Any word about the job market since our pandemic hit?
What's it like for us genX'ers?
I found ageism to be real, I never thought of myself as old, but at 47 I was meeting with CEOs in their 30s who saw me like their mom and didn’t think I would be agile and a good cultural fit.
That said, I landed a job at an organization primarily led by GenX or young boomers. It’s kinda amazing! I am working with people my own age, at my stage of life who appreciate work life balance, pay fairly and want to do good work but not be defined by work.
It’s out there but you have to find the right company. try to research and find out approximately how old the leadership is, the closer to your age the better your chances.
Difficult.
User deleted comment on 09/22/21 at 12:23PM UTC
I feel like finally it's my turn. So many opportunities and the boomers finally vacated the chair so we can move up. In 20+ years of working I've never felt this optimistic about my job search and opportunities.
I hate that word, Boomer.
It's meant as an insult. With any luck you will get to be the age of baby boomers and hopefully we will have gotten past the ageism thing that this group, I hoped, would not foster.
I'm in the market now and will say there are a lot of opportunities. It's been a frustrating experience for me so far. I've gotten to final rounds several times. Also have received verbal offers that have been retracted twice bc of "business reasons.". My guess is they found someone else who they could pay less.
Ageism is real. I keep myself current and on trend, which is why I believe I'm getting the interviews but it's been tough! I may need to rework a few things. Not sure what those are, bc of the lack of meaningful feedback during the hiring process.
This has been 100% my experience, too. I have been applying and interviewing since end of March, here I am, middle of September, still going at it. I've taken a week or two off from searching and applying because of the burn out that occurs, but it has definitely been my unpaid full time job aside from my regular job and kids and pandemic and...and...and....
But yes, I get interviews, make it a few rounds, and then "thanks but no thanks, we're going in a different direction." I have switched up my resume and cover letter to meet the needs of the job description, used my LinkedIn AND Instagram networks, it's just....hard. Plenty of opportunities, but little response, etc. All we can do is press on!
User deleted comment on 09/22/21 at 12:27PM UTC
I appreciate hearing that I'm not in this alone. Thank you for sharing your story - it's much appreciated!
Sharing war stories always helps. Sending you awesome "landing" vibes :-)
As a career and business coach specifically for gen X women, I will say the market has lots of opportunities. However, there is an age bias we, as Gen X women, have to work hard to overcome.
I would highly recommend spending time to outline your value to an organization. What do you do, why does it matter to the organization and how can it translate to the bottom line. It's also a good idea to talk about how Gen Xer can bridge the gap between boomers and Millennials. Ageism is real, and all you can do is be very prepared and well-versed in your awesomeness.
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Market is great. Lots of remote opportunities too.