Successful Job Hunting for the 50+ – 5 Healthy Job Search Tips (Part 2 of 3)

Is your resume looking good, but you’re still feeling stuck in your job search?  Now what?  Follow these five tips to help you look forward and shed the habits that may be holding you back.

1. Know what you're looking for. Instead of looking at where you've been ("I want a job where I can use my experience"), look forward to where you're going. To focus your search.

• Identify your key skills and accomplishments.
• Clarify the position you want (your job objective) and target employers who need your skills.
• Show how your skills will help the employer succeed.

It's no longer a selling point to say you have 20 or 30 years' experience. Employers want to know if you're an organizational fit and how you can be of value to them.

2. Brand yourself. A "personal brand" is about marketing yourself so that you stand out in the crowd. A succinct brand statement or "elevator speech" describes who you are and what you bring to the table. What are you good at? What have you achieved? What sets you apart?

3. Ruthlessly revise your resume.  In a recent AARP webinar, résumé expert Susan Ireland declared, "Your resume is about your future, not your past." Instead of listing all your past job duties, focus on what you achieved and what difference you made. This shows the employer that you can do the next job. To further strengthen your résumé, delete stock phrases such as "team player" and "excellent communication skills." Unfortunately, these clichéd expressions make you sound like everyone else. Finally, use the résumé format that shows your skills to best advantage.

4. Use social media: Most jobs are found through networking, not by blanketing the job boards with your résumé. In addition to face-to-face networking, online social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can help you make new contacts that can lead to a job. For example, employers routinely scan LinkedIn to find job candidates. So make sure your LinkedIn profile is 100% complete, and use features such as Groups and Answers to connect with others in your field.

5. Keep up with your field. The position you held a year ago may be different today, requiring new duties and technology. "If you dwell on how things were done in the past, you may be branded as obsolete," warns career coach Barbara Seifert, who has served as volunteer counselor at AARP career fairs. "Start reading industry publications," Seifert advises. "Search the Internet to find information on the latest trends, take a class or go back to school. Being current shows you are not ‘ready for pasture.’"

There's another benefit to the forward-looking approach: it helps you counter age stereotypes. When you are confident in what you have to offer, you brand yourself as ready for the future.

To find more tips to help with your search, go to www.aarp.org/jobtips.