How did three 50+ year old women make successful career transitions to jobs THEY LOVE?
Courage, conviction and creativity … paying attention to their values and organizations that align with their values, and a dose of “who says I’m too old, been in the same profession too long, that I’m not qualified or over-qualified”
Here are the success stories:
A woman who has worked in the same industry/big companies for 20+ years interviewed for a job she’s totally qualified for and doesn’t get it. You know what? She was done with that business anyway (else why did she hire a coach??). She said, enough, it’s time for a change and turned her sights on the nonprofit world in a field we had both identified as matching her values. And she took her smarts and her courage and creativity and showed how she could apply her experience and knowledge to meet their needs. She got the job!
If you know journalists, you may well know someone who has lost her job or at least been downsized. A woman who is a fabulous journalist with a stellar portfolio began sharpening her pencil to get in the door writing for an advocacy group (because they need writers who can pitch and prod and provoke and prove, right?). Together, we crafted killer cover letters and a non-journalist resume and got her in the door and on the staff of a national nonprofit. Yeah!
A temp opportunity comes up and it’s a bit administrative, and you’re a seasoned professional. But you’re not working and you respect the organization, its values, its impact and its work culture. So this woman took the position and she liked it: there are clear expectations and there is structure not the subjective politicking in your last few jobs. Guess where it leads? To a job in a new field and a new career path. What’s the learning here? Trying things out can help you find out what’s important to you in a job. Amen, sister!
What about you? What would you do if you got honest with yourself about what you care about and where you’d like to work regardless of what the “odds” are of getting hired.
You can beat the odds. Go for it!