Unsurprisingly, the number of individuals seeking a career change or opportunity in the later stages of life is increasing.
A lot of people quit working at their old workplace just to find greener pastures, a better-paying job that provides quality work-life balance.
If you are a part of these individuals, please know that it is never too late to transfer to a new job industry or career path. You will achieve this if you can identify and leverage the acquired skills and life experiences attained over the years.
Granted, not all organizations value an inclusive work environment. So, you may face some age-related bias during your job application process but do not worry because we will provide strategies to overcome such hurdles in this blog article.
In this article, we will explore a wide range of potential career options that are suitable for 50-year-olds with no prior experience in 2023.
Article Road Map
Assessing Transferable Skills And Interests
Every 50-year-old searching for a job in 2023 should indulge themselves in a self-evaluation exercise to ensure they are ready to be employees of a particular job sector. We have provided a guideline below consisting of a few self-assessment exercises.
Ask yourself questions when you are all alone for the purpose of figuring out your financial goals, professional goals, personal interests and strengths, and work-life balance requirements.
1. Evaluate Your Passions
If you indulge in this little exercise, you may find some of your passions you probably didn’t know about. Start by asking these self-assessment questions.
What do I love to do? What can I do best with the least amount of effort? Am I a technical person, a creative person, or a medically inclined person? Do I think analytically or artistically? Which do I prefer, remote Jobs or physical jobs?
2. Evaluate Your Personality
When you evaluate your personality type, you will be able to decipher all your workplace values, priorities & interests.
You can never know what you would want out of your new company if you do not know who you are, what you want, and the work environment you can handle.
Ask yourself questions like these to find out your personality type. These will help you know the type of company you can thrive in and help you discern whether you can actually work with people from different homes.
- Can I tolerate racism?
- Can I tolerate nepotism & favoritism?
- What are the traits in people that I cannot tolerate?
- Can I handle overwork?
- Can I handle working in an enterprise that values teamwork?
- What are the different soft skills that I have?
- What are the manners in people that I value?
- Based on my personality type, what type of work environment would I be able to work efficiently in?
- Do I get angry easily / do I have anger issues?
3. Identify Transferable Skills Gained Through Life Experiences
When changing workplaces, you need to be aware of age-related stereotypes or discrimination in recruitment procedures.
A strategy to overcome this hurdle as a 50-year-old is to identify all the hard and soft skills gained through life experiences and apply them both in your resume and new workplace when you are successfully employed.
4. Evaluate Your Goals
Ask yourself analytical questions that can help you to set goals and actualize your dreams. Make your future lifestyle possible by asking yourself these questions and answering honestly.
What do I want to achieve in my new workplace? Do I want a professional job that provides no work-life balance? Can I handle an entry-level job that prioritizes employee work-life balance? What will I accomplish in the next three years working in this organization? When will I start planning my retirement?
5. Evaluate Your Workplace Values, Interests & Priorities
Assess your potential workplace’s employee prerequisites and work-life balance policies before you decide to accept their job offer. Ensure that your workplace priorities & interest accurately align with such an organization. To avoid discomfort, do not accept a job offer that provides little or no work-life balance & less salary compensation than you expect.
Assess the organization’s work ethics and culture. If their work ethics align with yours, then you are good to go because this results in better job performance. Do not go beyond your standards and accept a job in an organization that does not practice the work ethics that you so value.
The essence of doing these is to ensure you will work diligently in your potential new workplace.
If you find yourself in a workplace that does not correspond with your values, you will not be able to show your true nature and be productive, and you will waste energy looking over your shoulders to assess your coworkers because of distrust.
These guidelines will help you see yourself and your lifestyle in the next 10 to 20 years and guide career exploration. With these self-assessment questions, you can make good career decisions.
By indulging yourself in this evaluation test, you can successfully align your individual aspirations & strengths with your career choice.
Industries And Job Sectors With Growing Demand
Below are the 20 most popular industries and job sectors among job candidates that are qualified but have no prior experience right now;
We will then identify some industries and job sectors projected to have high growth and opportunities for individuals without prior experience.
