Tip No. 204
Q. I recently read the May 16, 2005 issue of Fortune, and was shocked! The cover read “50 and Fired” and the feature article stated that those of us in this category are now likely on “permanent vacation.” This is very distressing to hear as I am currently looking for work after a downsizing at my former company – I’m over 50, but too young to retire! I want to know, is Fortune right?
A. I read that article, too, and was struck by the cynicism of the author. You don’t have to believe it! It could very well be used as a handy excuse for not giving full effort to a job search, but based on the positive results of our clients over 50 in their job market, this article is not an accurate picture of reality and I wouldn’t base your career future on it if re-employment is what you want. I get a lot of good job market trend information from a website called ExecuNet, and their founder, Dave Opton noted that from January through April of 2005 he has “heard from more executives about their job search success than in nearly all of 2003, the year in which the employment market’s downturn hit bottom. Many of these executives are well beyond age 50, some are older than 60, and in nearly every case, their success was attributed to a common strategy – networking.” ExecuNet’s newsletter recently had this to say about networking in this age group: “Keep in mind that if you’re over 50 and looking to take advantage of the 23% increase in jobs the executive search industry is expecting this year, there’s a good chance that the contacts in your peer network are in the same generation as well as in a position to help you get a foot in the door. When it comes to making a job change, this can be half the battle.” Fantastic advice, I must say. I wish you successful networking! Go out and prove Fortune wrong.
CMI Career Management International
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