Would you read this book?

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After nearly two years of writing this newsletter, I’m making a big push for the next few months to write a book.

The book’s focus is how adopting a student mindset can be a superpower for older job seekers. I wanted to move from just general advice into an exploration of mindset.

As I’ve been writing this newsletter, I’ve become a student again. And I want to explore what that means for all of us who might think our learning days are over.

I’m enrolled in a “book writing bootcamp” over the next four months, at the end of which, the plan goes, I will have at least a first draft of the book. It’s intimidating, to say the least. I haven’t ever written anything long form like this before. And much of what I’ve written around here doesn’t apply to this new focus.

My first task was to write an introduction to the book. So I wanted to share it with you here, and get your feedback. For example:

• Is this a book worth writing?

• Would you read this book?

• Does the introduction lay out the book’s thesis clearly and engagingly?

Whatever feedback you have, I would greatly appreciate. Just leave a comment, or reply to this email. Thanks in advance.

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I wrote this book because I wanted to read it. I needed it.

Three years ago, when I left my last job without a new one lined up, I had no idea how hard it was going to be. And I was looking for support wherever I could find it.

Sound familiar?

So I bought a bunch of job hunting books, most supposedly targeted to me, a man in my late 50s who was trying to figure out his next phase of life.

There was nothing useful in these books.

They were just standard job hunting advice - resumes, cover letters, interviews - with some sort of “Over 50” wording slapped on the title.

I didn’t need help with resumes and cover letters. I’m a writer. And I’ve done many interviews, on both sides of the table.

What I needed – and didn’t find – was some help navigating this new world of work in general, and job hunting in specific. So much had changed since the last time I looked for a job: applicant tracking systems, online applications, A.I., LinkedIn, social media. It was an unfamiliar landscape.

So I decided to make a project for myself, to keep me writing and thinking during my job hunt: I decided to write a book about job hunting after 50. The kind of book I was looking for but didn’t find.

I also hoped to help other people in my situation – people who felt left behind in the job market, people who weren’t sure how to navigate this new world.

There was a lot to learn – so I became a student again.

I researched all the parts of this new world I didn’t understand: human resources, applicant tracking, marketing, social media, motivation, positioning. I spoke to experts in those fields and had some great conversations. And I started passing on that knowledge in a weekly email newsletter.

A turning point came when I spoke to author Eric Koester about his book “Super Mentors” for my newsletter. He helped me realize that what matters are possibilities, not obstacles to overcome.

And this book was born.

Most people think that when they leave school, learning is over. They might read for pleasure, but even that is uncommon these days. “Education” is for the young. And that puts older people at a huge disadvantage as they navigate the job market.

What I’ve learned is that adopting a student mindset can be a superpower for older job seekers.

Being a student again can help you prepare for the challenges ahead. It can turn a host of problems into possibilities. It can help you connect with people who might hire you. And it can open your mind to what you can achieve.

This book is for everyone who is trying to navigate the job market in later life. Everyone who feels left behind in the quickening pace of change in this new world we inhabit. Everyone who isn’t sure how to take that next step.

I was one of those people. I had been working on the web for quite a few years, and loved it. The web brings together writing, design, photography, technology - all the things I was fascinated by. But as I got older, the web felt more and more ephemeral. Very little of what I had worked on in my career even still existed online. So I wanted to go back to my roots - writing and editing.

I had started my career as a newspaper reporter. While I didn’t want to go back to being a reporter, I wanted to write. I wanted to leave something behind. So I left my safe, secure job without a new one lined up, because I knew if I waited for the perfect time or the perfect job, I would never make that leap.

I had no idea the storm I was walking into.

Job hunting is stressful for anyone, but especially so for older people. We have so much talent and expertise, but it’s often discounted by hiring managers focused on the year we graduated, and all the negative stereotypes about older workers. It’s easy to feel swamped by hundreds of 25-year-olds competing for every job. Not to mention the flood of rejection that is a common side effect of putting yourself out there.

We need new ways of approaching this challenge. That’s what this book is about.

This is not a standard job hunting book, giving standard, well-worn advice about resumes, cover letters and interviews. If you need a book like that, there are hundreds of them on the shelves already.

Instead, this book will share with you the stories of people who have used a student mindset to make fantastic changes in their lives and work - people who have broken through barriers later in life by becoming students again. Their stories are encouraging and inspiring.

Some of the stories will be personal. Because I’m on this road myself.

Most of all, I want to share actionable strategies you can use to reignite the student mindset within you. It can seem daunting. It was for me. But once you start looking at your situation as an opportunity to learn and grow instead of as a mountain to climb, it takes on a completely different shape.

I hope this book is the beginning of a new journey for you.

Onward and upward.

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What do you think? Would you buy this book?

See you next week.