The 3 Cs of Job Searching For Older Workers

If you’re over 40 and hunting for a job, here’s some advice: tone down the "passion" and forget trying to impress potential employers with mushy feelings. That might make them nod politely and then immediately forget you exist. Instead, focus on things they actually care about - like how you can fix their biggest problems.

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Here are Five Fast Facts about older workers nailing down great jobs:

1. 🤔 Skip The “Potential” - Unlike younger people who get a job because they might grow into something great, older applicants are evaluated on cost, risk, and what they can do right now. So passion alone sounds like “unfocused daydreamer.” 

2. 👻 Passionate Stall - Pitching your passion often doesn't get rejected...it just gets ignored. Hiring managers will often simply ghost a "passionate" applicant harder than a bad TikTok date.

3. 👍 The 3 Cs - Pick which of the three Cs is your top priority to lean into: culture, compensation, or challenge. This clarity gives you an advantage over young whippersnappers who don't know anything about any of them.

4. 👀 Sweet Benefits - Knowing your Cs also allows you to tailor your job search. Since older workers typically have less runway to recover from mistakes, it also helps set expectations and priorities once in the job. Basically, are you delivering what you advertised, or are you a bait-and-switch?

5. 💪 Problems Pay The Bills - Ask yourself (and be ready to explain): what urgent or expensive problem can I fix? That answer transforms you from risky hire to hero status.

🔥Bottom line: If you’re over 40 and trying to get hired, passion isn’t your secret weapon - it’s your sidekick. It's great that you "really love" spreadsheets, but can you stop the budget from exploding by Tuesday? If you can do that first, then you can talk all you want about how Excel rings your bell. And hey, you might actually get hired rather than receive that awkward email saying, “We’ll keep your resume on file (forever)."

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Got any other advice for older job seekers?

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