Stop beating yourself up
Job hunting can be brutal.
Trust me, I know. The amount of rejection I have faced in the last year has been, not to put a fine point on it, epic.
I’ve written before about how the rejection you face when looking for a job is not personal. It’s not a reflection of your abilities, but rather the landscape as a whole.
After a while, though, it gets difficult to not struggle with feeling worthless.
It’s with that backdrop that I came across this Quora question and answer recently that keyed exactly into the content of this newsletter. And it hit hard.
Q: Why are job candidates over 50 likely to be discriminated against despite their qualifications?
A: Because if you are over 50 and applying for a job, you're probably no good.The reason is not why you think.
After 50, if you're not either running your own business (whether it's a company or just a small independent consultancy) or being actively recruited by people in your own network, but instead in the open job market, it is very likely that you are mediocre or worse at your job.
The author then goes on to say that companies are looking to hire so called “10x” people who are at the top of their field. And when people get to my age, they should have been accumulating a network and experience that will make them extremely sought after should they need or want to change jobs.
The talented 50+ people worth hiring are already gone. They've succeeded at life, in one way or another. The ones who are still applying for positions and being "job candidates" are the leftovers. Hiring managers and recruiters know this. It's not age discrimination, it's the practical manifestation of a gradual culling process of talent over decades of work experience.
There’s a lot to unpack here. But I did have a bit of an anxiety attack reading this, feeling that I fell into the author’s “leftovers” category a bit to closely for my own comfort. Have I “failed at life” because I’m having so many struggles pivoting careers after 50?
So I thought a lot about it, and talked with people I trust. And I gathered some important takeaways that I think are useful for my fellow older job seekers.
This isn’t about me. The author was mainly talking about a subset of the workforce that I would call “the executive class.” I’ve always been a journeyman, whether a reporter, writer, or web creator. That doesn’t mean I lack talent or drive, but just that this was a different path I chose.
Ambition isn’t everything. I recognize that I valued my non-work life and my passions more than climbing any sort of ladder. But that’s OK. I have led a life that in so many ways was exactly what I chose. And I can leverage that to get paid for the work I love; it’s just going to take some creativity.
I need to stop beating myself up. Pivoting careers, like everything that matters, is a marathon, not a sprint. Not to get all Stuart Smalley here, but I’m talented and hard-working and I will figure this out. This newsletter is a part of that process.
For everyone reading this who identifies with it, I say to you, too: Stop beating yourself up. We get up, we make gains, and those gains build on each other. That’s the way to go.
What are you struggling with right now? Please let me know in the comments. Or just reply to this email to talk to me directly. I want Mighty Forces to be a place where we support each other, however we can. I’m so glad you’re here.
And also, a favor: it would mean a lot to me if you would share this content with anyone who might benefit from it. The mission of this newsletter works better the more people are participating. Thanks.