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Career Change Over 40
By: Waller Jamison
As populations in the developed world are growing older and many
countries are experiencing a crisis in the pension system, we
are facing the prospect of having to work past the usual
retirement age. Yet, at the same time, older people are not
always welcomed back into the work force. Many also have
difficulty finding a new job if they have an unbroken track
record and are simply looking for a change in career after the
age of 40.
There are a number of steps you can take to maximize your
chances of getting a job, despite negative views regarding age
on the part of some employers.
When writing your CV or résumé, be sure to target it for the job
in question. You can do this by highlighting all the skills and
experience which are needed for the job and then proving that
you have got them.
It is not necessary to put personal information on your CV - in
many countries it is illegal to ask about age and this will also
become law in the UK in October of this year. You should either
leave out your date of birth completely or put it at the end. Do
not mention your marital status or the number of children you
have or their ages. This is not relevant to the job!
The fact that you are older means that you have valuable
experience in many areas and you need to make good use of this
in your application. Don't worry if you are returning to work
after bringing up children - soft skills, such as communication,
time management and the ability to meet deadlines are crucial in
the workplace today and all of those will be skills you have
developed as a parent. So take a good look at all the skills you
have acquired both at work and in other areas of life and make a
list. You'll be surprised to see how many you have and how many
of them are transferable.
If you find your particular career favours youth, consider the
possibility of self-employment. Could you use your existing
skills as a freelance? If you aren't up to date with computer
packages, get your kids to teach you or find out about local
classes, which are sometimes free. If there have been changes in
your particular industry, look into refresher courses.
Many people make the mistake of assuming that they will get job
satisfaction in one place, but this is the exception rather than
the rule. So make a list of all the skills you'd like to use (or
learn) at work and a list of the tasks which give you job
satisfaction. Then consider the possibility of becoming a
portfolio worker, that is, someone who has more than one
occupation. You might, for example, work as a freelance in your
existing career for two or three days a week and set up a small
business doing something completely different during the rest of
the week. Or you might write about, teach or run workshops in
one of the skills you have developed. This doesn't have to be
work-related - it could be a hobby you've been interested in for
years, it could be an aspect of parenting or coping with a
health issue. Look at everything you've done in your life so far
and you'll find that there are several areas in which you are an
expert.
If you are prepared to look beyond the conventional 9-5 job, you
will find that there are many opportunities open to you,
regardless of your age.
© Waller Jamison 2006
About the author:
Waller Jamison is a freelance careers advisor and a writer. She
is the author of 9">http://www.ukjobapplicationforms.com">9 Steps to CV Success
which includes information on UK Job Application Forms. ">http://www.coolercareers.com"> Click for advice on career
change
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