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Almost 50 (Mar 26) Newbie
SO glad to know there's a group like this. It's at least comforting knowing that there are others who understand exactly what I'm going through. I've been at a law firm for the last almost 17 years, doing the same mundane job. I've been trying to either move into another position here, or find something elsewhere, all to no avail. I even went back to school and earned my bachelor's degree in business (Dec 2017), and doing all I can to reinvent myself. I know my worth and value, have a great skill set, servant-leadership skills, great at motivating others, etc., yet, for the first time EVER in my working life, I am having the most difficult time getting another position. I'm at my wits end. I've been turned down for so many jobs I could fill up a War and Peace novel with all of them, and still keep going. I've tried networking through friends, sending my resume to companies I've been interested in that may not be hiring at the moment, read SO many blogs, articles, etc. on job hunting that I should seriously consider writing one of my own. For the first time, I'm experiencing what I've seen the older generation experience through other co-workers/ex co-workers. I am feeling the sting of ageism. Never mind my years of work experience and everything that goes with being the dream employee that all employers want, my resume tells the story of ALL those years I've been working; and it's not too hard to put two and two together. Either it's that or the Lord doesn't want me to move (something I have seriously believed for the last several years) because I've never had a hard time moving from one job to another...NEVER. Or it could be a combo of both. Who knows. All I know is that I have to keep going, not give up and keep trusting the Lord to make a way while I do the best I can encouraging others along the way. Maybe all of us GenX Women should get together and form our own company to help other GenX Women who feel stuck in this rut. Hmmm.
Hey Gen X woman, you are sadly not alone.
Ageism starts at 45 instead of 55 now and it is a sad reality that many Gen X women are facing as they try to shift careers or transition into a new organization.
The most successful clients we have are using their networks to connect them with opportunities or people personally since algorithms have changed the game significantly.
Whatever you do, do not let these hiccups crush your self-esteem or lower your confidence. This is where the spiral happens which limits your ability to get what you want on the other side. Keep adjusting how you are going into the market and what you are saying in interviews.
Good luck.
Hi there, and thank you for your question.
The first thing that struck me is that you said you put all your experience on your resume. Stop doing that. First, it dates you. Second, it is too much info. Your resume needs to work like it is your movie preview: just enough info to get you called for an interview, but not so much info that there is no reason for them to call you for an interview.
Keep your resume to one-page, and include a good balance of white-space. Whatever does not fit in that one-pager, use it for a cover letter/email and/or to answer questions, during the course of your interview.
You mention reinventing yourself. For that - as anyone who has followed me knows - I tout the functional resume. A chronological resume unintentionally gives the impression you want to remain in your current field. A functional resume intentionally gives the impression you want to transfer what you know into a different career setting - reinventing yourself.
I am reposting a response I gave to another person, on another board. Think about using the following information on your functional resume, in addition to your contact information (at the top, but not in the header):
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
(Use bullet points of your accomplishments and industry-specific skills and specializations, relevant to each position. Use two columns, so you can get four to six accomplishments, without sacrificing white space; no GPA, unless the specific announcement asks for it )
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND APTITUDES
Collegial Support
(List four bullet points of the best skills you have in supporting your colleagues. Start each bullet point with an "-ing" verb.)
Resource Management
(same parameters for this skills cluster)
Client Relations and Retention
(same parameters for this skills cluster)
[Depending on the position, the one most relevant should be at the top. Also, within each skills cluster, use specific words from the announcement.)
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Title Company, City ST YYYY to YYYY
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS
Degree/Cert. Institution, City ST YYYY
Relevant Coursework:
Degree/Cert. Institution, City ST YYYY
Relevant Coursework:
(Do not use high school, unless you get stuck. Normally, I would caution against using years, but your most most recently-attained coursework will show your dedication to lifelong learning.)
[[[PRO TIP: Type a line of keywords, separated by commas. Make the font as small as possible. Then, turn the font color to white. Many times, resumes go into a database, and employers type in search words for the resumes they want. If you have those in your resume, but whited-out, they'll think you are a magickal unicorn. It is also a good way to show off your computer savvy.)