1. Advertising and marketing
2. Healthcare
3. Information technology and electronics
4. Financial consultant
5. Business and Finance
6. Sales and retail
7. Public Relations
8. Food and hospitality
9. Hotel management
10. Education and research
11. Blogging and freelancing
12. Arts and entertainment
13. Movie Production
14. Office and administrative professional
15. Social and community service
16. Real estate
17. Construction
18. Soda and water bottling companies
19. Trucking
20. Transportation and logistics
Reasons Behind The Growth In These Industries And The Potential For Skill Development On The Job
These industries are the fastest growing amongst others because they are recognized for providing lucrative job positions, potential skill & career advancement opportunities, and satisfactory salaries.
Some sectors are the best to invest in, some provide on-the-job training for individuals with no experience, and some are in high demand for the goods and services they render to society.
Specific Roles Within The Fastest-Growing Industries Suitable For 50-Year-Olds
We will provide 10 specific job positions in descending order that is very suitable for 50-year-olds to monetize below.
1. Real Estate
National Average Salary – $65,000 – $125,000
2. Nursing
National Average Salary – $30,720 – $111,840
Depending on your job position.
3. Sales Manager
National Average Salary – $69,000 – $106,151
4. Financial Consultant
National Average Salary – $77,000 – $109,000
5. Trucking Company
National Average Salary – $43,519 – $59,129
6. Education (Tutor)
National Average Salary – $53,741 – $76,305
7. Healthcare Sector (Occupational Therapist)
National Average Salary – $82,614
The national average salary ranges listed above are the salaries these particular workers earn annually.
A career for 50-year-old individuals should provide flexibility and work-life balance and should be high-paying, too, because the need for a retirement plan is fast approaching.
Any job position you accept should be convenient enough, provide comfort and align with your workplace values and priorities to enable you to achieve exceptional productivity while working.
With the high-paying jobs for 50-year-olds provided above, be assured that you will be paid highly, and work environments will be convenient enough for you to positively impact society.
Entry-Level Positions And Career Pathways
Entry-level positions are the kinds of jobs that require on-the-job training. Below we shall explore business enterprises/firms/sectors that provide entry-level positions that typically require little to no prior experience and the occupations under these sectors.
1. Business Administration / Management Sector
This sector is known for recruiting individuals interested in working white-collar jobs; graduates with at least a business administration, marketing, or management bachelor’s degree are considered suitable for such jobs.
The occupations under this sector in which a 50-year-old can be recruited include;
- Administrative assistant
- Customer service
- Business analyst
- Consulting analyst
- Operations Analyst
- Event manager
- Management trainee
- Human resources manager
- Employment manager
- On-the-job training specialist
2. Construction Engineering And Building Management Sector
This particular sector has numerous apprentices, and only on-the-job training can set the standard for an individual to become an expert in this field.
Once you’re well equipped with soft skills, you can acquire the hard skills to excel in this field and start making good money. The occupations under this sector in which a 50-year-old can be recruited include;
- Architecture
- Plumbing
- Upholstery designer
- Carpentry
- Electrician
- HVAC system manager
- Wallpaper installer
- Painter
3. Design And Communication Sector
A 50-year-old who is proficient in writing, proofreading, or designing can be recruited in this sector.
If you do not have enough skills to be considered proficient in a particular job position from this sector, do not fret because you can get employed and undergo On-the-job training. The occupations under this sector in which one can be recruited include;
- Graphic designers
- Public relation assistant
- Proofreading assistant
- Social media manager assistant
- Brand Ambassador
- Newspaper editor
4. Non-profit organization, Education & Research Institute Sector
Individuals who are competent enough to be researchers, teachers, and social workers continue to be in high demand in today’s society. The occupations under this sector in which one can be recruited include;
- Elementary school teacher
- Junior biologist or chemist
- Nursing Assistant
- Mathematics tutor
- Guidance Counselor
- Physicist assistant
- Research Assistant
- Social worker
- Vice Principal
5. Sales And Marketing Sector
50-year-olds who are naturally business minded can exploit and monetize their gift by applying for a position in this sector. The occupations under this sector in which one can be recruited include;
- Account Manager
- Real estate agent
- Importation specialist
- Allocation assistant
- Buyer trainee
- Assistant event planner
- Marketing analyst
- Sales assistant
- Public relations
- Sales representative
Training and development opportunities are made available within these entry-level sectors for 50-year-olds and younger individuals. If you want entry-level jobs, consider applying for apprenticeship programs anywhere within these sectors.
