The Secret of My Husband’s Success - A true story of an older worker’s triumph in the job market

By Lecia Parks Langston

This article gets really personal—because early in 2009, the recession hit home in a major way in my own family. Although I don’t think of my spouse and myself as “older” (I feel about 23 inside my head), we certainly fall in the age group targeted by this publication.

If you are reading this article, you can probably relate to the dismay we felt when my husband’s job of nearly 20 years became a casualty of the economic downturn. Brad is 54 years old and it’s been a long time since he’d done any serious job searching. And, did I mention we’re in the midst of the longest recession in recent memory? And, did I also mention we just happen to live in Washington County where the downturn has been particularly fierce? I have to admit, it’s not an experience we’ve relished.

However, it has been a learning experience. And, by proxy, I’ve discovered firsthand that the advice in this publication does indeed work. While many people in his position are still struggling with unemployment, Brad’s been on the job for six months and is making money in a thorny economy.

Attitude, Attitude, Attitude

Why has Brad succeeded when so many are still jobless? I’ve decided that a positive attitude equaled success for Brad. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. He was confident that he could find a new job that he liked doing. (He tells me he’s enjoyed every job he’s ever had including hot tar roofing—go figure.) He was confident that he would be hired despite his grey hair. He believed he had marketable skills. Some of this confidence was inherent in his nature, some of it he learned along the way. (His new boss recently told him that his confidence that he could do the job was a major factor in his hire.)

Along with the “good attitude,” here are the things that I believe Brad did right that resulted in his eventual employment.

Brad enrolled in a seminar that taught him how to look for work. Here he learned about resume writing, networking, interviewing, etc. Here he also discovered and focused on his marketable skills. Brad found out he had many talents and abilities. He also determined exactly what he wanted from his new job. This seminar happened to be through our church affiliation. However, many job search workshops are available—including through the Department of Workforce Services.

Brad was very flexible. After his lay-off, we considered many options including training for a new career, moving to an area where his skills were more in demand, etc. Brad didn’t stay stuck thinking he could only do what he’d always done. He was willing to change careers and try something entirely new.

Brad built upon his years of experience and community connections. In his current position, my husband’s long years of community service and personal relations have helped him to be far more successful than his younger colleagues. By virtue of your age and experience, you truly do have an edge over younger workers in many, many jobs.

Brad had good technical skills. My husband’s prior occupation was technically oriented, so he had great computer skills. Even though his current job is not highly technical, it was important that he could e-mail, do Internet job searches, submit an electronic resume, etc. to get hired. If you don’t have these skills, they can be learned. They are very important in today’s job market!

Brad was not afraid to learn. In establishing his new career, Brad had to pass several licensing exams. Could this “ old guy” learn and remember? You bet. He discovered age is no barrier to learning. While his retention wasn’t quite as good as in his 20s, because of his determination and work ethic, Brad was able to pass his exams much easier than most of the “young Turks” in his training group. Yes, you too can learn new skills!

Brad has worked hard. His work ethic, not only in looking for a job but also in establishing a new career, has proved exemplary and has helped him succeed.

I’m very proud of my husband. In the midst of this employment setback, his father suffered a major stroke, which required a huge amount of Brad’s time and energy. Eventually, his father passed away. Yet, Brad never wallowed in self-pity over his employment situation. He got out and did what needed to be done to find a new job.

Brad is working hard at a new career and he’s just been elected as a city councilman for our small, southern Utah town. We’ve been able to pay all our bills and even extra on our mortgage. We aren’t quite back to where we were income-wise and living with uncertainty has definitely been stressful. However, some of my husband’s positive attitude has rubbed off on me and I am confident we’ll end up in an even better financial position than before. Hurrah for age and experience!