Transitions Event

Using Age to Your Advantage

featuring Jean Erickson Walker,

EdD and Career Management Fellow with Pathways/OI Partners Inc

For this event, Jean Erickson Walker, EdD and Career Management Fellow with Pathways/OI Partners Inc. and one of America's leading professional career coaches, shared her very practical and expert advice on landing that great job you really want ... at any age. Jean provided us with a step-by-step guide on how to turn your age and experience into must-haves for any potential employer. We shared our stories and challenges around 'the age question' and participated in an engaging discussion. Below is advice for using age to your advantage:

• Have a positive attitude about your age, no more derogatory remarks
• Position yourself as a trustworthy, experienced, competent executive with integrity, values, and competence who will make life better for the senior executives at an organization
• Talk about the big picture, don't talk about the smaller details you did in executing a project
• Sell your relationship skills, not necessarily your tactical and technical knowledge
• Find a job which sounds like it would be fun, exciting, rich and engaging learning and growing experience where you can make a real contribution

Jean's Top Ten things to consider in using age to your advantage:

• Understand the new world of work

• Become CEO of You, Inc.

• Remember your age IS an issue

• Stop looking for jobs and start looking for work that needs doing

• Do a thorough self assessment

• Take a strategic view of job listings

• Learn the career search process

• Focus on outcomes, create a defining statement

• Pick your battles, sell your greatest asset, wisdom

• Bring your friends to the party

For more information:

• Contact Jean and inquire about her coaching services
• Order her book
• Read her articles