Five tips for jobseekers with a backpack full of skills

Older workers can be an important resource for many businesses. Nevertheless, many competent candidates are passed by, and younger candidates preferred. What to do?

Capus Partner Grete Andersen has been recruiting for positions in public and private companies for years – and is herself of an age that many experience that job opportunities are about to dry up.

With a rucksack full of experience from recruiting for all types of industries, specialist areas and positions, she has some advice for jobseekers in the 50 plus age group.

Jobseeker tip 1: Work on your CV!

Is your CV the one that’s been lying in your drawer since the early 1980s, only updating it with work experience and courses completed? Now is probably the time to update your CV.

Find a modern CV template that is adapted to trends and employers’ preferences. Identify experience and competence from your previous career that new employers can take advantage of.

Make sure to not drown your new employer in experience! Keep the CV down to a page or two.

• There is no need to include all working experience back to the dawn of time. Select the most recent and what is relevant to the role you are applying for.
• Education completed 30 years ago goes at the end of the CV. Keep up to date by completing courses and training.

Finished? Then it’s time to brush up your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is used by recruiters filling vacant positions, so this step is important!

Remember, get a nice new profile picture for both your CV and LinkedIn! 

Jobseeker tip 2: Apply to companies that value experience

Many businesses have committed themselves to working for inclusion and diversity and will be more positive towards older job seekers.

Go to the companies’ websites and see what they write about core values and see if you get a feel for the company’s culture. Look for companies that value employees with experience and diversity.

Job seeker tip 3: Use the network!

Long experience has given you a large network. You probably have lots of contacts at different organizational levels in many businesses. Use the network!

Don’t be shy! Tell your contacts that you are looking for a job and what kind of position that you are open to. Tell them about your skills and competence, ask them to spread the word. The network is your best ambassador and can help you get to the interview you want.

Don’t be afraid to take your network to new channels. We just talked about LinkedIn. Did you make sure to add all your contacts? Don’t be afraid to post on LinkedIn that you are looking for a job and what your contribution to a new employer would be. Friends spread the word – and come up with tips for current opportunities.

Job seeker tip 4: Keep up to date

Take courses, read specialist literature, and keep up to date with all new technology. Unfortunately, older workers are easily considered “outdated”. They lack up-to-date knowledge and grapple with software and technology that is second nature to younger candidates.

Demonstrate that you master software and technology, and show employers how that will help them create value.

Jobseeker tip 5: Don’t be afraid to think out of the box

Did your job search grind to a halt? Is the answer no, again and again? Then it may be time to think out of the box – and maybe change your career path. 

Your long experience may just as well be used in a completely different career. A study carried out by the American Institute for Economic Research showed that a full 82 per cent of those who chose a new career path after the age of 45 had succeeded in doing so. The study also showed that they were happier in their new job – and that many also increased their salary. Not bad!

---