Actually, I prefer resigned from my position – I never like to think I ‘quit’ anything.  No matter how you phrase it, it is a scary thing to do at sixty.  When family and friends of the same age or younger are retiring from the workforce it definitely makes you feel vulnerable.

Let’s start with the why.

I like control.  Have I said that before? Through a merger with a larger organization, my position morphed into something I no longer enjoyed or felt fulfilled doing. I passed up an opportunity to be the system director of marketing, feeling committed to the home base I had passionately served for the last fourteen and a half years.  Perhaps I was naïve, yes that still happens at sixty, but I firmly believed I could still make a difference there.  I lost more and more control as more and more decisions were being made at the system level.  The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back was being called into a special meeting entitled, Marketing Planning, to be told my title would be changing from Director to Coordinator. Being the career minded professional I am, I thought are you kidding me? In what world does that make sense?  I didn’t resign my position immediately, I took about a week to ponder this change and then resigned.

What did I just do?

Just like every major decision in life, I had a moment of what did I just do? This time, it was followed by, did you forget you were sixty and ageism is alive and well?  Actually, I did forget I was sixty. It just didn’t play into my decision.  I want to believe experience and passion trump age.  I was forty-five when I started this job. Forty-five-year-old people run the world.  But there has to be a place for those of us who still feel vital and strong with a lot to contribute. Would I hire a sixty-year-old prospective employee?  If they were the best candidate, I like to think I would, but would I?  Would you?

I received a mixed bag of responses when I told people I had resigned my position from- are you retiring to -oh how nice, you will get to spend more time with your granddaughter and my favorite – you may have to settle for something while you look for your ideal job.

5 steps to finding my next opportunity.

I participated in a Career Goals class offered by MVP Executive Search & Development last Spring.  The class was made up of nine other women at various stages of their lives and careers.  It was led by owner and career coach Mary Olson-Menzel. Although we were all coming from different points in our lives we were united in our journey to become more fulfilled in our careers.  I am also re-reading The Path by Laurie Beth Jones.

These resources have led me to the following five steps to find my next opportunity.

Step 1 – Find your strengths. 

Gallup’s CliftonStrengths – StrengthsFinder 2.0  is one of the best assessments to find your strengths. Based on the idea there are 34 personality tendencies, your answers to the questions will provide you with a ranking of your strengths. The focus is on your top five strengths.  In rank order mine were Maximizer, Strategic, Individualization, Learner and Input.  The descriptions of each of these strengths were both insightful and described precisely how I operate.  The goal is to play to your strengths.  This was extremely helpful as I put together my personal statement on my resume and LinkedIn profile. It also provides talking points when interviewing and for my elevator speech.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a tool to give you clarity into your personality using sixteen different types. There are four categories with two types within each. People who have used the Myers-Briggs will speak in the four-letter acronym for your preference type – I am an INTP-introversion, intuition, thinking and perceiving.   This tool also gives you descriptive words to use as you prepare for applying and interviewing like ‘adept at providing a detached, concise analysis of an idea or a situation’.

Look for common words/themes in past reviews. Sometimes we overlook the obvious.  Read over past reviews to find what assets you were recognized as bringing to the organization, then be sure to capitalize on them.

Ask someone close to you what they see as your strengths.  Getting a fresh perspective can be eye-opening as we tend to become rote in how we see ourselves.  For example, my go to strength is communication and writing skills – when I asked my husband to name my top strength he responded with strategic planning and project facilitation.  Good answer!

Step 2 – Find your passions. 

One of the first things we were asked to do in the Career Goals class was to keep a light journal.  To write down what brings you light every day.  Aside from the obvious, talking to my children, welcoming a new granddaughter, and sitting on my deck drinking wine; there were other things that I noted- completing a hard workout, having meals planned for the week, bringing a smile to a co-worker’s stressed out face and mentoring a new employee.  Light can come from many different sources, you just need to be open to letting it in.

Remember what you liked doing or aspired to be as a child. The belief is we were our truest self when we were children.  The activities that filled our days and the who we wanted to be when we grew up can give clues to the professions that will give us the greatest satisfaction.

Write your mission statement and then put it into action.  This is the work of The Path. She guides you through exercises to develop your mission statement. Like all things in life, a mission statement is never stagnant, it will change as you change and grow.

My mission statement: To engage and inspire those around me to find the motivation necessary to take control of their own health and wellness- physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Be quiet. It is through being quiet that we are able to see more clearly.  Whether you choose meditation with your eyes closed to see more deeply into yourself or a walk-in nature with your eyes wide open to the beauty and possibilities around you.  Just be quiet and listen.

Step 3 – Put yourself out there.

This may be the hardest of the five steps. Asking for help comes easier to some than others – I would be an other.

First and foremost, become social – preferably on LinkedIn.  Jazz up you profile with the following suggestions:

• • Add a professional picture.
  • Use the insights and words from your identified strengths or personality traits to write a strong description of who you are and what you want.
  • Build up your connections – 500 is the magic number (I still have not met this goal but I am trying to reach out to new people every day).
  • Follow companies you want to work for – many post job openings on LinkedIn.
  • Comment on posts of interests or share professional posts that reflect who you are.
  • Encourage colleagues to provide endorsements by thanking them when they do.

Connections are so important.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 85% of jobs are filled by networking.  I made the mistake of not reaching out to all of my connections prior to leaving my position.  I am now playing catchup. Many of these people respect the skills you have to offer and are more open to helping you.

Have an elevator speech prepared.  This was one of my favorite sessions in our Career Goals class.  We were challenged to develop our elevator speech, what we bring to the table, our passions, and skills all in succinct sound bites.  Best lesson – know when to stop talking.  Less is more- if they want to know more they will ask.

Finally Risk Forward.  This is another great book by Victoria Labalme, given to us by Mary, written to guide you through the process of making a change.  My favorite part comes early in the book where she writes about studying movement under Marcel Marceau, the famous mime, and the position of “Risque Avant … to be present, balance forward, heart open.  With this in mind, I am trying to lean into the new adventure that awaits me.

Step 4 – Focus on the companies you want to work for. 

Identify companies you would like to work for based on your passions. This is harder than you think unless you have always had a wish list of companies. Partly because you really don’t know what is out there – the world has become much smaller with remote jobs.  I do know I am trying to focus on companies who value and promote health and wellness.  Once you identify your companies, you need to follow them on LinkedIn, frequent their job listings and look for common connections of people you may know who work there and reach out to them.

In doing your research on which companies you think you would like to work for, make sure to check to see if their mission & vision statements align with yours. This was an aha moment for me in reading The Path. It makes perfect sense, but not something I ever thought about doing.

Step 5 – Visualize the life you want and write it down in the form of your vision statement.

This should encompass all of the preceding steps: strengths/talents, passions, relationships and ideal companies.

Vision statement: To have the freedom, physically and financially, to spend time with those I love, doing the things I find fulfilling, while continuing to foster my mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual best self.

Next steps. 

For now, I am going to continue to work the plan and hope the concentric circles of passion, talent and vision will intersect with the right company who will appreciate what I have to offer.

As to those responses I received when I resigned:

• No, I am not ready to retire. Just being home these past couple of weeks has left me restless and unfulfilled.  I still have a lot to offer the right organization.
• My goal is to engage with the right company or organization – the first time! I really want to find somewhere I can continue to be challenged and make a difference until I am ready to retire.
• As for seeing my granddaughter more – now that is one response that I would love to make happen – because she just makes me smile!