Networking for Job Seekers Over 50

Are you a Senior Executive searching for what's next in your career? STOP chasing posted jobs and START solving real problems. Here’s the deal: If you’ve spent 25+ years leading companies and driving growth... why are you waiting for the next job listing to appear? 👊 The biggest opportunities don’t live on job boards... they’re uncovered by solving real business problems. The data backs this up: • 85% of roles are filled through networking, not applications. • Only 12% of hires come from first-degree connections, meaning the real game changers are a few steps removed from who you already know.    You’re at a stage where you want: • more control • more freedom • a bigger impact It’s not about applying for jobs... it’s about identifying problems you’re excited to solve and connecting with the right decision-makers. Here’s how to start: 𝟭. 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 Identify the biggest challenges in your industry or target market. What problems have you solved in the past that others can’t? What problems are you excited to solve in the future? Is it leading turnarounds, scaling teams, or navigating complex regulations? Make sure you’re crystal clear on the value you bring. 𝟮. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 “𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿” 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Forget HR. Go straight to the people who have the problems you solve. Use LinkedIn is great. Your phone is even better. (more on this in point #4) For now, start by building a list of... • CEOs, COOs, CFOs in your target market • Private Equity firms looking for experts to fix portfolio companies • Board members who influence strategic hires Start engaging with their content and showing up where they are. Virtually or in person. 𝟯. 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 Don’t ask for a job when you reach out. Focus on their pain points. People love to talk about themselves. Find out what's going on with them. What's going well? What isn't? "You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." - Zig Ziglar 𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Tap into the people who know your value and can introduce you to decision-makers. Third- and fourth-degree connections are where most opportunities lie. Be specific in what you’re looking for and ask, “𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘟? 𝘐’𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦.” 𝟱. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 Building relationships with decision-makers is a long game. Share insights, research, and solutions regularly. Whether it's an email, a LinkedIn post, or a quick check-in... keep the conversation going. Stop doing the same %$^$ everyone else does... and expecting to get different results. #Leadership #ExecutiveCoaching #Consulting #CareerChange #ProblemSolving

Marsha was in her 50s and hoping to make a career pivot. "Have I got chance?" she asked me. I'll tell you what I told her: Ageism in the job market is real. But, if you are prepared, you can overcome the obstacles. It had been years since she'd applied or interviewed for a job. We worked together on her resume, LinkedIn, networking, and interviewing to package her for the job she wanted. When she called to say she'd gotten an offer for a great new job in pharma, with a 30% pay increase, I was jumping up & down!! I want to be clear that this was not easy. It took a lot of focus. Here is the multi-pronged approach we worked on together: 🎯 Resume Strategy: ↳ Focus on impact ("Delivered $2M in savings" vs "25 years of experience") ↳ Go back no more than 15 years  ↳ Highlight current technical skills, leave off old ones ↳ Take the graduation year off all degrees ↳ Contact info should include only city, state (no street address) ↳ Ditch the AOL, and hotmail email addresses; they date you 🌐Networking Strategy: ↳ Reconnect with former colleagues & give them an update ↳ Practice talking about your skills and abilities ↳ Speak to others who've successfully overcome the age barrier ↳ Make sure your LinkedIn profile follows best practices ↳ Work toward 500+ connections ↳ Post and comment on LinkedIn weekly 🏢 Employer Strategy: ↳ Target 40-50 companies with age-diverse cultures ↳ Talk to people in similar roles & ask about key skills ↳ Ask HR/recruiters about their hiring process ↳ Follow each employer on social media to learn priorities 💡 Interview Strategy: ↳ Lead with energy and genuine interest ↳ Show you've done your research with deep preparation ↳ Be ready with stories that include cross-generational work ↳ Share examples of your adaptability and growth mindset ↳ Talk about new skills you've built and show you're on top of trends ↳ Communicate your experience working with diverse people 🤵🏼Personal Strategy: ↳ Take additional courses & certifications to keep your skills fresh ↳ Stay current in your field with podcasts and social media ↳ Make reasonable adjustments to your appearance ↳ Clothes should fit well and be current, but not "trendy" ↳ Avoid language that "dates" you (ask a trusted younger friend) Remember: You're not "overqualified" You have battle-tested wisdom. That, along with these strategies, will set you up as a strong candidate! ♻ Repost to help people who are facing ageism in their job search 🔔 Follow Sarah Baker Andrus for more strategic career insights

My 67-year-old client called me yesterday to tell me that his phone is ringing "off-the-hook." It took him 18 months to land during his 2022 job search. We updated his LinkedIn profile a few weeks ago and he's already getting tons of calls. Here's what he's doing differently this time: 1. Strong LinkedIn headline with goal title, skills/keywords, and plays up his Fortune 500 experience 2. Experience shown through 1998 (all other experience is discussed in the About section, but not with years) 3. About section tells his career story and shares his biggest impacts/highlights (with numbers) 4. Experience section gives more detail (in this case, we just copy/pasted from resume) 5. We don't share year of graduation 6. We do share 50+ skills in the Skills section And guess what: he didn't even need to get to 500 connections (he's still well below). Let me also say: he is in an industry that is hiring (manufacturing), so that definitely helps. There are some fields (marketing/communications) that are a lot harder to land because there just aren't a lot of openings. A few things for you to take from this: 1. You don't have to post or comment here in order to build the type of LinkedIn presence that attracts attention. 2. You don't have to get to 500+ connections right away (that should be a goal, but it's not a necessity). 3. Candidates in their 50s, 60s, and beyond can have great jobs find them through an optimized LinkedIn profile. 4. Ageism isn't fair, but it is real. You may not feel like you should have to keep your date of graduation/early career experience from the 1970s and 80s off your resume/LinkedIn (and I agree - we should be celebrating this!), but you need to be choiceful about what you are sharing. Hope that this helps - reach out with any questions!