What Does A “Seasoned Executive” Have To Do These Days To Get A Job? Tip 5 of 6

5) Embrace The Unlikely
How many times have you been passed over because you are over qualified?  Often employers do not want to hire older, experienced executives to come in to their organizations into the lower level positions.  But you need a job today.  Any job.  It’s bad enough if you are being pigeon-holed by the hiring powers that be, but what if you are pigeon-holing yourself?!  Just because you’ve always been in a certain industry doesn’t mean that’s where you have to stay.  Or job category, for that matter.  Strongly consider thinking outside of the box and broadening your job search horizon options.

Go independent.  Become a trusted advisor to the employers and vendors from your past.  Independent sub-contracting is a viable option for many seasoned executives—pick and choose your projects, and get a first-hand view of a company’s business model in the process.

Conduct job searches in industries that are not your primary target.  Just because you’ve always worked in Corporate Finance, doesn’t mean you need to stay there. Open your options to include mid-range and smaller business arenas, as well as other functions within them.  You will find that many skills can be cross applicable and sought after in more than one job category.

How do you feel about the country life?  If relocation is an option, consider looking for a similar position in a rural area.  More people are usually trying to get out of “the sticks” where the pay is generally lower and the opportunities are few, than get into them.  Leaving city life for the  country air could be the best move you’ve made in a long time.

Seasonal opportunities come up that employers view in a completely different light than typical full time permanent employment. That seasonal job could just turn into a full time position.

Consider tapping into a temp agency job pool to get some short term assignments and new kinds of work experience. Those temp positions could be used to soften your corporate expertise history and resume, showing you are willing to work in other capacities.

Go back to school. If you can swing it, why not?  Education is a life-long process.  Who knows, maybe now is the time to reinvent yourself into an entirely new career track.
The key is to become open to new ideas, new directions, and all possibilities.  Get creative, and embrace the unlikely. You may discover a new passion in a new field, more rewarding that you’d of ever imagined.

“I have always wanted to go this direction, and now is the perfect time to pursue it—I am so excited about this opportunity.”

Sounds genuine, and chances are it will to the hiring team as well!

Need some help getting started?  PR Brady AdVentures is available and happy to assist you!