‘I’m 41 years old. Where have all the jobs gone?’

Today I'm analysing the situation of a woman who reached out to me on Linkedin. 

We’ll call her Jen.

Jen is 41 years old and was recently laid off from a company she had worked at for almost 8 years. She is job hunting for the first time as a very senior hire and her question to me was ‘where have all the jobs gone?’.

What’s the challenge?

Jen is experiencing something that creeps up on so many of us. As you move through your career and become more senior, the ‘next steps’ become less obvious.

When you are in your 20s the ‘ladder’ has lots of rungs above you. It's easy to look ‘up’ and see many roles you might go for next. 

In your 30s, there are usually still plenty of rungs. But as you are more senior, there are definitely less senior roles.

By the time you get to your 40s and 50s, it is very easy to look up and think ‘where have all the jobs gone?”. 

How did she get here?

This isn't really a challenge Jen has created for herself. It's just a funny dynamic which happens in the market, that can feel super helpless. 

The top levels of most companies have much fewer jobs than the junior levels, creating a bottom-heavy pyramid of employment. 

It can definitely feel like you are meant to be retiring when, in fact, you have at least 20 more years of work ahead of you.

How can she move forward?

Jen can’t change the market but she can change the way she approaches her job hunt. 

She needs to lean into the wonderful things about being more senior - a career-long network of former colleagues and a wealth of experience. 

My thoughts

Networking

Senior level roles should be hunted down through your network. Jen needs to tap back into her old colleagues and re-ignite relationships that may have lapsed. 

Career Chats or Informational Interviews are key when you are this senior. Senior level jobs often go through peoples networks because they are such important roles, companies like to know what they are getting when they hire. 

That’s not to say Jen won’t find great roles online. But the really juicy stuff will be going through her connections. It’s so important to double down on networking. 

Time

Senior roles take a lot longer to fill than junior level roles, for the reasons above. They are just much more senior hires. I once worked for a company that took 3 years to fill a senior role because they wanted to get the hire just right! 

So don’t expect these jobs to happen overnight. You won’t see hundreds of jobs at your level being advertised. And once you do get into the process, it will likely be slow.

This can be a shock if, like Jen, the last time you were job hunting, you were in your 30s.

With all that in mind, expect it to take longer than you think it will.

Consulting Work

But one of the great things about being super senior is that you have a ton of knowledge to share. And while not everyone will want you on their permanent payroll, they’ll still want your knowledge.

And this is where consulting work comes in. 

Consulting work is where you are bought into a company as an expert. To consult and bring knowledge. But you may not be in a specific role. 

It's not easy work to find. But it's worth it if you can get it, to tide you over while you wait for the permanent roles to come. 

Find work through your network, use Linkedin to get the word out there and don’t be afraid to direct message a few people who might be your ideal client. 

Stick at it

Job-hunting in your 40’s and 50’s really is a whole new battleground than your 20’s and 30’s. When you first find yourself doing it, it's not easy. 

But you’ll get the hang of it. Don’t let it defeat you. Lean on your network, coaches and mentors to help you through it. 

There are definitely jobs out there for those of us later in our careers. They’re just not as obvious to find.

If you are job hunting right now and feel like you need some support, the Creative Career Level Up might be the right solution for you.