Switching Careers After 50

At FiftyUp Club we often tell members to compare, switch and save when it comes to household bills like energy, life insurance, health insurance and more.

But what if you want to switch careers?

While we don’t have an offer for FiftyUp Club members on career switching, we can provide tips and help guide you into finding the new career.

Dawn Graham, Director of Career Management for the Executive MBA Program at The Wharton School and host of Career Talk on Sirius XM Radio, says “seize success”.

TO “SEIZE SUCCESS” YOU NEED A PLAN.

Your plan should include:

• YOUR SKILLS
• YOUR INTEREST
• THE JOB MARKET

Your plan will fall in the sweet spot where all three meet (see Venn diagram below).

WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE?

Are you a whiz at analytics? A know-it-all in rocket science? Your skillset is everything you know from your current or previous jobs/careers. They may be things you want to keep doing OR they may be things you never want to do again. You’ll need to decide if you want to learn new skills or use what you know.

WHAT ARE YOU INTERESTED IN?

If you spent most of your career miserable and in a job you hated, you are more than likely not wanting to go back into that field. So what are your interests? Stamp collecting? Dog walking? Volunteering at a shelter? Reading to others? Take what you love to do and make it your new career.

WHAT IS ON THE JOB MARKET?

Now that you have mapped out your skills and plotted out your interests, it’s time to look at the job market. You’ll want to find jobs that match your skills and interests. To find them, there is of course, the traditional route like job ads in a newspaper, but you need to think “bigger picture” and look at LinkedIn, Facebook (yes, they have a jobs board), Gumtree, and networking!

Most online applications use a computerized Applicant Tracking System (ATS), that scan online resumes and applications for the right keywords and experience the employer is seeking. This is where networking will help you get past the computerized bias. You can network face-to-face, online by reaching out to hiring managers, or in meetup groups.

Example: if you know someone at a place you want to apply, have them introduce you to the hiring manager or send your resume through OR if you are on LinkedIn, do not hesitate to reach out and introduce yourself to the hiring manager.

Now that you have a list of jobs you want to apply for polish up your resume to reflect your skills to match what the job application is looking for. Each resume sent should be customised for each application since not all job applications want the same thing. It is handy to create a list or spreadsheet of jobs you have applied for and what resume you sent out.

If all of the above sounds daunting, don’t hesitate to reach out to a career coach to assist you in your career switch.