Looking for a Job When You're Past 40

I saw a bulletin board post today by two people who have been struggling to find work. Both are past 40 and feel that their age is working against them. I wrote an answer and thought I'd share it with you here:

Where recruiters are concerned, unless you are a cookie cutter fit for the position (including, unofficially, target demographic), they are going to be reticent to present you to the hiring company. Your best bet is to emphasize your proactive job search (networking, cold calling, warm calling, etc.) and use applications through recruiters and to posted job ads as your backup.

Have you considered looking at other kinds of work in different industries? The top five industries that are financially healthy, hiring, and age diverse (and forecasted to remain that way) are Healthcare, Education, Residential Services, Products and Services for the Aging Population, and Business to Business Services.

The best way to find work quickly is to offer a sought-after service that you’re good at in a growing, age-diverse industry. I recommend you take a look at a book called "Over-40 Job Search Guide." (Note: I didn't write it and don't get a commission if you buy it). It is the source of the information above about the 5 industries, which is consistent with what I’ve read elsewhere.

I also recently wrote a brief article about the Dept. of Labor's projections for the next 10 years regarding job function growth, which you can find in the archives of this Blog.