If I told you there was a secret to unlocking job search for those who are over 50, I’d no doubt have your complete attention. Unfortunately, it would be a lie. There is no secret. But there are a number of best practices that together can contribute to your success in landing that perfect job. These are non-obvious strategies, but they are strategies that work. I recently spoke at the “Job Search and Ageism – Part 2” webinar, hosted by Laura Leach and Christy Watz, and during the hour several of my colleagues who are career experts dropped their recommended best practices. Here are three I thought more people need to hear.
- Focus on the hidden job market. Experts estimate that up to 80% of job openings are not advertised. These employers may lack resources to advertise, may have internal process reasons not to advertise, or may be thinking of replacing a poor performer. So while, yes, it is possible to land a job you sourced from a job board, it is actually more likely your next great opportunity is not listed because you face less competition. Ron Visconti, executive director of Phase2Careers, offers a number of ways to suss out these hidden jobs: “We have to be inquisitive, we have to ask questions, and we have to dig.” He emphasizes the importance of having conversations in networking or informational interviews, or by going directly to companies found via databases.
- Know your worth and negotiate like a pro. It’s possible you are undervaluing yourself, not keeping up with current compensation trends. Laura Leach, an executive career coach, points out that there are lots of online tools to help you research your worth, including Salary.com, Payscale.com, and LinkedIn. (Also, check out resources mentioned here for evaluating the equity side of the compensation equation.) Then practice your negotiation! Leach says too often we just practice the interview, not the negotiation: “It’s important that we prepare what we’re going to negotiate, what are those words we’re going to say.”
- Have a strong—and short—response to, “Tell me about yourself.” Executive presence coach Natalie Venturi reminds us that almost every interview starts with this “Tell me about yourself” question, meant to be an icebreaker, not a recitation of your life story. How to approach it? She suggests, “One part of the answer is to weave in the moment you knew you were born to do this work.” Keep your answer to about 60 to 90 seconds, set it up as a story, and practice, practice, practice.
You can check out the full recording of the webinar, as well as Part 1. None of the tips here nor any of those offered in the webinars are “secrets.” But few people take them to heart and do them well. Set yourself apart by taking the advice of these experts, and you’ll be setting yourself up for job search success.