Reply to Going back to work in my early 50s

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I went back to work in my early 50’s [b]after 20 years as SAHM. I got a job in the same sector as I was in when I left. It was all about keeping up connections[/b] with people and keeping up with my skills in a volunteer capacity. And luck—job opening at the right time and running into someone that could get me in by chance. Didn’t have luck with  LinkedIn or Indeed or anything like that.[/quote]

I don’t see how you maintain work connections over the course of 20 years when you aren’t working.  I assume most people have a network that includes people older who would retire.  20 years is a long long time.  [b]I’d struggle what to even share or talk about professionally after not working even 5 years. [/b] Your situation seems like an outlier.  [/quote]

That’s a you problem, PP, and shows a lack of creativity, imagination, and hustle. Going back after time off means you need to think differently - you’re not in lockstep with others and you have some different things to offer. It’s really not hard if you open your mind, do your research, and have some guts to figure out what you need to present to make yourself a desirable candidate.

I took 20 years before I went back to my career. In my interviews, I talked about what I had done in the intervening years, how it showed skills development that was applicable to the job; I also talked a bit about my last job before the gap.

For me, the intervening time and doing what I wanted to do showed in my interviews - I wanted to be out of the career and dove into what I was doing. When I wanted to be back in my career, I dove in there. Have energy, enthusiasm, demonstrate your ability to learn and solve problems and get along. Don’t be defensive or feel like you’re less-than because you made different choices.

Also, be aware, a lot of people have career gaps for lots of different reasons. The fact of the gap isn’t all that interesting, tell them what you’ve done and learned during it and what kind of worker it makes you now (as in, not a bored, clock-watching drone; or a disenfranchised decades-long worker who thinks they are owed a promotion, but someone with energy and ambition who is ready to jump in). But also, be humble and not entitled. You may have to hustle and take a lower position than what you left. Jump in and you can switch jumps and work up from there.

Good luck, OP, this is exciting!

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