I wrote a blog a few weeks ago on the issue of finding work as an older worker. I thought I’d add to it in the light of recent client experiences.
I continue to see people in their 40’s and 50’s who have been struggling to get back in the work place following redundancy or want to change direction but don’t know how. Many are not getting any interviews and are wondering why this might be. I remain increasingly convinced that the solution lies in the unadvertised job market – and people need to have a proactive marketing plan something that many have not considered. Why I ask myself do they, religiously, rely on job boards and recruitment agencies as the principal and often the only strand of their job search? It never ceases to surprise me.
The answer is that in many cases they just do not know better and with this comes a complete, and surprising naivety about the job market today. They have always been told that job boards and agencies are where you should look when you are searching for a job. Another reason is that they are not prepared to take advice or be flexible and think broadly about the kind of role and organisation that they consider and the way in which they might work. This may be die to the “I know it all mentality” or the view that “I could always do it in the past when I needed to get a new job”. They are just too narrow in their thinking and in the way they look at their job strategy. A third factor is that they have not realised that the key to marketing at this age is networking and using their warm leads, or if they have then they are only playing lip service to it.
Several major issues are crystal clear to me and these I convey to clients during our initial meeting.
The job market is not only 85% unadvertised but with about 18 million CV’s on databases in the UK it is now a complete lottery! Why search for a job this way when 90% of people are doing the same?
Recruiters have no time to talk to you – to them you are purely a commodity – and your CV will very probably be lost in the Ethernet. It is therefore a numbers game with clients calling the shots. Clients are also very discerning about sector fit and remain conservative often preferring to offer the job to the candidate who has worked in their same sector rather than take a risk with someone who has more to offer but is new to that sector.
The world of work is still very largely ageist despite what HR Managers tell you. Many organsations still prefer to hire a younger person and train and hone them into their culture. They fail to appreciate the value or worth of experience and the qualities that older workers can and do bring.
The majority of jobs on job boards lie in the £30K and below bracket and only 15% sit in the £45K and above range.
Networking really does work provided you do it effectively. That means having a plan and framework to narrow down your contacts and connections to produce a list of people who will add real value to you and using Linkedin in a focused way.
So the answer has to be to focus on the unadvertised market, but what does this involve and what are the chances of success? I have blogged separately on the value of the hidden job market and I now work increasingly with people in this age group to give them innovative approaches and insights to their job and career search. These will significantly increase the return on their time and secure them more interviews where they are looking for another employed position. I have also introduced a different approach and way of increasing their chances of converting the interview into a job offer.
It may also be that the solution does not lie with an employed role and here my colleagues and I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to help them take a broader view to consider options for using their experience, skills and knowledge in a different way whilst meeting their main work life requirements.
I hope you find this blog interesting. If so, why not pass it on to a friend or colleague?