Changing is no longer an option
➔ A re-occurring theme in today’s 21st Century job search is that it is different, very different – and it’s especially different for the older job seeker who has not looked for a job in decades. Gone are the classified want-ads. Gone are the mailed in resumes and follow-up phone calls. Say hello to internet jobs boards, ATS, LinkedIn, Zoom interviews and ChatGPT, etc.
Job seeking has changed – like it or not
As a job seeker, one must not just recognize change, but also accept it. You may not like it, but you must face the reality of it.
Many older job seekers – like most everyone else – are afraid of change, change representing the unknown. That’s understandable. But you have to ask yourself – are you more afraid of changing or not changing? What is going to happen to you if you change, and what is going to happen to you if you don’t change?
Much has been written here and in other venues about changes in the job search process and how to deal with it. Simple Google searches will yield an avalanche of information including many do’s and don’ts; what works and what doesn’t.
On the other hand, even if you do nothing, you’re still going to change. For one thing, inevitably you’re going to be older. You’re going to be out of work for an even longer time, creating an even larger “gap” on your resume that you will need to explain.
You’re probably going to be poorer, or in a somewhat worse financial state that you’re in today. After an extended period of time out of work, most likely you’re going to be more resentful, more desperate, more frustrated, more willing to take anything - including a job you don’t like or want. And taking a job you don’t want will make you even more resentful and more frustrated.
And the worst part is that you’re going to take your family with you. The resentment, the frustration, the diminished finances will all become part of their world as well.
Or, you can change. What’s going to be in your best interest?
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