To my friends that are over 50 and out of work, these 5 strategies might help.
Over 25% of the Australian workforce is over 50 years old now, according to a recent ABC article (Reference). That means the remaining 75% are millennials with very different views and perspectives about life and work which is proving difficult for Gen X to remain employed.
I have been working with corporate escapees for 15 years to help them start and scale their own personal businesses and the agism for workers over 50 is only increasing. Recently several friends of mine have reached out as they have lost or been pushed out of roles and struggled to get reemployed, even though they are extremely qualified, motivated and at the peek of their powers.
"According to AgeInc’s Voice of Experience research, undertaken amongst 1,150 Australians aged 50+, just over 53% of Australians over the age of 50 have experienced discrimination, solely based of their age, when applying for a new job and the vast majority of those were in their early 50s." (Source)
The reason, I suspect for this challenge, is two fold.
Firstly, Gen X and Millennial think differently. Gen X workers (44 to 59 years old) grew up in an era when having a strong voice was considered a career advantage. They challenged leadership, worked through sickness as a badge of honour, didn't complain and climbed the ladder expecting to work in maybe 3-4 companies their entire lives. This was at least my experience and those of my peers.
Millennia workers (28 to 43 years old ) on the other hand respect different values of collaboration less than individualism, caring over stoicism and career fluidity. These differences are not more positive or negative than Gen X but just different due to their different environments during their upbringings. This difference means how a Gen X might conduct themselves in a job interview would be to express what the company could do better, take charge of the interview and think they are being assertive and expressing an opinion - but to Millennials this tone can come across as demanding, forceful and not in the same culture as the organisation. Remember the average age of the people doing recruitment at most companies is 34. So you might just come off as being like their parent telling them what to do.
Secondly, most Gen X workers over 50 fit into a difficult category of being too experienced to get mid level roles but not quite skilled enough to have the top job. There are fewer jobs at the mid to senior levels available because you are competing against a lack of corporate growth (1% in Australia in real terms), companies investing in AI automation and millennials themselves. When you have too much supply and not enough demand, prices fall - at least according to my economics professors. But Gen X feel they shouldn't be compared to the next generation as they are far more experienced and qualified, plus they want a pay rise not a decrease as their expenses have only gone up!
This leads to being demanding in interviews for mid to senior level jobs, trying to negotiate 4 days work for 5 days pay, using lower roles as stepping stones and so forth. Essentially working your way out of the interview process due to the first point, millennials who are interviewing you don't feel you 'fit' the role.
So what do you do if you are Gen X, over 50 and out of work?
My advice is to be a consultant. I know, I know you don't want to work for yourself, you want the stability of a job! I get it, but hear me out. (After all I did the same thing 14 years ago - picture is me at the start of my journey.)
The best path to getting a job is actually being a consultant and her is why...
1) Precise Niche. As a consultant you are forced to consolidate what you are an expert at, why it matters to the company and follow a marketing process to get in front of the right people (pretty much exactly what you should do for a job but most people don't even do 10% of the work required).
2) Networking isn't binary. When you are in job search the conversation goes - 'Are you hiring? No, ok let me know if you start hiring. Or any leads you hear about.' Not very productive conversation as their job isn't getting you a job. If you are a consultant it's a bit different - 'I see your company has a problem with issue XYZ, being an expert in that space, I was thinking you could do 1234. Would a coffee chat help you?'. Much more effective.
3) You talk to the decision makers, not the young HR executives. Consultants talk directly to decision makers, potential employees go through at least 3 steps in the process before they get to anyone in power. This is a massive advantage to having the right conversation with the powers that can influence the hiring decision.
4) In demand. People want what they can't have. When you are out of work, you are, unfortunately, considered not as valuable as someone employed. A consultant is busy and important, at least that's how we sound in our social media. So you are valuable, not needy. So you can demand higher rates as a consultant compared to an employee.
5) The unknown job market. Most jobs don't get advertised, they are created. If you are sitting at home looking on job boards and lining up with 200-300 others for the next role, you are not playing the odds. Might as well go to the casino and play roulette, those odds are in fact, better! If you are talking to leads in a business and helping them solve problems, you are likely going to be in a position to be offered a job. At least you are working.
I could go one with the benefits of being a consultant to gain an employment advantage but I think you get the point. For those that think it's too much work, best of luck getting a job if you are not prepare to go the extra mile. For those who are starting to ask, 'I'm interested but how do I start the process and how much do you charge Andrew, as clearly you are selling something.' You are damn right! haha
I'm not stupid, I'm an entrepreneur. My advice is to immediately enrol in my BYOB Program!
But seriously, the first step is get more information. Do your research on the areas I have highlighted. Talk to friends and if I am one of those, reach out for a chat. I'm busy but will make time as it could be the difference between years out of work or years of work. You might even like it and stay a consultant!
Best of luck out there!
Andrew
PS Written in Thailand on a working break without any AI assistance.
PSS If you are keen to learn more about my processes to go from Corporate Escapee to Consultant check out my book - https://www.andrewford.com.au/creating-a-powerful-business
