Today's Career Paths - No Smooth Road!

In past decades, workers

worked for one company for many years, often for their entire working lives.  That is no longer the norm.  In fact, the average length of time a worker stays in one job is about 4½ years.  Assuming a work life of about 45 years (estimating from 22 to 67 years of age), a worker will have about 10 positions during his or her work life.  That fact proves two very important things:

1)    The term “job security” may become even more rare than it is today;

2)    All workers need to have impactful resumes and be efficient interview candidates.

In today’s unstable climate, many 50+ professionals who came up through the ranks of a company and reached a point where they felt a sense of accomplishment have experienced the slap of reality as their company downsized, merged with another, or closed completely.  These people are talented and intelligent individuals with job skills honed to razor-edge, but they have not had to interview for decades and are now adrift in the new and competitive world of job-seekers.

An Internet site called Undercover Recruiter has published “How to Answer the Top 35 Interview Questions,” an infographic listing the top questions and tips for being prepared to answer them.  Even those who feel secure in their positions would benefit from reviewing the questions – they can be helpful for successful performance reviews or in conducting interviews as well.

Another great resource built by AARP is called Life Reimagined.  Signing in at Life Reimagined gives one the opportunity to evaluate current status and decide a direction for the future.  Life Reimagined has an entire section dedicated to work and careers - Work Reimagined - that includes a wealth of information about finding a job, managing a career, starting a business, or simply exploring options.  This site can help users realize what they want from their future and suggest ways to achieve their goals.

It’s a tough world out there these days.  But these and other resources available to us today that were not there in the past can help to prepare us for the changes we’ll encounter as we continue our careers.