AI has quickly become part of our everyday. From searching for information, clarifying content to menu planning, it is now very much part of our lives. It has proven to be a positive, but have we really explored the negatives specifically in the recruitment process.
We know from our research that women in midlife face a multitude of barriers when they are looking to return to work, change roles or start working in a new sector. AI can add to this in the form of bias specifically age and gender.
Midlife360 recently featured in a segment on Women’s House or BBC Radio 4 where we discussed the impact of AI on midlife women in the recruitment market. This conversation started due to the challenges faced by Stacey Duguid, who found that at the age of 52 having had time out of her industry, her applications were not landing as they had in the past. She took to social media and the response from other women in the same position responded in their thousands. Stacey subsequently wrote an article in the Times and spoke with passion on Women’s Hour.
This is a subject we know all about from our conversations with midlife women in our community. We know how demoralising not hearing back from applications can be. We recognise how isolating it feels to be spending your time applying and not getting through the application stage. We understand the impact of not getting past the first stage can be confidence, self-esteem and how we feel about our worth.
Our contribution to the conversation was to look at the why and potential ways to navigate these platforms whilst looking at creative ways to find your next job. Below are some of our top tips to midlife job hunting, some of which we mentioned on air.
12 top tips
- Your network is your friend
- Use LinkedIn by commenting on posts, writing a piece about your skills, use it to raise your profile on the platform
- Reach out to people you know online and in person, they know you, your skills and what you can bring to a new role. People will want to help, do not be afraid to ask.
- Contact your references, they know how you work and you asked for a reference from them for a reason. Again, people will want to help.
- Focus on your transferable or human skills – they are called transferable for a reason.
- Could you look at other sectors / start your own business / go freelance or take on a consultancy role?
- If you have had time out of work, it is good practice to fill your career gap with information about what you were doing in this time. Were you caring for a family member – did you have to advocate for them? You may have been travelling and learning about new cultures, have you explored further learning or built your skills through volunteering. All of this is added knowledge you can share.
- Build your knowledge of AI. It can be a barrier, but it can help you navigate your next steps. We use a WhatsApp based platform called NIYA which can help you to write your CV, prepare for interviews and scour the internet for jobs you might be interested in. Details can be found on www.midlife360.org.uk/midlife-women
- When wording your CV make sure you are focusing on your achievements rather than your teams’ achievements. Being part of a team is important but talking about your contribution, your wins and your accomplishments show your value.
- Build a relationship with and listen to a trusted recruiter, they know the market and their clients, and they can work on your behalf.
- Applying for a new role can be lonely and demoralising, chose a platform that works for you, remember your wellbeing comes first, take breaks to see and connect with people and manage your time.
- Look at the wording on job adverts and replicate their wording in your CV. Using their language can help your CV be picked up by the algorithms and work with the system.
- Connect with people who work for the companies you are interested in (on LinkedIn) and ask them what it’s like to work for the company.
- Be proactive, are there companies you admire, and you would like to work for? Find the right people in the company and connect with them. You never know when a role might come up.
- Do not give up. Be positive and think cleverly. You have the skills an employer wants, you just need to work to make that connection.
Take this time to think about what you want from the next 10-15 years, what you can bring to a role and for whom you want to work. This process is a two-way thing, getting past the first round is the toughest, remember you are an experienced woman who has a great deal to bring. Any employer would be lucky to have you; you just need to be creative in how you get there.
Women’s Hour can be found on BBC Sounds, the segment is around 22 minutes in.
