Seniority, Ageism and Self Belief
What do you do when you have devoted your life to one successful career and it all blows up in your face? Take the example of someone who started work in the UK, joined a global company, was promoted to senior level, relocated to the New York office then sent to Singapore to head up the South East Asia division. The global recession caused the company to hit the rocks and he lost his job. Now at the age of 55 he is a global traveller, living in a country he does not want to be in, he wants to go home but no longer knows where that is, his networks in the UK are long dissolved, he feels his industry is now dominated by younger, sharper people and he does not know where to turn.
It is a story that is being repeated over and again across the world at this time. The standard solution that a good career consultant would offer is to help him re-examine his skills, personal qualities and life priorities and encourage him into a different sort of career, perhaps consulting or interim, in which his experience will be sought after and valued.
But that only works when the job market is good and there is a demand for consultants and interims. The present market is flooded with people looking for such work; to encourage him down that path is simply to present him with a new set of problems.
At Career Energy we recognise that the most important thing we can do in the short term for someone in this position is to help them rebuild their self respect and self belief. Because all careers are founded on confidence; if you do not believe you can get the job, or if you think you cannot do it, then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. But by revisiting past triumphs and successes, by reminding yourself of what got you to the pinnacles in the first place, you can reposition yourself far more succesfully, differentiate yourself from the crowd and identify less crowded, more appropriate directions to go in.
It’s all about confidence. And it is not as difficult as it seems. It just needs the right support, and the commitment to start.
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Tags: Ageism, Career Advice, Career Change, Career Consultant, Career Energy, Career Planning, Getting A New Job, globalism, Job Change, netowrks, networking, Redundancy, Relocation, unemployment
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