Millions of mid- and late-career professionals are wondering why our careers are dying. We've been fired, downsized, job-eliminated, or we've left work voluntarily to raise children, care for loved ones, or go to school. Our unemployment rate is more than three times the national average. It takes twice as long to get hired, usually for far less money than we were making. Is it age discrimination? Maybe. But it’s not that simple.
So many of us have lagged on skills and technology, shrugged off social media, or ignored the rate of change and let younger people become the face of our profession’s future. Our "track record" really doesn't matter. We want to come back, but we aren't ready.
Coming Back offers clear advice, including:
-Make yourself visible and relevant by sharing articles and information on your field with colleagues and on social media.
-Use LinkedIn to build your network in your industry and identify decision makers.
-Tell interviewers about what you will do—don't rely on what you have done.
-Stop grousing about "those millennials" and start working with them.
-Volunteer strategically to build leadership skills and networks.
Coming Back shows how you can save a career if still employed or get one back if cast out. Fawn Germer, one of the nation’s most popular leadership experts and global motivational speakers, has personally interviewed more than 300 CEOs, senior executives, professors, lawyers, organizational experts, industry leaders and professionals. The result is a tactical, tough-love call to action: to learn, re-tool, connect, grow, and get ready to work again.
