How To Make a Career Change After Age 50!

Make your career change after age 50 happen with the right career change strategies.

Every day individuals over age 50 are making successful career changes. So what you thought might be impossible, could be a relatively easy transition. The critical factor to get right is a well thought out and researched career plan. This will make the career change, quicker and as smooth as possible. We are all living longer so a midlife career change could result in working in a new career 20 years or longer. It could be a much easier journey if you were working in a career that you enjoyed and were challenged by the every day activities of the job.

The fastest growing job hunting group are the candidates over age 50. The smart employers have learned they benefit greatly by hiring reliable, hard-working and experienced people beyond age 50. So although the present employment climate is not the best, mid-career candidates have a range of advantages over the younger candidate. If you carefully analyze your skills you'll find many are transferable to other unrelated careers. Leadership, project management, team building, communication, skills in operating computer related systems and software, budgeting, marketing and customer service are just some of the transferable skills that you will find are desirable qualifications in changing to another career.

Take a careful look at your interests. What do you enjoy doing and not doing? If you say you'd enjoy working under a palm tree on the beach at Trunk Bay in the Virgin Islands, with the right career change planning, you can make it happen. Review the challenges you resolved in all of your jobs, obstacles overcome and the results achieved. From these and other similar questions, and a self-assessment of your strengths and weaknesses you are now prepared to research careers that would fit your interests, skills and qualifications.

Remember as you research possible careers throw as wide a net as possible. What you thought originally as a possible good fit will turn out not to have much of a future and another suggested career may easily fit into your transferable skill sets and interests. In your career change research, you'll discover the possibility of added training. How long will it take to acquire the required training and skills? What are the possible costs? The short and long-term outlooks for the career are also important considerations. Will you have to relocate? Perhaps self-employment is a possibility. All this information will have to be assessed and reviewed before you begin your career change job search.

On occasion, you'll find to qualify for a complete career change you have to successfully move through several career path related steps. You will have to work, for example, in an almost entry-level position, earn your strips and then perhaps qualify for a job with a larger employer with more career related opportunities. When you've focused on a new career after age 50 now will be the time to put your years of experience to work. Build a job search plan, include your network of contacts, and continue to build your network to uncover hidden job opportunities. Read and study how to write the best resume and cover letters pertaining to career change.

Study and practice your-interviewing skills. See a medical professional and start a diet and exercise program, it will do wonders for your self-confidence. This renewed self-confidence will show through in everything you do in your job hunt. Ask for help in any area where you think you may be stuck. This is where your network and a mentor can be invaluable.

Keep an upbeat and positive attitude. One method to do this is to read books and listen to CD's on motivation. If you are unemployed plan to work a full day every day in your career change job search. If you are still working keep your job hunt out of the workplace.

You have a toolbox full of marketable skills, you are dependable, have a long list of achievements, and have a passion to do a great job in the new career. Your successful career change after age 50 is just around the corner.

John Groth has changed careers seven times during his working life. Learn more about changing careers and career planning at http://careersafter50.com. Discover how others over age 50, built winning career plans, changed careers and found the right careers by career planning after 50.