Getting Hired After 50
12 September 2013
Read by 2287 persons
You are approaching fifty and you want or need to find a new job following a layoff? Here are some tips to improve your chances and succeed in this last stage of your career.
Be realistic. There's no point in hiding it. The employment situation for those over 50 in France is currently critical. You must therefore face this reality: the market you are entering is a difficult one.
Our advice. Don't give up and list all the actions to take to bounce back. Refuse the isolation often associated with job searching. Your friends and loved ones are working, and quickly you are no longer on the same schedule. By joining with other people in the same situation, you will more easily be able to assess your skills, but also discuss your search methods and encourage each other. Stay positive; as a person in their fifties, you have skills, experience, knowledge of the business world, and also a network of contacts that will appeal to recruiters. It's up to you to present them in the most attractive light.
Take stock before starting your job search. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses and getting to know yourself better in general is a crucial step to getting interviews and succeeding in them. Ideally, you should undertake a skills assessment process with a professional or participate in a work group.
Our advice. Your assessment will provide all the necessary information to better present and "sell" your profile while taking into account your age-related specifics. Do this preferably in the early stages of your job search to maximize your chances in your first interviews and to stay positive.
Adopt a networking approach and do market research. To overcome the prejudices that recruiters have about people in their fifties, networking is essential. First, list all the market and job information and contacts you need. Then, list the people you've met throughout your career (student, friend, professional, family contacts) and see which ones could be a source of information and development for your project. Look for information online and in professional magazines in parallel.
Our advice. Don't hesitate to reconnect with your former professional contacts without hiding or over-exposing your situation. If you are no longer close to them, do so by email. Take the time to clearly explain what you are looking for. For example, it is common for your entourage, while knowing your activity, to have a false or partial idea of your skills. Remember that it is up to you to talk about your strengths and your best experiences, not them.
Remain open to alternative forms of returning to work. By focusing on traditional forms of contract such as permanent and temporary contracts, you are closing yourself off to interesting work opportunities. Being open to solutions such as temporary work, portfolio work or job sharing is an element that can sway a hesitant decision-maker. Viewed by companies as a lower-risk trial, they will give you the chance to demonstrate your worth on the ground much more than repeated interviews.
Apec.fr
Posted on September 12, 2013.
Be realistic. There's no point in hiding it. The employment situation for those over 50 in France is currently critical. You must therefore face this reality: the market you are entering is a difficult one.
Our advice. Don't give up and list all the actions to take to bounce back. Refuse the isolation often associated with job searching. Your friends and loved ones are working, and quickly you are no longer on the same schedule. By joining with other people in the same situation, you will more easily be able to assess your skills, but also discuss your search methods and encourage each other. Stay positive; as a person in their fifties, you have skills, experience, knowledge of the business world, and also a network of contacts that will appeal to recruiters. It's up to you to present them in the most attractive light.
Take stock before starting your job search. Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses and getting to know yourself better in general is a crucial step to getting interviews and succeeding in them. Ideally, you should undertake a skills assessment process with a professional or participate in a work group.
Our advice. Your assessment will provide all the necessary information to better present and "sell" your profile while taking into account your age-related specifics. Do this preferably in the early stages of your job search to maximize your chances in your first interviews and to stay positive.
Adopt a networking approach and do market research. To overcome the prejudices that recruiters have about people in their fifties, networking is essential. First, list all the market and job information and contacts you need. Then, list the people you've met throughout your career (student, friend, professional, family contacts) and see which ones could be a source of information and development for your project. Look for information online and in professional magazines in parallel.
Our advice. Don't hesitate to reconnect with your former professional contacts without hiding or over-exposing your situation. If you are no longer close to them, do so by email. Take the time to clearly explain what you are looking for. For example, it is common for your entourage, while knowing your activity, to have a false or partial idea of your skills. Remember that it is up to you to talk about your strengths and your best experiences, not them.
Remain open to alternative forms of returning to work. By focusing on traditional forms of contract such as permanent and temporary contracts, you are closing yourself off to interesting work opportunities. Being open to solutions such as temporary work, portfolio work or job sharing is an element that can sway a hesitant decision-maker. Viewed by companies as a lower-risk trial, they will give you the chance to demonstrate your worth on the ground much more than repeated interviews.
Apec.fr
Posted on September 12, 2013.