Apprenticeship programs are referred to as paid opportunities to acquire knowledge about the job responsibilities of a specific job position. You will learn the job responsibilities by undergoing on-the-job training. Apply for an apprenticeship program physically in any sector of your choice, or use online platforms to connect with people and apply.
You can also acquire knowledge about the job responsibility of a particular entry-level role by indulging in college internships. Before you reach age 50, you should make use of your college years by exploiting internship opportunities before trying to advance in your career.
Internship and apprenticeship programs are great ways to network and make different industries and companies recognize your worth.
You can also achieve career advancement through these because you will establish professional relationships, which will result in acquiring any potential career job you desire.
Emphasizing Soft Skills And Lifelong Learning
No employee hoping to be employed in an enterprise needs to be reminded that soft skills are of great importance. Soft skills are generally required for any individual of age to start working to make money.
Soft skills are the positive traits of an individual’s character that determines whether an individual can build good relationships with others.
In the workplace, soft skills are referred to as a coefficient to hard skills. Hard skills refer to a person’s acquired knowledge from his occupation, training, or education.
Sociologists refer to soft skills as an individual’s emotional intelligence quotient (EQ) in opposition to intelligence quotient (IQ). Soft skills have a lot more to do with the natural behavioral patterns of people rather than the acquired knowledge of people.
Regarding securing employment in a competitive labor market, your personality traits, attributes, and manner of interaction will be used as soft skills to discern whether you are fit for the job.
So, ensure that you have soft skills such as communication, teamwork, collaboration, leadership, negotiation, respect, critical thinking, analytical thinking, cleanliness, orderliness, organization, adaptability, and problem-solving skills.
People with skills like these and the much-required hard skills are in greater demand for hiring opportunities.
Hard Skills (The Value Of Continuous Learning)
Advanced & continuous education, taking online courses, acquiring certifications, and taking vocational training programs play a crucial role in hard skill acquisition. Before you can be employed in a competitive job position, you will need to have more than just soft skills to offer in a workplace.
An employee must have a balance of both hard and soft skills, and to achieve this, he or she must undergo workplace training and acquire advanced degrees like a bachelor’s degree, doctorate degree, or Ph.D. certification through continuous learning.
For 50-year-olds who would love to have all the required hard and soft skills to attain a technical job, below are some recommendations for acquiring and developing soft and hard skills.
1. How To Develop Hard Skills
Employees can acquire hard skills through online training programs/course advancement classes, in-person classes at a college, Industrial training programs, and continuous learning to acquire certifications that prove they are worthy of a job position.
Practice these acquired skills before attempting to apply for a job position, and gain quality work experience by applying all the acquired hard skills in the workplace.
2. How To Develop Soft Skills
An individual can improve his or her soft skills by being open to feedback regarding personality traits, communicating kindly, practicing teamwork, building only relationships that provide a positive impact, being open to learning from others, being open to taking corrections, knowing how to resolve conflict, learning project management and knowing how to multitask.
Networking And Leveraging Personal Connections
Networking actually permits an individual to benefit from business and personal connections rather than relying exclusively on his or her resume. Such connections are beneficial for you and your family members, especially when they are searching for a job.
Recruitment managers may even prefer to recruit new employees with contacts within their current staff because of trust issues, and this is where you come in. So establishing a connection base may provide a job position for you in the future and for your family.
Establishing professional relationships to find a new job will also make job opportunities accessible for you. You may not find such opportunities if you rely on an online recruiting process or wait for job openings to be enlisted on company websites.
Some businesses rely on internal connections to inform job seekers about job position openings. This means that a 50-year-old who has a solid professional connection may be assisted to access a job that is not open to the public in general.
So now you can see that establishing relationships with higher-ups is vital to succeeding in life and landing the perfect job for you. Effective networking = Quality relationships, quality relationships = Promotions / Job opportunities / Interview opportunities.
Realistically speaking, only 50-year-olds that have work experience and have established a huge network/clientele/ personal connections and professional relationships are at an advantage when it comes down to accessing job opportunities.
Guideline On Effective Networking Strategies And Utilizing Online Platforms
Acquiring knowledge about network strategies and techniques is vital if you want to achieve career advancement. Below is a guideline on how to establish professional relationships and connections.
