Fifties, what’s your Plan B?

Disclaimer: To ensure that only people in their fifties (and beyond) read this article, I won’t include any images. Nor any emojis!

Introduction

I see a lot of posts worrying about the poor job prospects for people in their fifties (and beyond). Too often, these posts are full of grand statements but lack substance: “companies need to hire those over 50,” “the doors of companies must be wide open,” “recruiters need to consider their/our experience and understand that they’re not/we’re not finished.” Of course, we all want to earn a living, but very often these posts have one goal: to flatter those over 50 and sell them something, whether it's a skills assessment, a "career transition" course, or a miracle method for landing a fantastic job. You get the idea.

Let’s start by not talking about you!

Right, here’s the deal: I’m not here to butter up the fifty-somethings, especially since shiny loafers are not the easiest to shine! So, I’m not going to talk about you. My first directive, since I’m not going to “invite you to” or even ask you questions, is to go look at who’s selling you training or conferences or even just “advice.”

First major category: the gurus.

When it comes to “celebrities” like Simon Sinek, Gary Vaynerchuk, or Adam Grant, the common thread is that they have no expertise in career management. They serve as examples for many aspiring gurus, just as influencers serve as examples for the “SEO consultants” that are rampant on LinkedIn.

Among aspiring gurus, you'll find people from various backgrounds, but not from career management. Often, they come from “marketing” or other dubious roles, like those given to friends or family. I’d even go so far as to say that many of these individuals have careers that are clinically dead and suddenly start advising others. My first piece of advice: steer clear of “speakers” who have suddenly developed a passion for consulting after a career that has reached its decomposed state. To identify them, it’s simple. A lengthy stint in a large group, in “bullshit jobs,” or outdated roles, followed by a demotion or a somewhat negotiated departure, then unstable and lesser jobs, and finally, a triumphant entry into the world of consulting.

Second major category: Professional Training Organizations.

They’ve been around longer, so they have more experience in selling bullshit, with well-established methods and plenty of networks. Many training organizations are run by politicians looking for new roles or “political managers” who lost their jobs along with their political positions. Long live the recycling! Plus, it helps with “public contracts”...

These Training Organizations are there to “make numbers,” and they have no qualms about endorsing professional projects solely to fill their coffers. I’ll use the example of a very nice gentleman over 50, who was advised by an employment support service that becoming a “Junior Web Developer” was a great idea (already, a “54-year-old junior” should have raised some suspicion…), despite his limited IT knowledge and his lack of geographic mobility, living in an economically depressed area that didn’t allow him to gain initial experience needed for remote work. The bigger the scam, the more they sell it!

This brief preface was meant to remind you that when someone is selling you something, it’s not always very ethical. To be clear: when you go to a doctor, they earn a living. But the difference between a charlatan and a doctor is that the charlatan profits from your illness without providing any improvement, while the doctor earns their living by treating you. You see, the gurus I mentioned above are incapable of “curing” your employment situation since they couldn’t find a professional activity related to their own (lack of) skills. Anecdote: an acquaintance, a friend of a friend, decided to become a career counselor because she couldn’t find a job! A promising sign for her clients, right?!

My advice: consult people whose vocation is to help others with their careers. I’m not necessarily preaching for my own cause, but if I were advising family or friends, I’d suggest looking for a career counselor whose profession it has been for a long time...

The most common reasons for unemployment.

Reason number 1: You’re in a “developed” country.

There is no surprise in the fact that in countries that mostly? don't produce anything anymore, there is less employment than there are people. Most of the developed countries now just "manage" and sell what is produced abroad. Almost 20% of the employees are now "executives", in charge of monitoring people, numbers, flows, etc. 1 people out of 5. In general, countries that don't produce anything have high unemployment: that is a basic law, easy to understand. So, by one way or another, the time needed to operate all this bullshit-job-market is less and less.

Reason number 2: Your career is a sham or you’re just bad.

I’m not here to be mean. When your doctor tells you that you have cancer, it’s not to be unpleasant or because they “have a toxic personality” or are just “not nice.” I’ve guided many people in my life, over 2000, and I’ve encountered countless individuals whose careers started with a stroke of luck worthy of a lottery win and who capitalized on that stroke of fortune for a while.

