Joshua, I’m 59 years old with a full-time job in Medical Ultrasound imaging. I have 32 years of experience in the field. With hospital downsizing and Medicare cutbacks, the higher-paid employees costing the most will be looked at.Your book, Job Searching With Social Media For Dummies, is very helpful and I want to follow your suggestions.My questions are should I state my true years of experience, or would that make recruiters shy away because of age? Would my LinkedIn profile translate to my present employer that I’m unhappy?Thank you for your time, Ultrasound Bob
Dear Ultrasound Bob,
Good for you for seeing the writing on the wall. Not everyone has the guts to acknowledge the fact that their job is not going to last forever. When I was at Cisco in 2008, living is Las Vegas, I knew my job would go away but I didn’t do anything about it. So first, I want to applaud you and give you the chance to celebrate your own courage.
Many people I talk to have concerns about their age and years of experience, old and young. It used to be that having more years of experience was a great thing to have. These days, experience can often mean the first to go during layoffs. For recruiters, age can have many different sub-texts – though by law, there shouldn’t be.
I think there is nothing wrong with downplaying those years of experience. They are simply not the asset they once were. In fact, you’ve beat the national average for the length of a career by 6.4 times! The average American stays with a career for about 5 years. In the course of your single career, most Americans would have had 6.4 different careers.
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Everyone has heard of New Year's resolutions. You know, those promises we make to ourselves about things we'll do better in the year ahead. Sometimes these resolutions work, while other times we end up with gym memberships we never use! But have you ever heard of a career resolution? It's actually the same thing as a New Year's resolution, only career-focused.
However, with something as important as a career, you don't want to break these resolutions. That's why it's important to keep these goals manageable.
Here are four simple career resolutions that are easy to stick to and achieve.
Be Self-Aware Of Where You Stand In Your Career
BigstockBeing honest and self-aware of where you are in your career is the most important step in making strong career resolutions. If your career is going nowhere and you're unhappy, then it may be time to consider a career change, which will take you down a different path entirely.
But if you're happy and in good standing with your career, it's a lot easier to set goals for the year and build out a long-term career plan.
Find A Way To Grow Your Career
BigstockCareer growth is a very broad spectrum that means something different to everyone. It could be something as simple as improving on a weakness or building on a strength. It could also be learning a new skill or taking on additional responsibilities at work.
On a larger level, it could be seeking a promotion or moving into a leadership role.
Whatever the goal is, make sure it includes growing professionally. The worst thing you can do is stay the same! If you're not growing your career, you're dying—and becoming a lot less valuable to your employer. There are always ways to upskill!
Better Serve Your Professional Network
With current colleagues, former colleagues, and other professional acquaintances, you've probably built a solid professional network through the years. A strong professional network can come in handy if you lose your job or are looking to make a career change. However, you shouldn't just rely on your network when you're in need!
It's important to find ways to offer value to your network. This could include checking in with members of your network from time to time. Exchange messages on LinkedIn to see how they're doing or share relevant content of interest. If you can help someone in your network going through a career challenge, you should!
Maintaining a strong professional network is like an investment. If you want it to pay off, you have to put some time into it and be consistent.
Take Care Of Yourself
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Working on your career is hard work! It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Whether you're working to grow your career or looking for a new job, it's important to find balance.
Your family and health always come first, so make sure your career goals don't interfere with that. If you want to set aside time during the week to work on your career that's fine, but don't miss important family events or milestones.
Don't let your career goals get in the way of your health goals. Go to the gym, take a walk, or go for a jog. Balance is key to maintaining healthy career and life goals. Sometimes you just need to adjust that balance as you go.
Need help sticking to your career resolutions?
Become a member to learn how to UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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