3 late career tips: Pro shares how to be ‘50 Plus!’
Learn how to change your approach to work after 50 with expert advice from Bob Dilenschneider, author and founder of a strategic counseling firm.
The rules of the business world are constantly changing, and Robert Dilenschneider ’67 MA wrote his book 50 Plus! Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life to help people over 50 compete in today’s job market.
“There’s a general feeling on the part of some that once you’re over 50 or 60, it’s over,” says Dilenschneider, founder of the Dilenschneider Group, a corporate strategic counseling and public relations firm. “My comment is, it’s over if you let it be over.”
He shares a few top tips from his book.
1. Get comfortable with social media
Technology is the language of the 21st century and you must be able to speak it. Consider hiring a computer tutor before admitting you’re apprehensive about email or perplexed by social media. “It destroys your image as a professional and suggests that working with you is going to be difficult,” Dilenschneider writes.
2. Articulate what you add to the organization
To succeed, you must add value. This is one of Dilenschneider’s top business rules. To add value, he writes, candidates need to bring fresh ideas, startling insights, deep knowledge, outstanding skills or economic savvy. “Think about what value you can provide to the organization,” he says. “What can you provide that they don’t have now?”
3. Make your age your advantage
Age discrimination is real. It’s all about how you spin your experience. If you’re over 50, your age is usually not a selling point. Address your work experience in positive ways. A couple examples from Dilenschneider’s book: “I’ve had 17 years of experience doing this.” Or, “I’ve worked in 38 companies all over the world.”
