Over 50 and still job hunting? Part 2

Fifty years old, at the top of his game and unemployed. Thompson was fed up with the constant reduction in resources and staff. He couldn't do his best work, so he quit. He was certain his experience and truly excellent track record would impress prospective employers as he headed down the job search path with optimism and relief.

He ignored the signs that finding new employment would be a challenge: Boeing laid off over 550 people again and even Microsoft finally succumbed to a lay off.  Six months later, no new job in hand, Thompson surrendered to disbelief and depression.

He had interviewed with people who did not know how to interview. He had interviewed with people with less experience than his, less know-how. He had interviewed with people who were significantly younger. He believed he was overqualified. "These kids running these companies don't have a clue. I intimidate them with my experience and knowledge."

In truth, Thompson was probably overqualified in the literal sense, but in the actual sense, it just meant he wasn’t being considered as a candidate. “Overqualified” is a useful myth many people use to dismiss why they didn't get a job or employers use to dismiss why they didn’t hire. Thompson didn't know how to relate his experience to prospective employers.

He believed another myth; that relating an impressive and lengthy background and presenting an extensive litany of accomplishments is the correct way to land a job; to impress the employer. Thompson was wrong. Instead, he helped prospective employers jump to the “overqualified” consensus.

The best way to find a new position is to relate your experiences and only those experiences, to the specific needs of the prospective employer. To do otherwise makes it difficult for them to see you as the solution to their very specific problem, and why they are hiring.

If they need to build a local sales team, for instance, it is irrelevant and distracting to include your experience building an International sales force. If you say you have architected and designed multi level software applications and release was only a part of your job, when they need someone specifically to manage the release of current products, they will not see you as a fit.

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