What You Can Do When You're Unemployed, Over 40, And Can't Find A Comparable Salary

This is a common problem for job seekers who are unemployed and also in your 40s, 50s, or 60s+. It can be tough to find a comparable salary to your last (or current) position.

This is especially challenging if you've been at your most recent position for longer than 5 years - The longer you've been in your most recent position, the tougher it usually is to replace your salary level.

Here's why: You've earned annual raises, because you're more valuable to your employer each year you gain knowledge of their unique operations and to compensate you for past impact you've provided. Your knowledge of your past employer's operation isn't as valuable to many other employers (other than direct competitors trying to overtake or learn from your past company), because those other employers have different processes, problems, and people.

The unemployed age 40+ candidates who replace their salary (or get a raise) all have been successful in communicating the impact they provided, and then connecting that value to a hiring manager's needs.

... But when you struggle to replace your salary, it's because you haven't proven the impact you provided to past employers in ways that are important to your next hiring manager.

Giving employers the perception of average + expensive is a combination that causes your unemployed and age 40+ job search to struggle.

Instead, you describe what you're proud of, through an average resume with a goal of making you appear qualified (by outplacement, most career coaches/authors). Maybe you paid a certified resume writer, without realizing that most resume writers were trained how to write average resumes. But qualified = average when you compete against many qualified candidates. This results in your resume focusing on your responsibilities (what you were supposed to do), experience, qualifications and skills (that make you look average) rather than the overwhelming impact you provided.

... And this average language creeps into your interviews as well, because both represent that you think about your career based on responsibilities.

The harsh truth is that an average resume doesn't do a very good job of selling you, nor communicating to employers that you're worth a comparable salary. This creates bigger challenges when you also present risks to employers, like you do when you're unemployed and over 40 (Risk: More expensive but not worth the added cost).

Employers react to this by eliminating you from consideration when they compare their estimate of impact you can to provide to your salary expectations or make a lower offer than you want (often much lower).

You can continue searching for a job with the resume/interview/job search strategy you've been using, and hope you'll get lucky. This usually results in continued frustration that you're being overlooked or lowballed, because you're doing more of what's not working.

Or you can learn how to change your resume/interview/job search strategies, to communicate to employers that you're "worth it". You can learn how to change your job search strategy so you're the first choice and have salary negotiation leverage.

Want to learn more strategies to beat unemployment more quickly? Let me show you during my next free Resume Webinar – Beating Unemployment.

During my next free Resume Webinar - Beating Unemployment, I'll teach you how to change your resume/interview/job search strategy to accelerate your unemployment job search. While we're at it, I'll show you how to change your resume, interview and job search strategy to one that proves success and can win jobs by year-end.

Join me Friday morning 11/22/24 at 11:00am ET/8:00am PT for my free Resume Webinar - Beating Unemployment (enroll at https://x.resumewebinar.com/Registration at no charge) to learn how to beat unemployment and find your next job by year-end 2024.

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