1. Network Physically
Being an introvert has really not taken anyone anywhere. To overcome the slow pace of your career advancement, you can try doing the following;
- Schedule lunch dates with colleagues at work and talk about your goals with them.
- Consider accepting invitations to events where you can establish new relationships.
- Go to rallies, trade fairs, and social events hosted by businesses far and wide.
- Exchange business cards with potential helpers.
2. Gladly Offer Help
The saying that goes, “Help people, and your reward awaits you in heaven,” is not literal. It only means that the good turn you do for someone will surely come around one day, and you may not know what the payment for such a good deed will be.
Improve your relationship with the business enthusiasts and companies you know and your chances of effortlessly finding a job by offering assistance to them.
Volunteer acts can prove to the business gurus that you are genuine and really care about their company, and they may offer you a job opportunity.
3. Use Social Media And Resources Online
Maximize your professional relationships by not only physical networking but reinforcing relationships through social networking in search of new connections.
Opting to establish online relationships will help you meet new people that are in the same specialization as you, regardless of their country or state of residence.
You will get more people to learn about you this way, and one day you will be lucky enough to be called for a job interview.
4. Follow Up On All Established Relationships
Remember that they are not the ones in search of a job; you are. So, do not wait for them to handle all the socializing; you have to step up your game and follow your network up, ask them questions, socialize with them, and keep reminding them of your goals.
5. Seek A Mentor For Career Guidance And Support
Career mentors are of high value because he or she already has an established connection. They will use their business experience and network to guide and assist you in growing your career in a way that pleases you.
They also offer career advice, enable you to overcome business challenges, and make good decisions to progress in your career.
Overcoming Age-Related Challenges and Embracing Opportunities
It is always said that “Wherever there is a problem, there is always an opportunity,” this saying goes to say that if an individual finds his or herself in an environment where there is a problem and accesses this problem deeply only to finds out that they can provide a solution, then they should go ahead to embrace & monetize that opportunity.
Due to the economy, all countries today are quite expensive to live in, and no one can just stay without a job and live without worries.
A 50-year-old may likely come to terms with a problem in society that he or she may be able to solve, but they may find employment to be tricky as a result of age-related biases and stereotypes.
Whether deliberate or not, age-related stereotypes are inherent in the recruitment procedures of today’s world. Individuals 50 years old and above stand a chance of remaining unemployed if they quit their old job to get a new one.
The observed reality when it comes down to employment is that a reveal of your true age, if you are over 40, may risk having your application letter dumped in the “NO WAY” pile, among others.
This is because older applicants are considered undesirable for the job position, and this can lead to them staying unemployed.
Overcoming Age-Related Stereotypes And Emphasizing The Value Of Experience
It is very tricky to tackle the issue of age-related stereotypes in the procedures of job recruitment today.
Many workers have taken matters into their hands by altering their real age and providing a false age on their CV. Some other older workers resort to involving only their most recent work experiences to seem competent enough for the job and find favor in the eyes of the employer.
Some workers do not even alter only their real age. They also alter age-related information like preschool, high school, and college graduation dates in order to be considered for employment.
But, the Truth is that if discrimination relating to a worker – age is unavoidable, are there any realistic & legit strategies that job candidates can do to get recruited successfully?
After all, even if you alter age-related information, such as your date of birth or graduation dates, plenty of other age-related information can be dug out from the prior list of jobs, qualifications, and skills you used to acquire your old job.
You may consult an employment advisor, and he will suggest that you avoid enlisting off-key age-related information and only list your work experience of the last 15 years, but in what sense is this a real solution?
Age-Related Discrimination (Ageism) Mitigating Strategy
Stanford’s Martin recommends that employees expect potential age-related bias and tackle it head-on instead of cutting corners.
“Altering your age from a resume is one way to alleviate age-associated biases. It is not exactly a mitigation strategy I am overly enthusiastic about,” she says, further explaining that altering 30, 40, or 50 years of full-blown work experience down to merely 15 would likely devalue your accomplishments over the years.
By removing all these years of experience, you will be “Removing things that prove you have a lot of potential and opening up even more room for stereotype and bias in ways you cannot imagine,” she says.
