Tips for Jumpstarting a Post-50 Career
Changing careers — by chance or choice? Clara Hurd Nydam, president of Career Momentum, offers this advice:
Spend some time evaluating your accomplishments.
Identify skills you've acquired you find energizing and fun, and which ones are "there because you've done them over and over." To take some of the stress out of your life, Nydam suggests you decide "which activities you would want to do, regardless of whether you're paid (for them)." For people who have held onto jobs or careers "until the bitter end," exploring these issues with a career coach or career counselor may help facilitate this process.
Talk with people doing what you think you want to do.
"Are they like you? Do they have the same values as you do? Are they excited about the same things?" asks Nydam.
Build connections in the process of exploring your career.
It may be necessary to go back to school to get some training. "If the field you are pursuing doesn't have a (formal) practicum or an internship program," notes Nydam, "build networks and find places to apply new skills from the get-go."
Consider downsizing your resume.
Think of a resume as a brochure that gives specific features and benefits. Showcase transferable skills and highlight achievements related to the job you want to do. This may mean minimizing or eliminating emphasis on supervisory responsibilities and strategic planning skills if these are not applicable to your target position. "You're not giving your life history in a resume," Nydam points out. "You're selling yourself."
Market your maturity as well as your skills.
This helps you find an employer who respects and desires your maturity. "It's really important for people who are making a career transition (after age 50) to develop an approach that markets their maturity as well as their skills," Nydam reveals.
Have a solid plan in pursuing a business
Take your business plan to a banker or an accountant. "Ask, 'How viable do you see this business?'" Nydam advises. "homeowners should also ask, 'If I didn't have any equity in my home, what line of credit would you be willing to give me?'"
