You’ve been with a company for 20 years and established a lucrative career, but now you’ve found yourself unemployed. There are many reasons that this can happen after being with a company for 20 years, downsizing, restructuring, or the business closing. Unfortunately, if you’ve given a company 20 years, the job search seems even more daunting than usual. You haven’t updated your Resume, had an interview, or even looked for a job since the 1990s. You might feel embarrassed on top of feeling devastated, and that is okay. It can become incredibly overwhelming, but even though you’re reeling from the huge blow of losing that position, now is the time to move. Get up, dust yourself off and prepare for what’s ahead. One of the ways you can be prepared for something like this is making sure you HAVE kept your Resume up to date. This is also a great point to seek out a service that will help you with your Resume and job search. Do your research! Look for online reviews, reach out to the company, find out their areas of expertise and how they can be beneficial to helping you successfully find your next role in today’s market.
It is going to be hard to find a position like the one you just lost. Pay and benefits typically won’t match what you might be accustomed to, but you should still be able to find a position in the same field. Even if you’re over 50 and successfully looking you’re back on the market, it is going to be a little more difficult to find a position. Having a good Resume is going to be key when job searching, you’ll see this as a recurring theme. As with any job-loss, it will be critical to treat your job search as though it’s a full-time job in itself. You will get what you put into it. Your age doesn’t put you out of the game, but you will have to be proactive and make sure you get up and go and exude confidence and energy. After all, 50 is the new 30, and the company will really benefit from your on the job experience!
While you’re looking for a new posit
ion, especially if you’re not interested in taking a cut in pay or loss in benefits, this would be a great opportunity to gain some additional skills. You can volunteer or take classes to become certified in a specific skill. All of this looks amazing on a Resume and will show that even though you may have lost a position you held for decades, you aren’t afraid to learn and grow. This is only an asset to the organization you will be joining! There are multiple options for free courses you can take as well, if the loss of financial stability is something that may pose as a potential obstacle.
LinkedIn is another critical tool. This is something that you may not have had use for being with a single organization for so many years. LinkedIn is an amazing resource for networking. Being with a company for that long, you will have amassed a wealth of contacts, get on LinkedIn! Connect with those individuals, ask them for recommendations, and reach out to them for potential roles that may be available. Don’t give up and don’t feel like you’re stepping over a line. You have a rapport with these individuals, use it to your advantage.
Other forms of social media should be reviewed and anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see should be hidden or removed. As we move forward in an age where any and everything is accessible to anyone on the internet, don’t think an employer won’t do a web search of your name to see what might pop up. A good service will be able to provide Resume writing, interview coaching, LinkedIn optimization and social media review as a packaged deal. This will remove a lot of the stress of getting those things in line and allow you more time to focus on finding that next role.
Were you doing what you loved or were you doing what you felt you had to? Silver-lining to losing your position at this point in your career could be pursuing a new career path altogether. Drawing from skills you already have and any skills you may pick up during this time off, you can mold your Resume to match the position of your dreams. Take some time after you’ve lost your position to think about what you really want next steps to be, then reach out to a reputable organization to help you align all professional aspects to reach your goal.
Losing a position you’ve dedicated yourself to for so many years is traumatic and is no small change, but it is not something you won’t recover from. With the proper coaching and tools, you can land a role that you want and will hopefully be able to maintain for the next 20 years (or until retirement). Don’t let losing your job keep you down.
It is going to be hard to find a position like the one you just lost. Pay and benefits typically won’t match what you might be accustomed to, but you should still be able to find a position in the same field. Even if you’re over 50 and successfully looking you’re back on the market, it is going to be a little more difficult to find a position. Having a good Resume is going to be key when job searching, you’ll see this as a recurring theme. As with any job-loss, it will be critical to treat your job search as though it’s a full-time job in itself. You will get what you put into it. Your age doesn’t put you out of the game, but you will have to be proactive and make sure you get up and go and exude confidence and energy. After all, 50 is the new 30, and the company will really benefit from your on the job experience!
While you’re looking for a new position, especially if you’re not interested in taking a cut in pay or loss in benefits, this would be a great opportunity to gain some additional skills. You can volunteer or take classes to become certified in a specific skill. All of this looks amazing on a Resume and will show that even though you may have lost a position you held for decades, you aren’t afraid to learn and grow. This is only an asset to the organization you will be joining! There are multiple options for free courses you can take as well, if the loss of financial stability is something that may pose as a potential obstacle.
LinkedIn is another critical tool. This is something that you may not have had use for being with a single organization for so many years. LinkedIn is an amazing resource for networking. Being with a company for that long, you will have amassed a wealth of contacts, get on LinkedIn! Connect with those individuals, ask them for recommendations, and reach out to them for potential roles that may be available. Don’t give up and don’t feel like you’re stepping over a line. You have a rapport with these individuals, use it to your advantage.
Other forms of social media should be reviewed and anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see should be hidden or removed. As we move forward in an age where any and everything is accessible to anyone on the internet, don’t think an employer won’t do a web search of your name to see what might pop up. A good service will be able to provide Resume writing, interview coaching, LinkedIn optimization and social media review as a packaged deal. This will remove a lot of the stress of getting those things in line and allow you more time to focus on finding that next role.
Were you doing what you loved or were you doing what you felt you had to? Silver-lining to losing your position at this point in your career could be pursuing a new career path altogether. Drawing from skills you already have and any skills you may pick up during this time off, you can mold your Resume to match the position of your dreams. Take some time after you’ve lost your position to think about what you really want next steps to be, then reach out to a reputable organization to help you align all professional aspects to reach your goal.
Losing a position you’ve dedicated yourself to for so many years is traumatic and is no small change, but it is not something you won’t recover from. With the proper coaching and tools, you can land a role that you want and will hopefully be able to maintain for the next 20 years (or until retirement). Don’t let losing your job keep you down. 
