Renee Trudeau, Founder of Career Strategists (www.careerstrategists.net), a career planning and coaching firm in Austin, Texas helping people navigate their career path, believes you start by asking: What do I want?  What do I do best and how will a particular job leverage my innate strengths?  Determining a good ‘fit’ is based on factors such as your life stage, personality and preferences with regard to company culture, ideal boss, etc.

“It’s really important that your resume, cover letter, and interview ‘success stories’ be tailored to the job you’re applying for.  Make sure all of your marketing tools position you for the next job, not the job you used to have.” says Renee.

With regard to age, she says, “Many of my clients who are afraid of age discrimination or as being viewed as overqualified, are carrying around self-limiting beliefs which are sabotaging their success in interviews. Go into an interview with energy, enthusiasm and expecting the best. Your attitude has a huge impact on how you’re perceived.”

Finally, if you’re still having trouble landing your new job, a career coach can give you some objective, knowledgeable support in determining where you’re ‘stuck’.


Sanjay Sathe, CEO of job search web site Rise Smart, also offers some practical tips for older workers:

• Look for a new job before you get laid off.  It’s more difficult to find a job when you’re out of work, and this becomes especially true when you’re 55 and over.

• If you’ve been laid off, regroup and do some soul searching before plunging in to look for something new.  It takes longer when you’re older to find work, so making sure you know what you want to be doing at this stage of your life can save you steps.

• To trump the ‘over-qualified’ card, you may want to consider ‘dumbing down’ your resume.  The company may assume you want too much pay for your 30 years of experience and screen you out before you’ve even had a chance to discuss salary requirements.

• Maintaining your personal network is absolutely critical.  Use online tools like LinkedIn or Plaxo to extend your network, or become an active member of local professional groups.

• Patience is a virtue.  When you’re over 55, it simply takes longer, but persistence does pay off.

Given the very real perceptions that still exist towards older workers, and the slow economy, it becomes more important than ever to heed these tips.  Because it takes longer if you’re in your mid to late 50s to land a new job, it’s more important than ever to understand the process, know what you are looking for, and have a strategy in place from the beginning of your search.  It may be an investment well worth making to seek help from an outplacement specialist or career transition coach right from the beginning to be sure you are positioned for success to get that dream job in the shortest time possible.

Resources for jobs and job help:

AARP's Best Employers for Workers Over 50 

Retirementjobs.com

SeniorJobBank.com 

Workforce50.com