It is never too late to change your current job. Whether you are unhappy with your current employer or looking for growth opportunities, switching jobs can definitely prove to be beneficial for you. However, searching for a new employment in your 40s can be quite different than what it is for someone who is in their 20s. In fact, the idea of searching jobs when you are middle aged can be scary for some people.
Most of us are adapted to the idea, that the early age is the time for career experimentation and to finalize on how the rest of our lives will pan out. Making career changes, when we are supposed to be settled down with one job, may seem unnerving, as it can bring a lot of uncertainty.
Despite of how much scared or isolated you might feel, you should know that you are not alone and the idea is definitely not insane. There is no thumb rule of age to re-discover yourself or to reshape your life. However, while making career transitions in your 40s, you must keep in mind the following.
1) Stop Procrastinating
If the idea of changing your job has crossed your mind, then there must be something in your professional life that you want to change. It can be your salary structure, the job role, job location, the higher management or even the work environment. Irrespective of the reason, you must take the first step to look for other jobs, instead of telling yourself that things will get better. Rather than putting your bet on chance, put it on your efforts to change your status quo. Stop making excuses and stop buying time for things to change on its own. There is a good chance that they won’t. Therefore, if you think you need to change your job, it’s because you do. Stop worrying about your kids, let professionals at PenMyPaper take care of their grades, while you focus on getting a hold on your career.
2) Fitting the Right Profile
When you have reached your 40s, finding the right job can be a bit difficult. At this age, you are likely to have moved up to the hierarchical pyramid and the chances are that you are looking for a job profile that matches your current one, or is at least closely adjacent to it. Typically, the employers follow internal recruitment to fill in the higher positions. But this does not mean that you do not have a chance of getting selected. You should use your biggest advantage, which is your work experience. At your mid-forties, you are likely to have a robust knowledge base and experience, which you need to sell to your potential employer. Moreover, some recruiters look for new experienced candidates who can share their knowledge from their previous organization. Thus, before appearing for an interview, you need to pen down the key points on how your past employment can add value to your new employer.
3) Being Aware of the Industry
At this level of your career, you are likely to have a sound knowledge of how the industry works and how most of the companies run their internal operations. This knowledge can be beneficial to you to adapt to your new job environment. In the era of digitized work spaces, you need to be highly conversant with technologies. Before appearing for an interview, memorize some bullet points about the current industry trends, instead of making an essay out of it. This will help you to convince the recruiter that you can be trained to fit in the new job role quiet quickly and effortlessly.
4) Use your Network
Since you have been working for more than two decades or so, you are likely to have built a large circle of peers. Do not (repeating again, Do Not) hesitate to ask them for help. A large number of companies have referral programs. Ask your old colleagues or friends to refer you to the HR or to forward your CV. This can cut down on your job-hunting effort by a great extent.
Finally, you need to motivate yourself to take the leap of faith. It may sound like taking a risk and getting out of your comfort zone (that you have been in, for a very long time), but always keep your eye at the end result. Once again, it is not too late to look for other opportunities, whether you belong to the domain of IT or marketing or custom essay writing services, you will always find something that can help you with your career transition.
Good Luck Out There!
