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The following scenarios are a few I
have worked through with my clients as a career coach and
recruiter. There are too many different situations to list
them all but most people in their 50's, at one time or
another in their careers, have fallen into one of these.
There is no one solution or answer to solve
the search problems inherent in each scenario. There is no
magic wand to wave to redirect circumstance or correct bad
judgment or poor decision-making that might have led to these
situations. All you can do is plan better in the future, act
upon the plan and do the best you can to push ahead.
There is a new statistic that may give some
comfort to those over 50. Up until this year, hiring managers
and recruiters were stating that those over 50 were
"difficult" employments to achieve. Now, that survey number
has moved to age 52. I believe it will continue to rise as
baby boomers age.
Do you fall into one of these scenarios?
Scenario #1: You are 50+, your credentials are a
little out of date and your salary is a little too
high for comparable positions in the same market
because you've been at your company a long
time. Now, for the first time in a long time, you find
yourself either unemployed or about to be, for
whatever reason.
Scenario #2: You are 50+, been with the company
for a number of years, are rocking along
fat, dumb and happy and someone upstairs
makes a decision to move the plant and not
move you.
Scenario #3: You are 50+, you've been with the
company forever and the scuttlebutt is that company
is in financial trouble. There is talk of closing
and maybe a filing for bankruptcy. You really
don't know what to do.
Scenario #4: At age 40-something, you acted on
your hormones, decided to take a career risk,
were lured by the potential rewards of a
dot.com, self-employment or other venture situation,
and then, after being employed there for
nearly two years while simultaneously working a
24-7 schedule have learned that the cash burnrate
is too high and people around you are being
laid off. You feel your time might be any day. It
now will appear on your resume that you have
made a serious tactical error in judgment,
reflecting badly on your critical thinking abilities.
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Prologue
