Older workers face an uphill struggle to find a job

I see more and more people in their late 40’s and 50’s who have been struggling to get back in the work place following redundancy.  Many are not getting any interviews and are wondering why this might be.  I am increasingly convinced that the solution lies with the need for more of a proactive marketing plan than many of them have 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.  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. They are just too narrow in 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.

Three major issues are crystal clear to me and these I convey to clients during our initial meeting.

  1. 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!  Recruiters have no time to talk to you and your CV will very probably be lost in the Ethernet.  It is therefore a numbers game with clients calling the shots.
  2. 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.
  3. The majority of jobs on job boards lie in the £30K and below bracket and only 15% sit in the £45K and above range.

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.  It may also be that the solution does not lie with an employed role and here 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.

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