How Can a 50 Year Old Get A Job? Advice for Senior Workers

Are you more than 50 years old and worried that nobody would want to hire senior workers? Is this the reason why you are reluctant to leave your current job to find something more satisfying?

Before you answer “Yes”, we want to tell you why you should not be worried about being a senior worker. Age is never the only deciding factor for why employers want to hire you. In fact, there are employment opportunities for senior workers. 

In the job market, an employee’s worth is measured by what skills and abilities one brings to the job, hence Tafep Singapore (The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices) has been advocating  age positive employment to encourage unbiased hiring. 

In addition, one’s age can sometimes play to your advantage because you have gained rich work experience and this is a precious asset that your younger colleagues may perhaps pale in comparison.

Employers increasingly recognize the value of hiring seniors, especially for jobs for 55 and older in Singapore. Employers understand that mature workers bring a wealth of knowledge and stability.

So, if you’re over 50 and wondering how you can get a job, remember that experienced professionals.  are sought after for their reliability and depth of experience.

 

Staying Relevant as Senior Workers

Instead of age, focus on these questions: 

  1. Have you kept up with technology and do you have the relevant digital  skills set?
  2. Are you open to embrace changes in culture in the new Volatile, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguous (VUCA) world?
  3. Will you able to accept compensation according to each job size or a change in grade/status from your previous jobs?
  4. Did you take good care of your health and mental wellness?

#1 Keep up with Digital Age of Technology

Whether you are 50 or 30 years old, keeping up with technology is a challenge everyone faces. Even younger professionals find that if they do not stay updated with new devices, platforms, and digital work processes, they risk losing their competitiveness in the industry. 

Therefore, it is crucial for older workers to continually stay abreast of technological advancements.  Some examples would include Generative AI, Chat GPT, Machine Learning, Large Language Models (LLM), and cloud platforms.

By evolving with these digital developments, we can maintain our relevance and competitiveness in the workforce.

 

If you are in the technology related industry, it would even be more imperative to upgrade yourself and be well-informed.

Take an Online Course 

The Singapore Government has been encouraging Singaporeans to enroll courses on the Skillsfuture website. By providing Skillsfuture credits, some courses come almost for free.  Perhaps, it is time for you to take action, you are never too old to work. 

Look at Quek Zi Ying, she took up a Digital Marketing course and worked at Citadel Search, driving Digital Marketing for the company. She also learnt recruiting processes and understanding how headhunting works.

With warm colleagues who share their knowledge with her, she was hired after she had been displaced as a Sound Engineer,  but because of her digital marketing skills picked up at Lithan Academy, pursing her Diploma in Digital Marketing ,Citadel Search was happy to hire her.

Here’s what she said 

“When COVID19 hit, all activities were brought to a halt. I had no work as a Live Sound Engineer for months. And when I saw a Digital Marketing Course ad on Facebook, I decided that it was time for a bold move. I signed up for a 6-month course, graduated from the course and sent out countless resumes to companies. I did not know who would hire me because my resume showed no relevance to Digital Marketing at all, but I was not intimidated. Through showcasing my project and summarising all that I know about Digital Marketing inside my resume, I attempted to persuade many Hiring Managers that I am qualified for the job role. I had confidence that someone would recognise me and employ me.

I found my place in Citadel Search, an Executive Search firm in Singapore. 

Citadel Search, being a company which embraces age positive employment, did not see my age as a barrier and focused on my newly developed skills. I was able to use my digital marketing skills attained from previous work experiences. 

Although Citadel Search is a recruitment agency which is a completely new industry to enter, I was happy to contribute my skills to one of the top headhunters in Singapore, showing that you are never too old to work!” 

For anyone over 50 worried about finding a job, remember that mature workplace hiring is on the rise. 

Age is never the only deciding factor for employment. Hiring seniors is becoming more commonplace, and employment for experienced professionals is valued. Whether you’re looking for jobs for 50 and older in Singapore or jobs for seniors over 60, don’t let age deter you. Your experience is a valuable asset, and there are opportunities out there for senior workers. Just keep looking.

