For those of you who are regular readers of Feisty Side of Fifty, you know I’m a huge proponent of the bountiful changes a woman experiences during her midlife makeover. No, I’m not referring to a new, stylish wardrobe that covers and camouflages or an uplifting hairdo that draws the eye away from the crows’ feet. The makeover Mother Nature gifts women with is an internal reset of hormones, attitudes, drive, sense of self-direction, and personal power. For most of us, it’s all encompassing and it’s grand—once you get through that pesky period called peri-menopause.
However, today’s marketplace is adding an entirely new dimension to nature’s makeover. Women over fifty are being forced to make changes they never anticipated and these externally imposed demands can be tough to deal with. They’re being laid-off, downsized, right-sized, and even labeled “redundant.” If they haven’t lost their jobs, they’re being forced to recognize that their careers, once flourishing, are in jeopardy. Previously promising fields and industries are contracting or moving offshore leaving workers vulnerable and dispensable. And this can be especially true for the older worker.
Despite the bleak circumstances and the ever-depressing news, there are ways to make others aware of your worth in the workplace and boost your own sense of self-confidence. One of the best is to know and be able to articulate your skills. Skills are your salable qualities and, if you’re laid off, you need to be very clear on what you bring to the position, the problems you can solve, and how you differ from the competition. This self-knowledge also comes in very handy at review time, when asking for a raise, and to avoid being passed over for promotions.
As a career and life transition counselor whose focus has been to assist people in finding work, I know the importance of identifying and speaking to one’s skills. Therefore, for the next several posts, I’m going to be posing questions to help you uncover your own unique qualities and how you can best convey your skill sets to others.
Skills can be divided into several categories and you’ll want to be clear on each of them. Today we’ll begin with work-specific, knowledge-based skills. Here are a several points to consider:
- What formal education do you have in your field?
- Which classes and ongoing training have you taken?
- Do you hold any certifications or degrees?
- What technical skills are required to do the work you perform?
- What people-related skills do you use on the job?
- What are the skills listed in your job description?
Spend some time identifying and listing skills that reflect your specialized knowledge. Next time we’ll look at and address another equally important skill area. In the meantime, forget the news and stay feisty!
I am 55 years old. When my husband died of cancer, I made a music CD, having never sung a song in my life before. It was an amazing experience. Two and a half years later, I have a professionally produced album of songs for women aged 40 to 60. It is amazing that some of us live most of our lives not knowing what we are capable of. This was a shock to me.
If you visit my web site and send me your name and address I will mail you a copy of my album.
Fran May
glad i found this site. i have to face starting all over again thanks for what i read
Hi to All,
I am fifty six, and have held several temp. and p/t positions in education in the last almost eight years. I obtained a teaching Degree in ’96, but have not worked steadily as my aging parents needed care and they have since past on. I have try tried to re-enter the workworld in my area, but it seems that the new college Teacher grads. are hired before me. I am presently thinking of starting a food catering business from my home, (dinner for two) because I love to cook. But I might try to take orders from my local neighbors, from those who get home and want a prepared dinner waiting for them. I’m a little scared of this step, but I going to try it regardless.
Love the feisty fifty post….I am a rowdy grandma myself….and meet monthly with a group of gals …we call ourselves Rewired….and discuss these issues..so I will share your blog with them…I found you through popartdiva…..keep up the good work!!…thanks
I am very happy to have found this blog. After reading your post and the many comments, I do not feel as alone as I did. This is a trying time, but I keep hoping that a door will open just as they always have in the past. Keep up the good work, you are an inspiration to many.
I started to write my comment and it turned into paragraph after paragraph about the need to reevaluate and reinvent ourselves – as “aging” workers, particularly in these times. (I hate the word aging! Let me rephrase that to “ripening”!!!).
So, I will not bore you with the diatribe here – but I will be posting it to this week’s upcoming Saturday Soapbox at The PopArtDiva Blog and quoting and linking back to you, Dear Ms. Feisty, because YOU STARTED IT!!!!
LOL, this post really got me going! So stop by this Saturday (March 7th, 2009) for an earful of my take on Reinventing the Creaking Wheels of the Boomer Workforce!
I’m 60+, but faced many of these circumstances when I was just over 50. It was scary. I had to take jobs that I’d spent my life hoping to avoid. But I lived, and I’m a bit more compassionate, understanding and tolerant than I was prior to that time in my life. (No, not perfect, just a little better than before!) And somehow in the midst of all that resentment, I managed to work for a woman (young enough to be my daughter!) who recognized my passion for writing and illustration, and put them to good use, a little at a time. That’s when I discovered it’s really true: whatever we loved doing when we were 8 yrs old, should be at the heart of what we are doing now.
Diana http://woofersclub.blogspot.com
Thank you Eileen, I look forward to this series of posts. I have recently been laid off from one of my jobs. At 53 I want to do something for myself. Maybe this last several months of blogging, was the introduction to just that. Maybe I’ll put myself in debt and buy a cafe, maybe I’ll write and buy a cafe. Hmm.
This applies to me, but for an entirely different reason. Ironically, before I took ill, I had two part time jobs and one incredible job offer. Considering that I was living in the heart of ski country, which is very youth oriented, and even the youth can’t find work, that was pretty amazing. However, since I know that my health will make me unpredictable and unreliable, I have to consider other options. Lately, I’ve been putting more focus into my writing. It won’t pay all the bills, but at least it provides a steady, albeit small income.
This is one time I’m glad to be leaning on my husband. I gave up my accounting career when we met to have children and stay home.
It’s been many years since I’ve done any accounting work, but I have always felt confident I could find my way back into the market if I ever needed to.
Thankfully, I’m free to pursue other interests that could potentially pay off financially and that is my burgeoning writing career and music career.
I have a goal to be a paid writer and music teacher by the time I am 55. In the meantime, I’m just so glad I am shielded from the harsh realities of the job market today. It’s a scary place.
From one career and life transition counselor to another–great questions, Eileen. And, during this time of sometimes unexpected change and fear, once again Ms. Feisty, your timing couldn’t be better! What a nice contribution you give to your readership.
What a wonderful service, Eileen, to help people focus on articulating their skills. It makes sense that in our era of constant communication, being concise and finding a way to stand out in how we present ourselves would be so important! It’s clear you are excellent at what you do. Thank you for sharing.
Eileen,
I have a friend currently going thru her fear after being laid off. She’s feeling like she didn’t grow enough on the job she had so she’s not marketable anymore. I have suggested she return back to school to get some additional training and a new skill but she is reluctant because she says she’s “too old” now. Hopefully, she will come around soon because now she’s just miserable.
I am certainly going to send her a link to this post.
One of the reasons I was so eager to get my coaching program started. Good advice Eileen. Thanks for sharing.
Very nice post, and great advise, but I must admit that tonight, I’m especially drawn to the last line “In the meantime, forget the news and stay feisty!”:-)
Happy weekend!