The Bermuda Triangle of Job Search - for the 60+ crowd

I referenced the "Bermuda Triangle" as it relates to job search in an article I published a few weeks ago. At the time I thought it was an original thought, but I know that there are a lot of smart people out there that may have had the same idea, so I took a quick look on the web. I didn’t see what I was planning on delving into today (one was a Medium article that ultimately was a sales pitch for an AI tool designed to help in job search; one was a LinkedIn article that referenced the Bermuda triangle as it related to career, but it seemed like an odd choice when writing about the intersection of passion, talent and organization).

The Bermuda Triangle was a very real thing to those pilots and passengers that were impacted by it. In job search it is, of course, mythical, yet to those of us caught in it there is a very real feeling about it.

This is what I wrote a couple of weeks ago:

Since writing this I’ve had conversations with a few people that are in my age range and they’ve shared similar sentiments. Let’s take a closer look at each of the bullets listed above:

Cut loose from a position as we enter our 60’s

As challenging as the job market has been, I have come to appreciate that I managed to remain employed as long as I did. In March 2022 I lost a job at 61 (not my choice), was hired again in May, but left that company in December at age 62 (also not my choice). I was joking with a 60-something the other week about being a younger manager, and whether I would be looking to hire someone in their 60's. The immediate thought was "hell no", so I can't be surprised that it's been challenging for me as a candidate seeking a position. The age bias is there and is real (but there are also people in their 60's being hired into good roles), and just has to be navigated by each person in their own way.

Seeking a new position comparable to what we’re accustomed to, but we can’t get traction

This might be the cruelest aspect of the job search process. Like an unspoken agreement plenty of 60 (or 50 or 40 or 30) somethings apply to positions they have every reason to believe they are qualified for, yet rejection letters come back – many with effusive praise for the applicants’ skills and background – but it wasn’t good enough. LinkedIn is notorious for delivering bad news on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. This is where networking into your next role would add real value.

Social Security and the thought of retirement or semi-retirement

Is this really where we wanted to go? There are two aspects that are critical here. The first is the financial component. Have you saved enough so that you can afford to start taking Social Security at a lower amount? The second aspect is the mental outlook you have. Plenty of people that have retired thought that it would be so great. Job loss and retirement are like twin sons from different mothers. Both require an adjustment to your daily schedule and routine. Some individuals handle it better than others. Some are very productive, some not so much. Some are excited by this new freedom, some don’t know what to do with it.

We still have “gas in the tank” and would like to work at something that will challenge us, but do we really want to rejoin the corporate grind, and if so, for how long?

Like many job seekers, I was hell bent on getting another job and getting back to work. I then would have worked until my FRA (full retirement age) of 67. As I traversed the ups and downs of my job search over this past year+ I took a closer look at mortality, motivation, and where I was on my career trajectory and determined that if my best days were going to be ahead of me I was going to have to rewrite the script for these next few years.

The Challenge of being "Overqualified"

The immediate thought here is that Overqualified = Expensive. That's really not the situation. It's really about whether they can envision you in the position - and for how long. If they feel that you're going to jump at the next good offer then they might not want to bother bringing you on board - no matter how good you are (or would be). This can put us 60-somethings in a bind, and you need to have a very convincing story on why you would want to work in a lower level role when your work history points out your accomplishments and the interviewer cannot see any way why you would want to work in this position.

Refocusing & Retooling for the future

I've spent a lot of time on networking group calls and individual meetings and have met some great people. For that I'm grateful. I've also written each week and published on LinkedIn for what seems like forever. It's time now to strike a balance between finding productive work and developing other activities that will lead to productive and fulfilling days (because frankly, the last year and a half has been anything but productive and fulfilling). I anticipate that I'll continue to write, although it may be time to give the topic of job search a break.

Fighting an internal battle

Make no mistake. There is a battle going on. On one hand you're not ready to give up on obtaining a challenging job that will give you reasons for getting up in the morning (not to mention a pay check!). On the other hand, the HR and Talent Acquisition teams have spoken (figuratively), and it may be time to re-evaluate chasing that dream.

Whichever direction you head in make sure you're committed. There is nothing worse (take it from me) than one day thinking that you're going to be returning to a good company in a good job doing good work, and yet time after time you end up on the short end. Maybe it's my Gemini personality that gets in the way, maybe it's the fight of wanting to go out on my terms, but I know that I'm not ready be the youngest retiree!

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

For the lion's share of my career I have been a B2B marketing and product management professional. Currently I am redirecting my efforts towards opportunities that will allow me to provide experience in customer service, inside sales, content writing, office administration and whatever else an organization may have a need for.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (or other states), as well as trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day.

Photo(s) of the week.

This week (Memorial Day weekend) may have been the unofficial opening to the start of the summer season at the Jersey Shore, it's the image below that caught my attention as I was riding my bike into Farmingdale, NJ early on Memorial Day morning.