Transcript Weekend '09 alumni services presentation

Career Change and Re-Invention
During the Later Stages
of Your Work Life
Fuqua Career Management Center
November 18, 2010
Lisa Schwartz
Associate Director
Student & Alumni Career Services
Maintain or Reinvent?
Change happens when Pain exceeds the Fear of Uncertainty
Proactive Career Management
Who Am I?
Where do I find
opportunities?
What Do I Have
To Offer?
How do I
decide?
Success in the 21st century will require that you:
• Communicate achievements clearly
• Maintain keen awareness of strengths, weaknesses, & values
• Know what skills transfer to a new career
• Stay knowledgeable about market trends
• Keep an updated resume and career plan
• Cultivate and build networks
• Maintain visibility
• Remain persistent despite setbacks
Trends
The key to career success today is quite
different from what we were taught in the past.
It is not stability and specialization in one field…
Instead, flexibility, expertise, creativity and the
ability to cross borders and boundaries are the
new drivers!
What trends are you seeing?
Areas of opportunity and growth
• Education
• Health Care
• Environment
• Government
• Non Profit
Reinvention requires a thoughtful and
purposeful approach
• Challenge limiting attitudes and assumptions about age
• Prioritize and decide which balls are glass and which are
rubber in the juggling act of life
• Create a strategy.
Challenge limiting assumptions about age:
• No research has validated that chronological age is reliable in determining
one’s “functional” age
• Focus on functional age:
– Ask the following question…"Knowing what I know now about myself and the
world, what would I do if I were 20 years younger?“
• Use your age, skills and experience as the springboard
• Ageism can be diminished or overcome…
– By developing a conscious and skillful self-marketing strategy
Selling the Age Advantage
• Both depth and breadth of experience
• A sense of history to your profession
• A huge “bag of tricks.”
• A large network
• A strong work ethic
• Fewer distractions from work
• Experience working collaboratively
– Especially across generations.
Prep for change
• Plan Financially
• Research
• Learn Language of New Option
• Assess Current Situation
• Scope Out Training & Development
Create your strategy
• Set incremental goals
• Communicate your interests and transferable value
• Cultivate and build networks and new relationships
• Update your resume and develop a robust LinkedIn profile
• Volunteer - community, projects, task forces
Pot Holes
• I'll just do what I was doing before
• My experience speaks for itself
• I'll become a consultant
• I'll just use a recruiter for some career coaching
• I've always been successful…
– So why should things be different now?
Box of Chocolates
• I’m willing to act without certainty
• Engagement in an active life will increase my chances of new opportunities
• Sometimes you have to take a step back before taking a step forward
• Persistence, patience and diligence account for the majority of what goes
into the process for a successful outcome
If you find yourself in search mode
• Tell people what you do & why it is important
• Network and stay on your contact’s radar screen
• Adjust your resume for each situation
• Create a target list and show it to your network
• Consider taking a course and joining an association
• Update your image if necessary
Online Resources
• Finding work that matters in the second half of life: www.encore.org
• Center on Aging and Work/Workplace Flexibility at Boston College: http://agingandwork.bc.edu
• AARPs information on volunteering: www.aarp.org/about aarp/community_service
• AARPs information on career transitions: www.aarp.org/careers
• AARPs information on finances: www.aarp.org/money
• Think tank and incubator for programs that harness energy and talents of Third Agers for civic
and social renewal: www.civicventures.org
• Newton Free Library program: www.discoveringwhatsnext.org
• Action Without Borders, job and volunteer opportunities in nonprofit organizations:
www.idealist.org
• Online job site for job-seekers over 50: www.Workforce50.com
• University of North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement:
www.unca.edu/ncccr/NCCCR/about.cfm
• Service Opportunities after Retirement: www.soar-ma.org
Print Resources
Don’t stop the Career Clock
By: Helen Harkness
Working Identity: Unconventional
Strategies for Re-inventing your career
By: Herminia Ibarra
Capitalizing on Career
Chaos
By: Helen Harkness
Something to Live For: Finding
Your Way in the Second Half of Life
By: Richard J. Leider
Now What? 90 Days to a
New Life Direction
By:Laura Berman Fortgang
What’s Next?
By: Hannon
Training Resources
• The Center for Third Age Leadership (Bill Sadler)
www.thirdagecenter.com
• The Hudson Institute (Pam McLean)
www.hudsoninstitute.com
• The Inventure Group (Richard Leider)
www.inventuregroup.com
• Retirement Options (Richard Johnson)
www.retirementoptions.com
• 2Young 2Retire Certification Program (Howard Stone)
www.2young2retire.com
Career Services for Alumni
 24-7 Online Resources exclusive for Duke MBA Alumni
 Presentations, Job Postings, Databases, Resume Book, Samples and Tips
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Alumni Career Page Link
Going Global
Alumni Clubs and Database
[email protected] for questions, coaching requests…
 Short-term Coaching (3-4 sessions) for those in current transition
 Executive Career Consultants at Duke
 Regional and longer-term coaching options
 Partnership with Lee Hecht Harrison Offices
 Regional and Virtual Workshops
 Road shows brought to you in Partnership with Alumni Relations