My client Isabelle is 55. The last office she worked in, she was fastest typist, able to keyboard at over 100 wpm. She was one of few in office not wearing a wrist brace, or suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome.

If you have physical impairments, don’t attribute them to age, because there are plenty of people your age who don’t have them. There are people with severe osteoarthritis in their 30s, and people like Isabelle, who seem immune to disease. It has nothing to do with age.

USE IT OR LOSE IT

If you’re returning to work force in a completely new field it may have been quite a while since you learned something new. I have a friend who’s a physician who is just burnt out. He’s going into sales, because he doesn’t want to retire. However, field of medicine has changed dramatically over his lifetime, and kept him learning new things, so he’s not at all troubled by fact.

Continuous lifetime learning is one of keys to resilience, an important EQ competency. If you’ve gotten lax about learning, embrace this opportunity.

ATTITUDE

I have a number of clients over 50 who are looking for jobs or new careers. There’s a difference between those who have chosen this path, and those who feel they were ‘forced’ into it. I think of a friend of mine who found out, after her third child, she couldn’t have any more babies. “I really didn’t want any more kids,” she said. “It just made me furious not to have choice.”

Emotional Intelligence means managing your emotions. If you’re stuck in a situation you don’t like, only thing you can control is your attitude. No one wants to work with someone who’s negative, pessimistic or hostile, no matter how great their skills or expertise, no matter what their age.

If you’re having trouble managing your attitude, consider getting help with this.

GET A COACH

Coaching is wonderful for this transition. You will likely encounter negatives from those around you. People may tell you, “You’ll never get a job at this age,” or “No one will hire you for anything decent.” To counter this, you need support, and you also need specific examples to contrary, which a coach who works in this area can provide. I can tell you many specific examples from my own coaching practice.

IT WILL TAKE LONGER

Not necessarily. Everyone who looking for “the” job these days has a hard go of it. It depends upon many factors, including job market in town where you live.

NO ONE WANTS TO MANAGE ‘THEIR MOTHER”

I interviewed an HR professional to check out other side of picture. He agreed that some managers don’t want a report who’s age of their parent, but some do; and some don’t even notice. Managers are human and they have their idiosyncrasies. Some don’t like young, unseasoned workers! The best managers are eager for richness of a mix of ages, backgrounds, and expertise because they know what it can add to bottom line.

AGE DISCRIMINATION

As HR professional pointed out, it’s people over 40 who are protected, and, as he said, “Do you have any idea how many people this applies to?” Quite a few. If you encounter someone who has prejudices against older workers, then go find someone who doesn’t. They’re out there.

HAVE A PLAN

Getting a job in today’s market requires a commitment of time and energy. I recommend you work with a coach to help you come up with a plan, stay enthusiastic and keep at it. Don’t listen to people who are negative about it. There are plenty of people over 50 back in work force and loving it. The best is yet to come!