By Beverly Seffel
There has been a lot of talk about the workforce of women “Beyond 50.” Recently in Austin there was a conference on “Beyond 50.” It is my understanding that it was so well received that there is another one scheduled before the end of 2011. Many of us 50+ women find we are in career transitions. Because of company restructuring (better known as lay-offs) we find ourselves drifting in unknown waters. And it scares us.
After 32 years with one company, I, too, found myself over 50 going through company restructuring. I felt I was drifting in uncharted territory. At first I thought, “What do I do now? I don’t know anything.” A friend said to me, “Beverly, you know a lot more than you think you do.”
My friends were right; I just didn’t know it at the time.
One of assignments at Bacon Lee & Associates is to conduct job searches, and I have found that 50+ women are in demand. They offer employers a strong work ethic, knowledge, experience, maturity, an established reputation, and more importantly, established relationships in the community. These attributes are what employers are seeking. If an employer is looking for someone right out of school with no experience they can hire the new grad at a low salary. Would a 50+ woman really be happy at that place? They should not despair at not being selected for such a job. It’s not about age and it’s not about the 50+ employees. It’s about the person and the company doing the hiring.
For me, being 50+ was scary, but, in a very profound way, it was also very exciting to think that I was starting a new life and career. I was hopeful that I still had the brains to learn new things and had the ability to go beyond my comfort zone. I did, and at 56, I still do. I love my new life more than the old one, and at times, I’m still challenged, and a little scared, but in a good way.
I have witnessed a newfound determination in women 50+ to succeed and to show the world that they are a force to be reckoned with. Women are reinventing themselves and their careers to meet the demands of a changing environment and they are doing it successfully. So let us not discount 50+ employees.
They are in the prime of their lives and they are changing the face of the workforce.
As a mentor of professional women in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, I would tell them to take charge of their current situation because this is the time when they are charting their future course. While knowledge is in high demand, it’s not always what you know, it’s whom you know. That’s why I would tell them that it is so important to take the time now to build their networks and enhance their reputations. I would say to them that, even more important than networking, is building sincere relationships, holding true to their core values, and taking a leadership role in the community, because this is where they will get noticed.
In order to build their relationships, friendships and reputation, young professionals will find these opportunities in attending events after hours, luncheons, breakfast meetings and by volunteering on committees and chairing events. A young professional needs to stand out in the crowd as a leader; be recognized as someone who gets things done right and on time; and become an individual whom people want to associate with. As a result, their superiors and their peers will support their endeavors and, most importantly, recognize that she is someone they have come to admire and respect.