You're not invisible
It's easy to feel like no one sees the great work that you've done and are currently doing. Maybe you've had an extended job search and you're just not getting any traction. Or maybe you're in a stressful role and you just feel burnt out.
One of my LinkedIn posts this week had almost 1000 comments. I'm so glad that it resonated with so many people, but I'm going to admit it feels somewhat overwhelming to me when this happens. I still manage Ageless Careers completely on my own and so it's literally impossible for me to respond to everyone, which makes me feel bad because I really do want to respond to everyone.
So, I asked ChatGPT to pull a few comments out and I'm sharing them here with you today:
“I started my own company aged 54; have helped two companies to successful exits since then; had 39 US patents granted since I turned 60, which is more than I have been granted prior to that. Why would you want to hire someone young and inexperienced? To save money? Pity? Scared to have someone report to you who is older than you?”
“I too am battling the stigma. I have created my brand as an expert in Healthcare Leadership with many huge achievements in many diverse areas. Sacrificed family time during my career to climb the ladder of corporate America…Here is the hard fact, I have been unemployed for 10 months and now finding it really hard to carry on with two kiddos in college. A pre-veterinarian student 4th year undergrad and the other just starting the journey. Never thought I would be in this situation.”
“This is such a great post and comment thread! There are so many capable, experienced people that are also very technical and innovative. If you love to learn and use new tools, this doesn’t stop with age, it grows! ‘Grit’ is often an added benefit of the experienced workforce and is hard to find in the early-stage workforce.”
“Harsh reality, but completely truthful. Going through it myself right now in real-time. Thanks for sharing, Colleen.”
“Thank you and may I add a 73-year-old pivot from Cyber into medicine by attending Harvard Medical School genetics and immunology courses and the University of Geneva Precision Medicine College and just published an engineering book defining the path to use mechanical engineering processes in Medical Research and Development, just saying.”
“Thank you for this. It’s a sad state we’re in for ‘older’ workers like me. And it’s rather peculiar and ironic how so much conversation is geared against ageism yet the emphasis and preference still seems to lean towards the opposite.”
“Tech companies don't want us 60 year olds representing their hot new tech.. That's how I feel after 2 years of looking in the payments space.”
To all of you out there, I just want to say thank you for being part of this community and that I see you. You're not invisible. And the right company would be lucky to have you.
Question of the week
I wanted to get your thoughts on something: I keep seeing these resumes where it seems like the job candidate did a bunch of graphic aerobatics in Canva. Do talent acquisition folks and recruiters prefer those now? How about having a photo on the resume?
Canva and Microsoft Word are featuring these resume templates for whatever reason. I can totally see why folks would be confused about using them since so many templates have a picture now, but most of the recruiters that I talk with aren't fans of this. Instead of spending your time on a resume with a fancy template, I would recommend that you take that time and consider how to best show your results/impact.
In case you missed these LinkedIn posts:
"There is no amount of botox that will hide my age."
Poll: How are you feeling about your career right now? (1000+ votes)
64% of workers who are 50+ report seeing age discrimination in the workplace. And right now, bipartisan lawmakers are trying to do something about it.
I’ve reviewed 1000s of LinkedIn profiles and one section is almost always underutilized: the About section.
Does the Workday ATS auto-reject workers who are 40+?
Want to up your game on LinkedIn?
Need a new resume or executive bio?
I deliver resumes, executive bios, LinkedIn profile optimization, and 1-hour strategy calls.
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Limited time only: We'll be offering the current version of the Ageless Careers Toolkit through June 30, so if you're looking to take the course, you'll want to start it now.
The Ageless Careers Toolkit is a self-paced job search program with 5 modules:
- Build Your Ageless Career: I answer your biggest job search questions and troubleshoot common issues for Gen X and Baby Boomer job seekers
- Write Your Ageless Resume: I've written 1000s of resumes - this is my 43-page guide for writing a winning resume
- Craft Your Ageless Cover Letter: My tips for writing a cover letter in 10 minutes or less
- The Art of Ageless Interviewing: Boost your confidence through my biggest interview tips
- Create Your Ageless LinkedIn Presence: We are going to optimize your LinkedIn profile so that opportunities find you
The toolkit includes both written guides and video presentations with 10 sample resumes across various functions (marketing, finance, engineering, manufacturing, sales, etc) and roles (Project Manager, Director, VP, C-Suite).
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Other ways that I can help:
Question of the Week: Do you have a question that you would to have answered in the Question of the Week? If so, reply to this email and let me know what's on your mind.
Corporate Presentations: I deliver customized presentations for businesses and universities, offering webinars/in-person presentations across topics including ageism, resume best practices, LinkedIn optimization, job search, and more.
Hiring Help: Reach out if you have any open roles that you would like to share with this community.
Sponsorships: Reach Gen X and Baby Boomer executives by sponsoring this newsletter (we're currently at 4500+ subscribers for the newsletter and 71,500+ followers on LinkedIn, so you can easily reach a wide base of readers).
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Take care of yourself and have a wonderful weekend!
Colleen