 

#2 Embrace changes in culture and environment

Adaptability is the key to survival. One of our candidates, Miss Lee, is already more than 50 years old yet being a Gen X. However her adaptability has gotten her through numerous job changes over the years. She has proven over and over again that she is not too old to work. 

In the COVID period, Miss Lee joined an Insurance Company as an Executive in the Underwriting Department. She revealed that the company’s culture was very different from that of her past experience. She was previously working in an Innovation and Technology Center where everything was so forward-looking and everyone in the business had to keep up with changes in the world.

It was a big culture shock for her when business processes were carried out in a traditional way in this new company. Even though Miss Lee felt uncomfortable initially, she knew that she had to adapt to this change. She looked at the bright side and told herself that it was a great opportunity to learn new things.

Despite having worked in an Insurance Company before, underwriting & terrorism portfolios were very new to her. However, she was happy to gain knowledge in this domain. She is one whom we will say, embraces lifelong learning. Hence, this comes to show that if you embrace constant improvement and are willing to learn, many companies will welcome mature workplace hiring and hire seniors. 

 

 

#3 Accept compensation according to each job size

Here is what she said : 

“In 2019, I chose to leave my job of 19 years but I never looked back. You win some, you lose some.” said Miss Lee.

Many of her friends were still looking for jobs with high pay, high positions and benefits. However,  Miss Lee chose to lower her expectations. Hence she searched for companies which are hiring seniors and have employment for experienced professionals. 

She understood that many companies had suffered major losses due to the pandemic.

She mused – How can these companies still pay their employees bonuses? How can they still keep paying for all the benefits when they barely have enough to pay their rents and utilities? And with all the retrenchment going on, Miss Lee was even more determined that she needed to let go of all the stereotypes she might previously held, when finding a new job. That was why she took up the Executive role even though she was an Executive Assistant supporting only C-suite level for 19 years.

 

Consider Non-Profit Organisations 

Recently Miss Lee got an offer from a non-profit organisation under the recommendation of Citadel Search. She was so happy that this time round it was really an excellent fit. “At this stage of my life, working for a non-profit organisation is meaningful. It is a good cause and Singapore is working towards a clean and green country.” she said.

After learning and building her new assets, she is now hired for a role that she is very excited about. Ms Lee is one of the many testimonies of older workers that Citadel Search has placed. She accepted a compensation that is matches the job size. 

This true story shows how by recognising the importance of adapting to change, Miss Lee embraced the concept of mature workplace hiring. She realised that age should not be a barrier to employment and that her extensive experience was a valuable asset. 

In a job market where employment for experienced professionals is increasingly recognized, she found that focusing on her skills rather than her age opened new opportunities. Miss Lee’s determination to reenter the workforce highlights the growing trend of hiring seniors and the importance of age-positive employment practices.

 

#4 Take good care of your health

Before you go about searching jobs for 50 and older in Singapore please remember:

Having a healthy body is of utmost importance if you want to stay active in the labour force. Besides being able to move around freely to perform all the work tasks without hindrance, not feeling lethargic all the time will also allow you to be focused at work. 

As the Chinese saying goes, “Your biggest wealth is health.” To be able to work effectively, staying healthy is the key.  Hence, if you have not started, try exercising regularly and you will feel the big difference.

 

It’s Never Too Late as Senior Workers

If you are over 50 years old but you are equipped with all 4 conditions stated above and generate positive energy, employers will be attracted to you. All you need is to keep building your skills and be resilient! As Zi Ying said  “ I am a living proof ! “ 

Contributed by Quek Zi Ying

Do check out our job board for jobs that put ‘years of experience’ under their job requirement section. You never know you might be a good fit for the job role! 

Unsure of how to write a resume that caters to a different industry? Citadel Search is always here to help you in resume writing

 

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