We’ve all heard how to achieve real estate success; location, location and location. Successful job search and career change after 50 also revolves around important three maxims: attitude, attitude and more attitude.
With the right attitude everything in the career change and job hunt comes in a distant second. A positive attitude generates optimism and optimism radiates a winning level of enthusiasm.
This in turn shapes your behavior; to make the extra call, to spend more time preparing for the job or informational interview, to interject enthusiasm into everything you write, and to express an honest and sincere interest in the career and challenges of the job.
With this winning attitude, it’s easy to prepare and present yourself as the best candidate in the battle for the right career and the right job.
Here are 17 basic tips to get your attitude, career change and job hunt on the right track:
- Get feedback on your image, telephone voice, and on-camera abilities. How you answer questions and what you say reflects positively and negatively on your image. Show your good side and project the best image possible-practice, practice and practice some more.
- Limit your resume to the last 10-15 years. Don’t put graduation dates and personal information in your resume. Focus on quantifiable accomplishments in your resume.
- Start a relevant course of study-formal education, self-study and on-line learning can all show that you are a lifelong learner. Keep up with the latest and greatest in you field-know the latest new software developments, for example. Build learning into your career plan after 50, it will pay dividends.
- Join relevant professional associations. Do what needs to be done to get you noticed, be proactive, work on projects and assist others. Volunteer to work for a non-profit to get additional experience and to keep busy.
- Prepare to answer the questions about being overqualified for the position, about the level of pay being lower than your last job, about working for someone younger, and about quitting when the first better job comes along. Build 50 good answers to 50 tough questions, and prepare-not memorize your responses-you’ll shine in the interviews.
- Use networking to uncover hidden job possibilities.
- If necessary, work as a temp or contractor to build your skills and experience to qualify for your new career.
- Project energy; bring into your answers during the interview examples of physical activities that you enjoy doing on a frequent basis.
- Know that changing careers and/or finding a new job after 50 takes time. Be patient, but be diligent-work at finding the right job every day-it’s full time work. Build a set of procedures to follow-up on contacts, and prospective opportunities.
- Focus on what you are doing now and tomorrow and not the “good old days.”
- Use a career coach to evaluate you ideas, smooth out the rough spots, and help you with your career planning.
- Analyze your transferable skills and know how to communicate how they relate to the new job and new career.
- Don’t use overt or covet age discrimination as a cop-out to impact your career change and job hunt. It exists, but more times or not, there is another valid reason for not hiring you. Keep moving forward, there is a great employer waiting to hire you.
- Look closely at smaller companies. They need your broad range of skills rather that the larger employer where the job may be narrower in scope.
- Research the prospective employer, corporate culture, dress code, new projects and products, and new markets will all help you ace the interview.
- Continue working your career plan, especially after you find a job in your new career. It will make you more valuable to your employer, you’ll be able to assist others, and your attitude will soar with your new skills and abilities.
- And finally, get your weight under control, exercise as appropriate. Nothing shows age more than extra weight and the perception that you lack energy.
Forget your age and focus on living your life, good things will happen. Your new job and new career after 50 will bring new joy and challenges to your life, and isn’t that what life is all about?