When I grow up, I want to be forced into early retirement

When I grow up, I want to be forced into Early Retirement.

I just heard the best answer to the tough question: “How do I get hired after 50?”

 
 

It’s a story that we’re hearing repeated over and over again: another massive layoff leaves workers stranded in an already fraught job market. When the average tenure at a job keeps getting shorter and shorter, where does this market leave older workers forced into “early retirement”?

There’s no easy answer, and I don’t believe in sugar-coating reality. I heard this podcast answer from a well-known business creator with what I believe to be useful and actionable advice to this question. Here are the key takeaways that stood out to me:

  • Being social is a key component of success in today’s job market. Most folks getting hired tend to have an internal advocate during the hiring process.

  • Opportunity is created through serendipity, so you need to put yourself out there in a way that maximizes your exposure to those opportunities.

  • The AI layoff boom has mostly affected the tech industry. The rest of the world isn’t hiring or firing because everyone is waiting to see what will happen to the economy.

  • Anxiety needs action. If the anxiety around the job market is overwhelming you, then the best thing to do is simple: do anything. Make calls, make plans, figuring out your next step is the best cure to anxiety.

I recommend giving the episode a listen, which you can find here:

 
Whitney Tsai