Job-hunting tips for over 45s
by Dr Peter Carey, General Curriculum Consultant, Catholic Education Office of WA and National Treasurer, AACC Inc.
Being over 45 and looking for work is often a bit like banging your head against a brick wall - continual pain for no benefit.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Older job seekers can win the sort of job they want if they set about the job search in the right way.
Let’s first have a look at the barriers they face in the job hunt and then we can more easily see strategies for getting round those barriers.
The same strategies will work for other disadvantaged job seekers, such as those with disabilities and those from a non-English-speaking background.
When disadvantaged job seekers are applying for advertised positions, the barriers against their winning employment are the greatest. These positions attract large numbers of applications, sometimes 200 or more.
Many managers do not have the time to properly examine and evaluate so many applications, so they ask their clerical assistants to reduce the pile by screening out all applicants outside a certain age range - an easy criterion that requires little thought or expertise.
But, if you are the only applicant for the job, the employer will be interested in just three factors:
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the skills to do the job,
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the motivation to do it well
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the ability to fit well into the team.
If you are the only applicant, your age, your non-English-speaking background or your disability will not be considered as long as it doesn’t prevent you from doing the job well.
So how do you make sure that you are the only applicant? The best way is to apply for the job before it is advertised. This is called accessing the hidden job market, and it is not as difficult as it might sound.
If you know what sort of job you want – and it is important to go for a job that you will enjoy – find out which organisations are likely to employ people in that occupation. Don’t talk to the boss, or to the HR people. Talk to the people doing the sort of work you want to do.
Don’t ask them for a job; just ask them about the job. Find out what they like and what they don’t like. Ask about prospects. Is it a growth industry? Is the organisation strong? Is there a future for you in this industry?
As you find out more about the job, you will become better able to envisage yourself doing it, and you will become more and more enthusiastic – and enthusiasm makes an attractive and convincing salesperson.
Get the people you talk to on your side. If they like you, they will help you, tell you where there might be an opening or suggest other people you could talk to. As you talk to more and more people, you will be building an effective network – and we all know, it’s not what you know but whom you know.
And as your network grows, sooner or later, you will be contacted by someone who says, “I understand you are looking for this sort of work. We have a job, which may suit you. Would you like to come in for an interview tomorrow?”
Yes, it does happen. It’s happening all the time. Why not try it and let it happen to you?
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