7 Employability Tips for Late Careerists…

Change can be debilitating or the healthiest thing in the world.  It’s the stuff of life, both tough and exhilarating in equal measures.  Here’s a rundown of the personal and professional challenges and the opportunities this Baby Boomer has experienced in the last 5 years:

• The company I worked with for over a decade went bust in the recession
• I became  self-employed for the first time
• I wrote a book for the first time (two now published)
• I embraced the social media revolution from scratch
• My three daughters are fleeing the nest
• My wife changed job twice and completed a part-time post-graduate course
• Both my mum and my wife’s father died
• Oh, and the worst economic situation in nearly a century

You can either stand still and moan, shout, blame and freeze at perceived injustices and your luck – or you can ride the next wave of change positively with resilience, hope and take action.  Luck tends to even out in my experience, opening doors where none existed before.

So what have I learned that might help your employability? 

1. Do something, however small, and build momentum – the world will always look different
2. Don’t allow the pursuit of perfection to derail you
3. Say ‘yes’ more than ‘no’ – take a risk or two
4. Find advice, guidance and support from people who are great listeners and empathic or are expert in areas you are not – change is easier when you are not alone
5. Trust your instincts, tune in to your values and let them guide you (change often puts them to the test)
6. Find a way of keeping your ultimate goal or vision of success to hand on a daily basis – to feed your resilience and ambition for the times when things don’t go to plan (and they won’t)
7. Above all, enjoy the ride however bumpy or heart stopping or confusing or frustrating or exciting – grip the handrails, hang on and take a deep breath as you pause in between

It doesn’t matter whether you are 17 or 70 years old, change happens, so you might as well embrace it head on and learn to leap. 

Does my experience resonate as you prepare for change in all its guises – finding a job or the career you want, changing direction, a new role or responsibility, overcoming personal setbacks and significant life events, or facing an unknown future?

David Shindler is a professional development coach, employability specialist and author of Learning to Leap. Follow him on Twitter – @david_shindler