How to Apply for a New Job when you are Over 50

How to Apply for a New Job when you are Over 50 How to Apply for a New Job when you are Over 50 Job searching is often a challenging task regardless of what age you are. However, there is often a common misconception amongst employers when it comes to older job applicants.Many employers see mature candidates as possibly being too overqualified for the job on offer to even be considered. A lot of employers also feel uncomfortable about the job package being offered not being rewarding or well-paid enough to be able to hold on to a very experienced mature candidate, especially one that may have been used to a higher salary or being rewarded with greater job benefits in their previous role. Demonstrate your skills and experienceFor a mature job seeker over the age of 50, you need to overcome these common stereotypes and present yourself as the perfect candidate because of your knowledge and experience in a similar role. You should also demonstrate that you are tech savvy and able to keep up with modern technology in the workplace. Make sure your profile is up to date and active on LinkedIn. These days many recruiters will look at potential candidates LinkedIn pages to get a little more background information.Changing mindsetsWhen you are job searching as a mature candidate, you need to define exactly why you want a new job.   It could be that you feel your current job has become a bit stale and you want to find a new challenge. Or you are looking for a new job with fewer responsibilities that may be a small step down from where you are, but offers you more flexibility, free time and less work-related stress. Whatever the reasons for your decision to change jobs, never worry that you are too old to do this! You need to change your mindset towards appreciating and valuing all of the relevant skills and knowledge you have built up over the years. These are very valuable assets that you can take with you into your new role.You may need to change the mindset of your potential new employer too by boiling everything down to a basic level for them. Help them t o understand that by taking you on, they will be greatly benefiting from a very knowledgeable and experienced worker that can deliver proven results. There is no gamble with them taking you on, so they should disregard any concerns over your age and simply hire the best candidate based on their knowledge and experience â€" which of course is going to be you!Setting out your resumeOf course, to make any issues surrounding your age completely irrelevant, you may want to skip adding your age or birthdate to your resume. By doing this, you are forcing the employer to judge your resume by your listed skills and experience that make you a good fit for the job. This can help greatly to win an interview where you can go on to further impress them with your professionalism and warm personality.Also, where most people may set up their resume and list their work experience in chronological order, it will pay you to lay out your resume to showcase your skills and experience in the best possible way instead of a long list of dates going back into the past. You can do this easily by choosing a modern resume template with fully customizable fields.These days employers get so many resumes from job applicants that they dont spend an awful lot of time reading through all of the information that has been supplied. They will simply skim over each resume to pick out the keywords and skills that are relevant to the job. This is why you should focus more on listing your relevant skills and knowledge that suit this job rather than simply listing every single employment detail, job and employer that you have ever had, especially if you have had any employment in the past that is not directly related to the role being offered here.Longevity issuesAnother potential issue that a mature job seeker may also face is where an employer may be reluctant to take you on because they are worried about how long you plan to stay in the role. They may be looking for a candidate that will be happy to stick around for a long while with their company and will only want to invest their time into someone with a long career ahead of them.You need to reassure the employer right from the beginning that you are not simply looking for a job to fill your time until you take early retirement. You need to convince them that you are in this for the long haul. With research released by the Transamerica Center for Retirement showing that 66% of mature workers expect to work past the age of 65, or have no plans to retire at all, you can explain that you are not planning on leaving them high and dry in a couple of years time. previous article The Modern Clean Resume Template Freebie next article Free Upside Down Resume Template Design you might also likeThe Best Way to Explain Your Sabbatical To a New Employer