A<\/span>lison Stanley was just a few months short of her 60th birthday when she decided to make a major change of career direction \u2013 and it worked! She transitioned from being a full-time early childhood teacher to being an assistant and trainer at The Quarter Inch, a world-renowned retail quilting shopfront, learning center, and caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n One evening, after a full day of teaching, Alison realized that she was tired \u2026 very tired. A keen quilter, she happened that night to see an ad for a part-time position at \u2018The Quarter Inch.\u2019 Until that moment, Alison hadn\u2019t considered a career change. She loved teaching and was good at it. At that moment, however, Alison recognized that being a teacher was wearing her out. A change was needed.<\/p>\n So she hit the apply button.<\/p>\n The next day, Helen Stubbings<\/a>, the business owner, called Alison and asked her to come in for a chat. Helen was concerned that Alison would miss her teaching role and the salary that went with it. Would Alison find sufficient stimulation in the new role?<\/p>\n Alison had already considered the financial ramifications, and her husband supported her wholeheartedly. So Alison spoke confidently and enthusiastically about how the change could benefit her.<\/p>\n A very brief trial period \u2013 just two shifts! – proved her work ethic and demonstrated how well she collaborated with younger members of the team. And now, after just a few weeks, she is accepted by all the staff as a valuable colleague.<\/p>\n For Alison, this was not the first career change made in her 50s. In 2014, after 13 years working as a children\u2019s librarian, she set about getting an early education teaching role. Through networking, Alison quickly found a position where she excelled right up until her recent career shift.<\/p>\n Being proactive can help you evade the risk of age discrimination. Age discrimination is based on ignorance. Employers don\u2019t know you or what you are capable of accomplishing. As a result, they may make assumptions based on popularly held misconceptions; yes, misconceptions.<\/p>\n While there is no doubt that age discrimination exists, there is a large body of evidence that shows that older workers are more productive and more reliable than younger workers.<\/p>\n But to overcome any risk of ageism, older job seekers would be wise to convince employers that they can do the job and that they are motivated to do it well.<\/p>\n Your confidence and attitude will do most to convince the employer, more so than even the best-crafted r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n Alison conveyed her personality and spoke confidently and enthusiastically when Helen phoned her in response to her application. The positive conversation led to an interview at which Alison continued to demonstrate her positive attitude.<\/p>\n Conventional recruitment practices don\u2019t make it easy to stay positive. They sap your confidence, disempower you, and take away your power. Even the word \u2018submit\u2019 implies subjugation.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to be confident when you have no control of the job search process \u2013 so take control. Be proactive. Instead of relying on job boards to provide possible openings, identify those openings yourself before they are advertised.<\/p>\n Decide what sort of work you want, and then select just two organizations that employ that sort of work.<\/p>\n Research those organizations thoroughly, identify people who work there, and meet with them.<\/p>\n Make yourself known. Show them your attitude; let them see your capabilities and personal qualities. You will find that this boosts your confidence and convinces employers that your age is no handicap but rather a bonus.<\/p>\n The process may seem daunting, but it is the best way to get the sort of job you want as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n If you have already lost confidence in your job search effort, your first task may be to rebuild your self-esteem.<\/p>\n Rebuilding confidence might take a little time, but it\u2019s important, and there are several practical strategies that can help you do so. Here are some suggested strategies:<\/p>\n Establish a support network; ask a few trusted friends or family members if they would be willing to discuss issues and give you encouragement and advice. With their support, you will immediately feel more confident.<\/p>\n See yourself in the role you are seeking. Research the position and the organization thoroughly and start planning how you would spend the first few weeks in the position. The planning process itself will help you envisage yourself successfully performing the job.<\/p>\n Dress every day as if you were already working there. Putting your best foot (or face) forward will not only boost your self-image it will also inspire the people you meet to see you in the role.<\/p>\n Successful people walk tall and stand with good posture. If you emulate them, you feel yourself becoming more confident. The way you hold yourself is often more important than the way you dress.<\/p>\n Regular exercise and physical fitness make a significant impact on confidence. Make a daily exercise program part of your job search campaign.<\/p>\n Laughter and smiling both release feel-good hormones; they relax and open the mind to new ideas as well as energizing you. Make joke sharing and humor a part of your campaign.<\/p>\n If you know of other job seekers, invite them to work with you to share ideas and information. A problem shared is a problem halved. As you advise and encourage each other, you build your confidence.<\/p>\n Volunteering is another great way to build confidence. Working alongside others, being acknowledged and thanked for your efforts is great for your self-esteem, and the work that you complete is convincing evidence of your ability.<\/p>\n When you are feeling sufficiently confident, plan and mount a proactive job search campaign.<\/p>\n Think of your job search as a full-time job \u2013 or as full-time as you can afford to make it. Focus on the two possible positions you have targeted. Pay attention to the details of each application to make each one as effective as possible. By application, I mean the whole process \u2013 r\u00e9sum\u00e9, interview, research, and networking. The better the application, the more confident you will be and the more likely you will enjoy a successful job search.<\/p>\n The secret of Alison\u2019s success was the confidence and attitude she brought to the job search. Confidence and attitude are the key ingredients for job search success, no matter what your age.<\/p>\n Job-specific qualifications and skills are not unimportant \u2013 it\u2019s just that they are not usually the factors on the final hiring decision.<\/p>\n If you have not yet been successful, build your confidence and demonstrate it in all your dealings with prospective employers. It\u2019s an approach that works, and it can work for you!<\/p>\n Tips for launching your next career<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11698,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,146],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2021","category-fall-2021-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11535"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11927,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11535\/revisions\/11927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to Avoid Age Discrimination<\/h3>\n
How to Take Control of the Job Search<\/h3>\n
1. Don\u2019t go it alone:<\/h3>\n
2. Visualize success:<\/h3>\n
3. Dress for success:<\/h3>\n
4. Walk tall, stand tall:<\/h3>\n
5. Exercise and physical fitness:<\/h3>\n
6. Laughter:<\/h3>\n
7. Collaborate:<\/h3>\n
8. Volunteer:<\/h3>\n
Ready to Launch Your Campaign<\/h3>\n
Rupert French is the author of How to Get a Good Job After 50 \u2013 2nd edition<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"