On the Job-Hunt?

Remember – age is your advantage

It’s been a year of bad news for government employees, especially for those in the immediate pre-retirement age bracket, or those who are older but still need to work to build up their retirement savings. In fact, for anyone in these groups looking for work, the announcement approximately 8,700 public service jobs will go by mid-2029, couldn’t have come at a worse time. What’s more, older workers face a unique set of challenges when it comes to finding future employment.

Compared to a younger employee, the more senior you are, the more likely it is you hold a specific set of job skills (whereas a younger employee is likely to be more versatile when it comes to switching skill-sets). As a senior, you are also more likely to have fewer formal education qualifications, and less incentive to retrain (the financial- and time-investment pay-off is reduced as you have fewer employment-years in which to recoup your outlay). And you almost certainly (given you likely own your own, well-established home) won’t want to move to find new work. You might be less likely to find new employment providing the same or better financial rewards as your last job offered, because it is likely your previous salary or wage was based on years-of-service. To add insult to injury, as a senior, you may well find yourself, facing employer discrimination.

It paints a grim picture, and one requiring serious resilience and stamina to overcome. But isn’t it how, as a senior, you’ve retained your job for as long as you have? Now, you can draw on this resilience and stamina to help find new employment. Below, are some of the ways to shake off the misconceptions an employer may have about an older worker, and paint yourself in a light reflecting all the advantages you will bring to a job. Be sure to highlight these points in your next job application:

• You already have the skills an employer requires – there will be little or no cost involved in training you.
• Due to years of experience, an older worker is highly likely to excel in customer-facing communication and teamwork.
• Leadership skills are invaluable – and the older you are, the more likely it is you’ve been in a leadership role for a decade or more.
• Even if you haven’t held leadership roles, experience is a highly valued asset when it comes to mentoring younger employees. You will save your employer countless hours of staff engagement because less experienced workers have you beside them to answer questions and provide advice.
• Loyalty and work ethic counts – and your track record shows you already have both. You’re not going to call-in sick on Friday, after Thursday’s night-on-the-towner. The stats are also in your favour – research shows older workers have less absenteeism rates than younger workers.
• With a home of your own, you will be less likely to up-sticks and move, making you a dependable candidate when it comes to providing stability in the your future employee’s workforce.
• While a full-time job may be your preference, if you’re already receiving a pension, you may be more willing to accept part-time hours if necessary – use this as a negotiating point in your application if you feel it will be helpful.
• You’ve been in a job for many years, which means you have almost certainly built up networks of value to any future employer.
• These attributes are not to be taken lightly. As an older person on the job-hunt, your task is to highlight them in your application. While you wait for replies, call on all the resilience and stamina you already have, to sustain you on your journey. Remember to exude confidence – because age is your advantage!