Embarking on Your Encore Career: What’s Age Got to Do with It?
From Lin Schreiber, 3/20/2009 7:31:04 AM
Okay. You’re not as young as you used to be. The job market is shrinking along with your 401k. You need to keep working.
If you’ve been downsized (or if you know deep in your soul that you just can’t keep doing what you’re doing), does the prospect of looking for a job make you want to run screaming from the room? Is one of your major concerns your age? Don’t buy into the conventional wisdom that you’re “over the hill”, over qualified, and unemployable. I guarantee you, if your age is a problem for you, it will be a problem for any prospective employer.
In my early 40’s, I wanted to break into local television production in a major market city. I did my round of interviewing for an internship. Honestly, it never occurred to me that my age would be a barrier. I was floored when a 22-year old male production assistant at the FOX station asked me if I wasn’t “a little long in the tooth” to be changing careers.
I looked him square in the eye, and told him that I’d been on his side of the desk, and if I had my choice between hiring a 20-something more interested in her Saturday night date than the work, and me who had 20 years of solid work experience to bring to the table, I’d hire me in a heart beat. I was offered – and turned down – the internship.
Okay, you say. That was in your 40’s; being in your 50’s or 60’s is different. Not so. My 63-year-old client Darlene lost her job when the major financial institution she worked for closed down her entire division, and with it her lucrative sales job. Instead of panicking, she took some much needed R&R for a few months. When she was recharged, she jumped into her job search with much gusto, and gave not one thought to her age. She set up four job interviews in two weeks, received two job offers, and is a valued member of her new sales team.
It’s all about what YOU believe, and how that projects to others. If you’re worried about your age, you’ll reek of a lack of confidence. If you believe in your abilities, experience, resources, and wisdom, you’ll convey utter confidence. Who would you rather hire?
And remember, there’s no such thing as being “over the hill”. When you reach the top of each hill, what’s waiting for you is your next great adventure!
Have you been in Lin or Darlene's shoes? What advice would you give to others who might be facing an encore career?
