fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

How to overcome ageism in the job search: five case studies

by Geddy Sveikauskas
May 12, 2021
in General News
0
How to overcome ageism in the job search: five case studies

Caption

(Photo by Kate Hiscock)

The common themes in recruiting older executives are reinvention, a recrafting of backstories, and a repositioning going forward, says executive recruiter Andy Cowan. “These older jobseekers and I openly discussed lowering some of their expectations about salary and benefits,” explains Cowan. “I encourage flexibility, a willingness to relocate and/or to take on contract work. Reinvention means the sharpening of new skills, the embrace of change, and a fresh understanding of the realities of where they were in terms of the competitive landscape.”

Cowan provides five case studies. Only the names have been changed.

 

Chris had worked for a leading consumer electronics company — think Samsung, LG or similar — for 15 years, working his way up to running the firm’s national service and repair operations. When he was unexpectedly laid off in a reorganization at 54, he was at a difficult career point for re-employment. Most companies were looking for younger workers who welcomed the “excitement” of travel, long hours, etc.

After revamping his resume to highlight very current technology-oriented skills as well as detailed examples of his expertise and financial and operational results he’d delivered to his former employer, I marketed him to competitors as a candidate both for long-term contracting and full-time employee positions. He was positioned safely as a candidate who could be tried out as a contractor before being converted to a full-time hire. Within three months he was hired by a direct competitor and is enjoying his new role.

 

Randi was running the call center and field-service operations of a national home-improvement center. In her mid-fifties, she’d worked her way up and was managing four call centers with a total of 1600 agents. Then her employer opted to outsource all its contact-center work to a third party. She led the transition over six months and was then let go with severance pay.

I updated her resume and coached her on how to promote her experience leading the transition of an in-house call center to an outsourced relationship, saving her employer millions of dollars in expense over the course of three years. I positioned her as an expert in identifying and leading these types of opportunities for large companies not only in the home-improvement space but in unrelated areas. Armed with a resume packed with financial and operational details of cost-saving and efficiencies she’d delivered for her previous employer, she was hired within four months as a long-term consultant.

 

Peter, a 58-year-old sales executive in home services, had after a long career in finance pivoted to leading sales of solar-energy services for a large national provider. When the company sold off his division, he struggled to get interviews. He was out of practice. His Linkedin profile and resume indicated his age by stating his college graduation date and dates of employment back to the 1980s.

I advised him to shorten his employment history and remove his graduation dates. I suggested he lightly update his hair (color and cut) and have a professional headshot for his Linkedin profile. Instead of looking 60 with tired, rumpled hair he now looked 50 and crisp to a prospective employer looking up his Linkedin profile. This helped him get on deck for initial interviews. I focused our efforts on marketing him to smaller compared firms in high-growth mode looking for a seasoned sales executive. He was hired within five months.

 

Ralph, in his mid-fifties, was a victim of his own success. He’d been with the same employer 30 years. What once was viewed as admirable worked against him when he was laid off. Potential employers viewed him as being too insulated, too narrow in his experience.

I revamped his resume into a dozen sub-sections to reflect all the positions he’s held within the company over the 30 years. I made his background as varied and progressive as possible to mirror that of a candidate who’d held several different external positions,  while at the same time showing his upward career growth. I marketed him to former business partners he’s worked with externally over the years, and had him in a new position in four months.

[related: This week’s Help Wanted section]

Carol had worked for several Fortune 1000 companies leading their field services. Laid off at 56, she floundered for several months, contacting her relationships looking for her new position. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a good resume, and didn’t know exactly how to position herself, She couldn’t get many interviews.

I coached her to have a clear message with her network, a story she could quickly tell to position herself as a candidate to be remembered. Since her children had long since left home and she wanted to move South, I encouraged her to be open to relocating. I encouraged her to not look for the same salary and rich benefits she’d enjoyed in her last long-tenured position (new employees aren’t usually given vacation and other benefits that match what they may have had previously), but to focus on interviewing well in order to develop employment interest and subsequent offers. Once hired she could earn her stripes and get the salary/benefit improvements she deserved. She was hired within six months and moved to Florida for her new gig.

 

Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Saugerties holds in-person National Honor Society induction ceremony

Next Post

Letters to the editor (5/5/21)

Geddy Sveikauskas

Related Posts

Two hurt in icy conditions in Shandaken
General News

Two hurt in icy conditions in Shandaken

January 18, 2023
TerraCottage pottery studio coming to New Paltz’s Huguenot Street
General News

TerraCottage pottery studio coming to New Paltz’s Huguenot Street

January 12, 2023
Village of New Paltz Christmas tree pickup
General News

New Paltz’s Christmas tree pickup plan

January 11, 2023
School bus strikes, kills 59-year old Kingston resident (updated)
General News

School bus strikes, kills 59-year old Kingston resident (updated)

January 9, 2023
FCC broadband map identifying County’s unserved communities crucial in targeting funding
General News

FCC broadband map identifying County’s unserved communities crucial in targeting funding

December 30, 2022
Hurley Transfer station goes cashless while raising rates
General News

Hurley Transfer station goes cashless while raising rates

December 27, 2022
Next Post
Letters to the editor (5/5/21)

Letters to the editor (5/5/21)

Trending News

  • One-man crime spree comes to end after Kingston man runs out of luck 3.6k views
  • Saugerties to host inaugural Snow Moon Festival February 3 to 5 1.9k views
  • The Bruynswyck Inn Oyster & Clam Bar offers fresh seafood and Shawangunk views 1.5k views
  • 20-foot, 10-wheel big rig overturns in Saugerties, injuring driver 1.2k views
  • Visit Kingston’s 12,240-square-foot squat, centrally located with wood-burning fireplace 1.1k views
  • Three-story, mixed-use building proposed for Agway property in New Paltz 1k views

Weather

Kingston
◉
14°
Partly Cloudy
7:05 am5:14 pm EST
Feels like: 7°F
Wind: 5mph SSW
Humidity: 29%
Pressure: 30.52"Hg
UV index: 2
SunMonTue
48/30°F
46/23°F
43/34°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing