longevity. You differentiate yourself when you offer something specific that other people aren’t presenting. Make that a regular practice in your job search, so they remember you for that, instead of trying to forget you because of your age. The “Age 50+ ‘New Job Cheat Sheet” walks you through exactly what to do in your job search from getting your resume together all the way through negotiating double-digit salary increases. This is what candidates ages 55, 57, and 59 are using to land offers in record time. Download your cheat sheet and watch the video training so you can learn how to do the exact same thing. Past Age 50 Heres Why Youre Getting Ignored. A survey just out says it takes jobseekers over age 50 approximately 20% longer to get hired than someone who’s age 41-45. Considering that the average length of unemployment now stands at 22+ weeks, let’s talk about what needs to happen in order for you to buck the trend and land the job you want in a shorter time. You Think Like A Commodity First 2 things everybody does in job search: dust off your resume and hop online. The problem with online channels, though, is that you’re putting yourself in a sold-out stadium with a million other people, but expecting a magical employer to reach down and grab you and only you. Think outside the job boards. Where do you want to work? List the companies. Don’t overthink this at first. What industry are you in, have you been in, or do you want to be in? What companies in those industries are within a commutable distance from where you live? That’s it. The one online platform I want to see you hop on to is LinkedIn. No, not for “Easy Apply,” but for some specific research. You just listed the companies you’re interested in. See who works there who’s relevant to the hiring process, whether they’re connected to you or not. In addition to submitting your application through the traditional online channels, send a personal note about your expertise and how you can deliver immediate impact because of what you see (from your research) is going on in the company right now. You Look Like A Commodity This happens because the skills you choose to emphasize are not the skills recruiters and decision makers are searching for. The most popular offender is, “Problem Solving,” which is decidedly not an area of expertise. What problems? In what realm? To achieve what? I understand where “problem solving” comes from. It’s a desired skill listed in 99.9% of advertised jobs. However, the issue is that by the time you get down to reading “problem solving,” I guarantee you’ve bypassed 10 other elements that are unique, core, and central to the job. All those things you bypassed are the precise points I want you to look at again. Here’s why this is hard: when an ad for Marketing Director says, “Produce highly effective region-specific marketing plans using robust analytics and creativity which deliver superior results,” whew! That’s a mouthful that you now have to pull some keywords out of, plus say on your resume that you do those keywords. So, your eyeballs just float down to something a little easier that you can say on your resume, such as, “People-oriented results-driven leadership style, with effective problem-solving skills.” Boom! You’ve got 3 keywords right there: “People Oriented,” “Results Driven,” and “Problem Solving.” Easy-peasy, right? Wrong. It’s easy for EVERYbody to claim filler language as skills and expertise. I want you to do what’s a little bit harder, to avoid looking like a commodity. You Talk Like A Commodity Guaranteed the 1st question in the interview is, “So, tell me about yourself.” And you say something in response. Then you end your answer and stop talking. I know that sounds like what you should do. But what you have to understand is that’s what EVERYbody does. The pattern is: they ask a question, you answer it, they ask another question, you answer that. Break the mold. Elevate your thinking from “interview,” where you’re being questioned, to “business meeting” where 2 colleagues are having a discussion. You’re not colleagues in the same company, but you’re quite likely colleagues in the same industry. A discussion is a 2-way street. Someone asks a question (okay, let them go first) but you come equipped with questions of your own. Make sure your questions aren’t 100% self-serving. Pose questions that demonstrate that you conducted some preliminary research, and have formulated a few thoughts and opinions about where the company is considering going. Who do you think the hiring manager will remember more: the person who checked off all the boxes, or you, who thought things through ahead of time and recommended a sales approach you used successfully before, that is likely to work on the product the company is about to launch. Mature, experienced candidates win at job search not just because of offering things like wisdom and longevity. You differentiate yourself when you offer something specific that other people aren’t presenting. Make that a regular practice in your job search, so they remember you for that, instead of trying to forget you because of your age. The “Age 50+ ‘New Job Cheat Sheet” walks you through exactly what to do in your job search from getting your resume together all the way through negotiating double-digit salary increases. This is what candidates ages 55, 57, and 59 are using to land offers in record time. Download your cheat sheet and watch the video training so you can learn how to do the exact same thing.