These strokes of luck come in various forms: first, parents had the means to afford a Business School, Engineering School, IT School, etc. Any Business School director will tell you, off the record, that you don’t attend Business School for the quality of its teaching but for its network. With the name of a certain school, it’s easier to get into big companies. Second, being the son/daughter of someone influential. If you have the right network, you can find a job without even sending a resume. In some countries, like I’ve seen a lot in Asia, nepotism is common, and I’ve known many people who got jobs because they were family or due to big “envelope” bribes.

Next, by doing what’s necessary: going with the flow and avoiding trouble, you can stay in a job for a long time. When there were no unemployment problems or growth issues, people stayed in the same job for life. Today, with repeated crises, companies have to make tough decisions. And with generational turnover, the manager who “helped” your father by hiring you has left (or even passed away!). No one owes you anything. So, it’s thank you and goodbye.

Reason number 3: You’re outdated.

This is quite common and rather insidious. Companies provide little training to their employees and after a while, they fire them because they’re “obsolete.”

If you haven’t taken matters into your own hands, if you thought divine flames had touched your head making you both omniscient and infallible, chances are you’ve fallen behind, particularly in technology. You might have clung to outdated beliefs, and if you were a leader, you likely had a small entourage that thought you were absolutely perfect. Nothing needed to change.

And now, you’re out of sync with younger people who are more up-to-date technologically and more in tune with the times, who don’t understand your references or your “boomer” jokes.

You don’t have a Plan B

For one or more of these reasons, or because you thought you were indispensable and things would last forever, or because you didn’t heed the weak signals, or you thought “okay, I’m in a dead-end job, I just need to make it last,” you didn’t have a backup plan. But you always need a Plan B!

So, let’s consider what you can do.

The false good idea: Career change.

You need to go against the most commonly given advice, which is often the worst: “you need to change careers.” Regularly, executives I meet who think opportunities in their field are dwindling are encouraged by more or less notorious incompetents to radically change jobs or even “follow their passion.” Coaches love this, as it allows them to experiment and dazzle their clients with jobs as exciting as “3D Digital Forge Specialist” or “Cobbler Artisan.” And this is where all the nonsense and charlatanry involving Ikigai, wacky freelance activities, pseudo-sciences, and bullshit coaching come in. It’s easy to take risks with other people’s lives...

If you need to find a salaried job, you’ll be asked for knowledge you might have gained through training, but you’ll also need experience: “real” juniors aged 25 are expected to have a Master’s degree and 3 years of experience! So, imagine what’s expected of “juniors” who are 50!

And for freelance career transitions, it doesn’t work either. As a freelancer, you still need credibility. And that credibility comes from your resume. The “fake it till you make it” myth only works for frauds. Of course, there will always be the counterexample of Gisèle Trucmuche, whose husband is a senior executive at Total, and who is a very satisfied energy coach. In reality, she doesn’t make a dime, but since she doesn’t depend on her income, it’s not a big deal. All career advisors have heard: “yes, but I know that the cousin of the sister of the neighbor of my hairdresser is now a sophrologist and is doing well!” Show me the revenue! Ask for it. And you’ll see that it’s not easy to make a living from “careers” created from scratch.

The good idea: Dealing with reality

So, here’s the real advice: face reality.

First, are you in a market where demand exceeds supply? For example, if you were an expert in trading in 1998 and didn’t have to fight for job offers, the same was true for experts in blockchain in 2016.

Second, are you still capable of learning? Being flexible is essential. Don’t get stuck with outdated knowledge. Adapt. How about taking an online course on Coursera or LinkedIn Learning? But beware: make sure the knowledge is relevant and not just “buzzword-using.”

Third, if you’re in a tough spot and are struggling, don't be afraid to admit it. It’s not about giving up but about facing reality. This is where a career counselor can help you. Just make sure they have genuine expertise, not just a charming CV or a big network.

Conclusion

Today’s job market is not what it used to be. But with adaptability, continued learning, and facing reality, you can still find opportunities. Forget the flashy ads and get-rich-quick schemes. Focus on real strategies that can help you navigate your career, whatever your age.

To consider what could be the career hat will make your life better, book a meeting. 10$ for 30 minutes, 18$ for one hour: https://mankesav.com/exploratory-meeting