Instead of altering anything that points to your actual age, think about possible insinuations that an actual age review might suggest to an employer about you and handle it head-on (immediately). For example, older job candidates should;
- Leverage their expertise
- Get advanced education to achieve all the right certifications to acquire a particular job.
- Highlight all their hard skills, including technical, marketing, presentation & project management skills.
- Emphasize problems they have solved and things they have accomplished, especially on projects that seem difficult and beyond their age bracket.
“When you are straightforward and make things clear enough, a recruiter will find it impossible to make assumptions and belittle your worthiness.”
All these can assist in countering inevitable age biases regarding workplace adaptability. Suppose a 50-year-old’s application letter can grasp an employer’s attention for the right reasons.
In that case, best believe he or she stands a chance of securing a job interview and a possible job opportunity.
The Unique Strengths And Perspectives That 50-Year-Olds Bring To The Workplace
There are essential qualities that mature workers 50 years old and above can contribute to a workplace, and this is actually a result of their unique strengths and the perspectives they have had of everything concerning project management in their prior workplaces.
Here are a few of the most significant qualities that a mature worker has to offer in a workplace. Advantages of recruiting and retaining older workers;
- They are more skilled and experienced.
- They have the ability to focus on their job and do not take many days off.
- They are mostly settled in life and do not have many family responsibilities anymore, so they have the tendency not to be distracted during work.
- Due to prior work experience, they know how to behave ethically in a workplace.
- They have more knowledge of business and clientele management.
- They can even assist with on-the-job training for younger employees.
FAQ
Is It Hard For A 50-Year-Old To Find A Job?
Finding a new job in your 50s and 60s can be especially challenging. The rate of unemployment for older workers is lower when compared to that of younger workers, but once out of work, older workers appear to have more difficulty finding a new position.
What Career Is Best For A 50-Year-Old Woman?
Some of the best jobs for women over 50 are mainly in education, and then comes real estate and the financial sector. Healthcare jobs with soft skills are a sought-after career for people in their 50s. The nursing profession is one of the fastest-growing career paths.
Is 52 Too Old To Start A New Career?
It’s never too late to change careers. Many people do change careers, often later in life. Still, you need to consider your priorities in life to see if it’s worth it. Yes, for many people, a career reboot is worthwhile.
What Age Is It Difficult To Get A Job?
According to a recent rep, people aged 45 and older find it increasingly difficult to get entry-level or mid-career jobs, despite employers complaining that they can’t find skilled worker sort.
What Is The Most Common Job For A Woman?
According to the US Census Bureau, 92.3% of registered nurses are women. Nursing has maintained its value and status as one of the most feminine professions.
Can A 50-Year-Old Get A Job In Canada?
Foreign workers should be at least 18 years old to obtain a Canadian work permit. Work permit applicants have no maximum age unless they apply under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program.
What Jobs Are Shrinking The Fastest?
The BLS has identified three occupational groups—office and administrative support occupations, manufacturing occupations, and sales and related occupations—that are projected to lose jobs over the next decade.
Which Jobs Are In Decline?
Regarding the highest absolute job loss, data entry clerks are worst off, with 8 million jobs expected to be lost within five years, followed by administrative and executive secretaries, accountants, bookkeepers, and patrol officers.
Is 50 Years Old Considered Old?
APA (American Psychological Association) defines “middle adulthood” as 35 or 36, and many ranges end as late as 60 or 65. The Lancet considers middle age to begin around 40. Modern social scientists generally agree that middle age begins around 35 to 40 years and ends around 55 to 60.
What Age Is A Late-Career?
As part of this research, we found that “late career” could be described as people aged 50-69.
Conclusion
It is understandable that applying for a job position at age 50 may feel intimidating and daunting. The feeling that other candidates will be applying for the same job may wear you down.
You might also have some fears because you are lacking in knowledge about recent technological advancements and your set of skills is outdated.
Maybe you have no experience in 2023, and you feel it’s too late to catch up. You may face some underlying obstacles due to the age-related stereotype and discrimination (Ageism) practised today in some organizations.
These factors should no longer be the reasons keeping you from acquiring a job position at 50 years old. Explore our list of potential career options that are suitable for 50-year-olds with no prior experience in 2023 and achieve the financial growth you desire.
