According to the Idescat, this June 2021 there were 445,862 unemployed people. Of these, more than half (54%), specifically 240,564 people, belong to the age group of more than forty-five years. 

These shocking data reflect that it is people close to the age of fifty who find it most difficult to get a job. What is happening?

We need to ask ourselves if we can move forward as a society without counting on people who can best add value to jobs. How can the people who can bring experience, seriousness, rigour, and talent to a company be the people who find it most difficult to get a job? 

Being over fifty: difficulty or opportunity?

Everything basically points to a problem of business culture, given that experience is undervalued. Apart from wanting to save and not value enough the opportunity involved in having a young worker and a senior worker together, an unstoppable tandem, the resumes of senior professionals are automatically ruled out. So, until there is a change of mindset, it will be difficult to find a solution to this nefarious problem. One of the worries of people around the age of fifty looking for work is that they are closer to retirement age. But this should not be a hindrance, as they are people with more professional background and more experience than young people, and this is an added value.

Now, what can we do if we are in this situation? Here are 11 tips we give you so that finding a job beyond your fifties is an opportunity:

• Be always eager to learn, especially digital skills.
• Keep training. This attitude is one of the most valued.
• Be optimistic and ask for help to find a job. Be positive and consistent!
• Have patience and hope, know how to manage negative feedback, and work on resilience.
• Make a curriculum designed for each job offer.
• Even if you have a very long work experience, explain only that of the last 15 or 20 years.
• Be clear on which sector you want to work.
• Do not include in your CV your marital status, children, or too personal data.
• Take advantage of public resources offered by your city council, County Council… You will surely find some resources to help you find a job.
• Look for opportunities in the sectors that have been strengthened by the health crisis: technology, pharmacy, education, health, and so on.
• Get active on social media. Make a good LinkedIn profile, a good network of contacts, and make yourself known!

Being positive is one of the first things we need to be clear about when it comes to finding a job. Remember that no matter what happens, and no matter what it costs to find it, the opportunity is always there, because the sun rises every day.

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