----------Footer -------------
Resume: Last Name, First Name Page 1 of 1
Hope this helps!
Thank you for the info. I"ll definitely work through this. I do have this question (or questions): I've heard both sides of the argument for and against a functional resume, and the one against it that strikes me the most is that when you do a functional resume (w/out dates), it makes some hiring managers wonder what you're hiding. I've done functional before and it pretty much didn't change anything for me. Also, I've done both kinds of resumes, even with the bullet points you mentioned. My other issue is that I've been in my current position so long that it doesn't apply to the kind of jobs I'm seeking; yet, my early jobs [the ones you say I should leave off] show the most experience for what I'm looking for. How do I deal with that? There are a few items you mentioned I haven't tried, so I will do those things. I do love the white keywords idea. That's brilliant and makes all the sense in the world! Thanks for all the info! Appreciate ya!
Hi again, and thanks for the follow-up!
I have found that leaving specific dates out of the employment experience, and just using the years, works best for people with gaps in employment, so that the gaps appear less noticeable. In your cover letter/email and/or in your interview, you can be more specific with what you did, in which part of the different years. From my experience - and mine is just one of many - just the year on the resume has been enough to get my people in the door, with follow-up questions and answers occurring within the interview.
For your experience, I think the functional would work well, because you are drawing your reader's eye into your skills clusters, first. You can still use your earlier experience, just expound on that within your cover letter/email. Something along the lines of:
"In addition to recently exploring my career options in the [retail] field, I have [20] years of experience in [healthcare]. Working in those settings enabled me to hone my skills in providing excellent care for internal and external consumers, troubleshooting proactively, and applying creative problem-solving techniques in multiple settings. As a [data analyst], I bring those skills to [XYZ], so that our team will succeed in providing the most efficient and detail-oriented data, in any format required for our internal and external projects."
Would something like that work for you?
Yes! Great advice! Thank you SO much!
Hello fellow Aries, I'll be 46 this year on March 27th. Awesome job on obtaining your bachelors! That is something I also need to do as well. I married quickly out of high school and started a family quickly after that. Although I wouldn't change it for anything I still haven't taken the time to do this. (marriage failures and all). I recently interviewed at a large well known company on the West Coast and really hard a hard time relating to the younger lady on the phone. She was great and refreshing, but she also used a phrase that I unfortunately had to ask for an explanation on. I felt that really dinged me. Although I did not get a formal decline, I had heard from a friend who works there that she wasn't totally onboard with me, but was moving me to the next level. I admittedly freaked. I thought my age might've gotten me here. I'm normally confident but for some reason that completely knocked me off my game. I pulled out of the process. I've always been hired when I've interviewed and easily always made it to the next round. Huge ego blow for me. All in all it was an iffy decision for me to relocate because I would have to move across the country and away from my little family, so I felt this was a sign; or tried to blame it on that due to the ego blow, but I was able to shut it down before they did. (it's the I broke up with you first mentality)
Anyway, I feel you and would love to be in the GenX company with you :)
Whatever you don't, try not to let one experience throw your confidence out of whack. No one gets every job they go out for - it just isn't reality, so please don't get into the practice of 'shutting down.' Instead, think about what you could be doing differently, how you might shift your approach or even better yet, how the company might not be a good fit for you.
The job search is a numbers game which can wear down your confidence if you let it. Keep remembering all of your amazing accomplishments, hone in on your specific skills and how they apply to make you unique and develop your personal brand for interviews.
Hey! You never know! I was thinking about it last night, actually. You know, you CAN go back and get your bachelor's! It's never too late. When I first applied, the admissions director told me a story of an older business man who had his own company, traveled around the world and was very successful. Only, he never did get his bachelors. At 70 something, he went back and got it! I'll never forget that. So, if a 70 something y.o. man can do it, YOU can, too! We GenX women are beautiful and brilliant and can do anything God gives us the ability to do. So, start looking into it. Start your next new journey! So exciting! :o)