Career Plan for the Over 50

Career planning after 50 should not be a one time transaction, but rather career planning at any age, should be a lifelong process.
If you need to jumpstart you after 50 career planning, now is the time to start on spring cleaning out your career closet. Spend you time and effort now in building your career future-it will be time well spent.
Here are some actions you can start right now-get a head start on your spring cleaning:
1. Update your network. Make contact with everyone you haven't talked to in a while. If they have some career or job hunting issues offer to help.
2. Build an "atta-boy," file. Go back over the past year or more and start a file on performance reviews, thank-you letters, seminars and workshops attended, samples of work, projects managed, accomplishments and memo's outlining results. For the future keep the file up to date.
3. Draft a personal training and educational plan. What are your training needs? Books you need to read? Plan on reading at least two books a month-one about your career and another to stretch your knowledge. Other gaps in you skills that need to be filled?
4. Discover 10 or more people working in your career, or working in a proposed new career. Make arrangements to meet with them and share ideas. Add them to your career network and keep in touch.
5. Find 6 or more blogs or forums related to your career and industry. Visit them on a regular basis to stay up to date. Share the list with others in your career and ask for their favorites.
6. Review your overall systems and computer competencies with someone knowledgeable in IT. Make arrangements to add to your learning in this area. Get one related problem solved that has been vexing you.
7. Become more active in you local professional association. Add contacts to your network.
8. Volunteer you time in a cause or organization you admire. You'll realize a variety of rewards along with the chance to meet new people. Add contacts to your network.
9. Search for additional ways to add value to your job and department. Find ways to become more efficient and more responsive to both your internal and external customers.
10. Carefully analyze you own performance. Did you meet the goals you set for yourself last year? What went right and what went wrong? Plan to do better in the coming year.
11. Whenever possible look for opportunities to use a skill or interest working temporarily in another function or in a task that will give you the opportunity to work with another department or different group of people.
12. It's spring so give your wardrobe an updating. Look for sales and donate everything you haven't worn for-awhile.
13. Schedule a physical check-up. Get approval to start an exercise and diet program. Set your goals in short chunks and celebrate achieving each goal.
14. Build your coaching skills. Help a subordinate or co-worker advance their skills.
15. Draft your resume in a functional, chronological and targeted format. The exercise will help you respond to possible opportunities.
Now after your spring cleaning you've got your career planning after 50 back on track. With any plan it should not be ignored and put back in the closet. Put each action item in writing and work on your career plan every day.

You'll now be prepared for any and all after 50 career opportunities.

Finance/Your Job Interview

We have already talked out cover letters and CV`s but now comes the tricky part. The Interview. I hope that the information supplied helps you get your feet on the "Employment Ladder".

I'm always amazed at how few candidates arrive at the interview having done any professional research on the company they're applying to join! I suggest there are 2 levels of research:

1. Basic research: This requires you to know the basic information about the company such as:

a) What its main products/services are
b) Some history about the company
c)  Where it operates
d) The company's general "reputation"

Most of these points are easily found on the company's website or through a simple search on your favourite search engine. This should not take more than 15 - 30 minutes of your time.

2. Detailed research:

If you're really serious about standing out from the competition, then I recommend investing another 30 - 60 minutes of your time in some more detailed research. This is what you should do:

a) Search the web for press releases and news about the company in order to spot major launches, events, market response to services/products and investor reaction to results etc. By doing this, you will quickly be able to identify how the company is doing, its reputation and whether it is viewed as being well managed or not.
b) If its a quoted company, go to the investor section on the website and download the pdf of the latest annual results. There are 2 important things you'll find here - there's also a lot of boring stuff to avoid!. Firstly, you can find the CEO's statement. This will give you plenty of information on where the company is going, major initiatives etc. The second is the profit and loss or income statement. I'm not suggesting you all turn into accountants overnight, however a simple calculator and 10 minutes of your time will give you some information on how fast the company is growing and whether its profitable.

You now have about as much information as you need to move to our final step. 

Often, you'll be asked a question "what do you know about us"? Well, you now have the information to answer that one better than most. Towards the end of an interview, it's likely that you'll be asked the following "is there anything you'd like to ask us"?  This is a real opportunity to stand out as you will have developed 3 or 4 possible questions from your research that you can now ask. The video will give you some examples of how we suggest you develop your questions.

Importantly, when its your turn to ask questions of the recruiter, I suggest you preface your questions with the following ..."When I was doing my research in preparation for this interview, I came across ...". This will make it obvious to the recruiter that you've done your homework.

Congratulations!! by following a few simple steps, you are now professionally prepared for your interview - much more so than the majority of the other candidates. Good luck!

Finance/Cover Letter

The most fundamental piece of work you will need to complete when sending off your CV is a "Covering Letter".

If you do not write the covering letter well (as it`s the first thing they will see) then you can pretty much kiss your new job good-bye!

• Address your cover letter to a specific person.
• Use appropriate titles, such as Dr., Ms., Mr., for the chair of the search committee, even though you know that several people will read your letter. If the advertisement stipulates that the letter should be sent to the "Search Committee," use "Dear Committee Members" as the salutation.
• Use standard letter format. See the Sample Cover Letter as a reference or consult a good sourcebook on letter writing.
• Be specific about the position for which you are applying. Use the same language that was used in the advertisement.
• Be organized. Think of how you will present your information.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm.
• Research. Know something about the schools where you are applying. Visit web sites to gain specific information that might be pertinent to the positions, particularly if it will allow you to mention courses that you would be qualified to teach or in which you have an interest.
• Vary your letter from school to school although the variation might be minimal. Remember that each school/job is unique.
• Ask your advisor to read a solid draft of your letter and give you feedback. He/she has probably served on search committees before and give you some advice on whether your letter would make the short list.
• Ask someone whom you trust to read the final draft before it goes out.
• EDIT. EDIT. EDIT. AND PROOF. Your letter must be perfect.
• Keep a copy of each cover letter for your records.

DON'T

• Apply for jobs for which you are obviously not qualified.
• Begin your letter with "My name is..."
• Ask rhetorical questions, such as "Do you know why I would be a strong asset to your department?"
• Use exclamation points in your letter.
• Use odd fonts, flashy colored paper, or an unusual format.
• Repeat your entire vita.
• Exaggerate your qualifications or be dishonest.

• Make your letter more than one page.

Please refer to the example of a covering letter for help and advice. Good Luck and please do let me know how you get on!!