Turning 50 has been a pivotal moment in my career.
For years, I relied on an online resume hosted on VisualCV—a meticulously crafted document chronicling my career achievements, skills, and experiences. I was always ready to share the link with potential hiring managers or headhunters.
Yet, in the past few years, requests for my resume have dwindled.
Despite my extensive experience and track record as a marketer with over two decades of experience, the calls to explore new opportunities just weren’t coming in as hot and heavy as it used to.
What’s the reason behind this?
Interestingly, I recently stumbled upon an article revealing that individuals aged 45 to 60 face significant challenges in finding employment due to common negative perceptions about how older worker are reluctant to adopt new technologies or their inability to learn new skills.
Funnily enough, the same article states that these perceptions often contradict the reality. The study found that hiring managers reported their 45+ hires performed as well as or better than their younger counterparts.
This data underscores the value and experience that older professionals bring to the table.
If ageism is the reason we are no longer "in-demand," it only reinforces my next point.
We need to be less concerned about listing past accomplishments and more focused in demonstrating the variety of our skillset.
I think it is critical to start building online presence and share the multitude of our experience.
How can I effectively demonstrate these interests on a resume?
The resume feels limiting.
A static document wouldn't be able to fully capture the dynamic nature of our career or showcase the nuances of our evolving skills and the impact we've made throughout the years.
With this in mind, I've made a decision to ditch my resume.
No, I'm not planning on retiring (I'm too young to retire anyway), nor am I planning to disappear from the workforce.
So, what’s next?
For older professionals, we may be able to benefit by utilising digital platforms such as LinkedIn to build online presence.
Its an opportunity to showcase our skillset, share our knowledge and our commitment towards continuous learning.
In Austin Kleon's book Show Your Work, he emphasizes the importance of sharing work, ideas and inspiration online to connect and build an audience. Sharing even one small lesson everyday will make you more relatable and accessible and this approach allows you to establish a lasting presence in your respective fields.
A strong point for us mid-life professionals to seriously consider.
By embracing these strategies, we can highlight our adaptability and ongoing relevance in today's job market, effectively countering age-related biases.
