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"Women account for 46.6 percent of the U.S. Workforce and hold almost half of the managerial and leadership positions of Fortune 500 companies," says Careerwomen.com's career resource page. Now that you know the jobs are there…what are some ways to prepare yourself to reenter the workforce after a lengthy time away?
Accept that there is stereotypical thinking in companies towards older adults. The primary employer concerns are that seniors have less capacity for development and productivity, will be too rigid in their thinking and won't be up-to-speed technologically. Your advantage will be when you prove them wrong. It starts in the research and preparation process:
1. Personally assess your own motivation for this job. If you're going to sell them on you, you'd better be able to sell yourself on you first. Employers need to be able to trust that you will be satisfied in the job and will give it 100% rather than trying to offset "empty-nest syndrome," fight boredom, or bide time until you get your retirement check. What do you like about the type of work you're pursuing and how do you know you'll bring value to the job? Take the motivation quiz by emailing info@creatingatwill.com and asking for it.
2. There are a number of free online assessments to learn more about your self and to test your qualifications and adaptability. Go to www.mycareerwhiz.com to discover how you stack up against others agewise with your experiences and interests. Take the "real age test" at www.realage.com to determine where you measure up chronologically. A short personality test with full feedback results can be downloaded at www.ActualMe.com. Get the Now Discover Your Strengths book and take their online quiz to uncover your top strengths and memorize them to emphasize in your interview. Develop those you'll need for this job.
3. Seek out five other women who've returned later in life to the workforce and interview them on what they did to prepare and get in position for the work they enjoy. Learn what they did that didn't work well too.
4. Learn as much as you can about the job and the company before your interview. If you have peer contacts at the company, take them to lunch and ask them to tell you about the corporate culture, work pace, general lay of the land, and anything about the person leaving who was in the job you now want.
5. Research current and past newspaper articles for general knowledge of the company and to locate a useful stat or story you could mention in your cover letter or during the interview to prove you've done your homework. Reiterate your research that uncovered how a woman within their company excelled and likewise how you have excelled in past work assignments, which could be helpful to ward off gender stereotyping.
6. Find out what computer systems and office equipment is used in your industry and familiarize yourself with it. Know how much computer knowledge is expected for the job role you're pursuing. Get necessary training, and then clearly demonstrate this knowledge on your resume, pointing it up in the interview phase if your job requires it.
Employers are concerned that older women are not as educated as they need to be and don't have the qualifications to compete for more senior jobs. This is a myth that has been repeatedly disproved in field studies: women are just as qualified for promotion as men in every respect, they have shown top performance ratings at all levels and have long overall services' records. Here are additional things to prepare for effectively positioning yourself:
1. Determine if you need re-education or have sufficient education to position yourself for the job you want now. If you could use brushing up on some of your skills, take a night class. Find out if the company pays for continuing education. If you don't need a skill to get the job, you can tell them you're planning to learn an additional skill that will benefit them in the long run, then hold tight in the job until you're eligible to take advantage of that paid benefit.
2. There are several good interviewing books to help you ask thoughtful questions in the interview phase. These questions will help you get the information you need to make a qualified decision before accepting the job. These books can also help you respond with atypical answers to their standard questions, which helps you stick out in their mind. Pick two books that are current on these topics.
3. Don't even consider using the same resume you had when you left the corporate world a few years back without giving it a fresh look and updating. One of many free resume template services available online is www.pongoresume.com. For more specific help, you can choose from a qualified list at www.best10resumewriters.com.
4. Forbes, Fast Company and many online magazines offer current survey ratings of top employee-friendly companies. www.cnn.money.com lists Fortune 500's top women companies. Find a company in your area recognized for workplace equality and diversity and one that closely matches you and your values.
5. Consider hiring a career coach to help you uncover 1) what job you're a best fit for. 2) whether or not your current strengths and skills are sufficient or you need additional training. 3) buoy your confidence level. 4) help you locate and transition to work.
6. If your confidence level is not what it needs to be, to remove negative beliefs standing in the way of you getting the job you want, choose to do some "beliefs work" at www.creatingatwill.com/services.
Don't expect your seniority to be respected. You'll be the new kid on the block again and you will want to balance your seasoned input and suggestions with some reserve at first, so you don't undermine those with less experience. Yet recent research shows age and performance are unrelated and there is a movement towards a more honest perception and appreciation of individual employee competencies. Some companies have even adopted in-house mentoring programs to take advantage of senior wisdom.
Laurie A. Sheppard is a master certified Life Coach and Career Strategist to mid-level professional women and women entrepreneurs who want to make quality career and personal changes.
Ready to change your life? Contact Laurie at info@creatingatwill.com or call her at 310-645-2874. Sign up to receive monthly career tips
© 2007 All Rights Reserved. This article is free to publish in its entirety, with a courtesy email to info@creatingatwill.com
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