Pandemic Job-Hunting Tips for 50+ Job Seekers

Dr. Elisse W. Barnes, JD, PhD • September 21, 2020

During this pandemic when we are all spending countless hours in front of our computers, 50+ job seekers must use this time to elevate and recalibrate their online job search skills. If having an online footprint was important for 50+ job seekers before the pandemic, it is even more essential today. Networking is still the key to tapping into the hidden job market, where an estimated 80% of jobs are filled, but meeting for coffee is no longer safe or even possible. 


Empower Your Job Search Using LinkedIn

LinkedIn empowers you to recruit job allies who will tell you about jobs before they hit the street, get important information that’s never in the job announcement, draft better cover letters and conduct better interviews, and find individuals who will help you take advantage of the two best ways to find a job: 1) your potential immediate supervisor walks your resume down to HR and says, “I want to hire [your name] what do I need to do?” Or 2) someone within the company walks your resume down to HR and says, “I know we’re looking for a [job title], and I know [your name] would be a great fit.” At a time when so many people will be competing for the same jobs, 50+ job seekers will need the competitive advantage LinkedIn can provide.


LinkedIn also empowers the 50+job seeker to address two of the most common stereotypes of older workers: 1) they don’t want to learn anything new and 2) they’re not computer savvy. You have to be on a computer to be on LinkedIn and it’s only 17 years old!


We live in a specialist economy. Employers aren’t looking for the oldest, they want the best. LinkedIn allows you to show your network that you are on top of your game.


Combat Ageism by Updating Your Skills

When I talk to 50+ marketing and communications job seekers, I often ask “So what social media platforms you specialize in?” If they say, “I don’t do social media.” I say, “Then you don’t do marketing and communications.” Marketing in 2020 is all about social media! Ageism is real but many of our wounds are self-inflicted.


The good news is that you can quickly and relatively inexpensively demonstrate your willingness to learn something new (further killing the older worker stereotype!) by enrolling in certificate programs. Because of the widespread acceptance and availability of certificate programs, many of which you can do in less than a year, is a great way to update your skills, learn a new skill or carve out an area of expertise. I encourage 50+ job seekers to seek out certificate programs to show that they are using this time to get better at their craft. Using online resources to update your skills pushes back on the stereotype of the older worker who hasn’t kept up yet wants an employer to pay top dollar for outdated skills.


Search YouTube (or as I call it YouTube U) for videos on how to conduct video interviews and other online meetings. They provide great tips on proper lighting, makeup, dress, hair, preparation, backgrounds, etc. This will not only help you interview better; it will also be a skill you can market to your potential employer who likely is conducting more meetings online. Your ability to help produce them will be an unexpected asset. Organizations like 40+ of Greater Washington has a free online speaker series where subject matter experts provide great tips for job seekers on all aspects of their job search:  http://www.40plus-dc.org/Monday-Morning-Speakers-2020. If you have wi-fi and a computer, you have no excuse.


Get Online to Research Job Trends

Research industry job trends online. Look particularly at opportunities in health care and public health, which are both growing fields. Find out what skills are required and look for ways to prepare for the demand.


Although it is human nature to resist change, it is continuous and inevitable. So embracing it is always the better choice. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow. 


Contact: elisse@vintageworkforce.com



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Regaining Our Groove After Being Cooped Up (Part 1)

By Bernice Lowe Flowers • May 2, 2022
I enjoy going to the gym, exercising, outdoor activities, and walking the neighborhood when the weather is good. For so many of us, these activities were halted because we were housebound and instructed to adhere the social distancing mandate to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Being an avid walker, I was not too thrilled about these restrictions, so I maintained my exercise routine the best I could indoors. Believe it or not, many of us felt confined and are still struggling with the effects of physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges following months of being cooped up indoors. Do you agree? Stopping normal activities, or even mingling with other people can have a tremendous bearing on older adults especially when many of us are postponing going to the doctor for routine medical checkups because we are still afraid of becoming infected and gravely ill from the virus. Well, if we don’t address or confront these fears and issues, we are likely to face poorer health challenges and increased medical problems. So, what are our next steps? Since most of us are vaccinated and boosted, and anxious to venture outdoors again, let’s begin with scheduling our medical appointments to make sure we are physically ready to be active after being housebound for almost two years or more. If we have concerns about going to the clinic or doctor’s office, another option is to schedule a virtual visit, which is a new and convenient way to connect with healthcare professionals. Stay tuned for Part 2-Tips To Get Us Moving! Bernice Lowe Flowers, Board Member

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By Carla Pettus, J.D. • July 23, 2020
 During the coronavirus pandemic, we have become overly concerned with maintaining the six feet distance designations and wearing our masks. We are annoyed when individuals do not follow the markings for six feet; ignore the directional markings in stores; or simply refuse to wear a mask for their own or loved ones’ protection. Conscious of our potential exposure to the virus, most of us are not spending a lot of time in grocery stores. We have a list and we hurriedly go through the aisles collecting our items and rush to the checkout. We avoid eye contact with anyone, i.e., other people in the aisles, stockers, workers, etc. If anyone sneezes or coughs in our immediate area, we are devastated and give the individual the “evil eye”. While I must admit, some of my actions resemble some of the above. However, I decided that I must consciously work on undoing some of these responses. I am a social being and realized that it was not sustainable for me to continue behaving this way. (My friends have tagged me the “Pied Piper” -- knowing no strangers.) So, I have made it a concerted effort to reverse some of these unsociable behaviors while socially distancing. Even under our current conditions, mask wearing and all, we can still smile with our eyes. Eyes have been called the windows into our hearts. So, I challenge you to just imagine how your sharing a small twinkle or displaying that gleam in your eye can bring calm and joy to those you encounter. Also, think of engaging in small mindful gestures such as a little wave of acknowledgement to someone you encounter or waiting a few feet away to allow someone to grab a grocery cart in isolation. I think if we each think of how we can restore some of the social niceties that are missing in today’s environment, that we would come up with endless possibilities that will work while socially distancing. Let us take the challenge by each of us trying to restore some civility or nicety into our society by being sociable as we are socially distant.    

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By Carla Pettus, Esq. | • July 23, 2020
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The Secret Behind The Mask-Be Aware

By Donna Satterthwaite • July 22, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has really turned all of lives upside down, coping with this new phenomenon, wearing a mask. Older adults of late have become victims to unscrupulous predators wearing a mask. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the enforcement of masks wearing has left our older adults vulnerable targets for abuse and robbery. While they are not able to see the entire face of an individual behind the mask, at times this has caused some older adults to be less observant of their surroundings. As result older adults may be caught unaware of someone following them or aggressively moving towards them.  During this COVID-19 pandemic period, please encourage your older adult family member, friends, and neighbors, to stay alert while they are venturing out into the public to take care of whatever need they might have. If you have an older adult relative, or if you know of an older adult who lives alone, please offer to run errands for them or go with them. This will help in increase their safety and ensure they are able to have their daily needs met.        

It’s Physical Distancing, not Social Distancing!

By Donna Satterthwaite • July 12, 2020
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