IDA's late career toolkit

Career advice - influence your working life

 As an experienced employee, you have already had a long career. Career is not just for managerial types - it is all about your development in your work life and how you yourself can influence your situation so that you get the best work life. Maybe your current job was created when you were in your 40s and had teenage children. Now your situation may have changed, and it is a good idea to take stock and plan the next step.

Expert advice: how to plan your late career

It's a good idea to take a break from focusing on your tasks and consider with yourself what a good job is. And, most importantly, get the energy to make the right choices - for you. Careers are proving to be about more than just promotions. Maybe there is more job satisfaction in going other ways.

The situation analysis - are you doing your job well? (In Danish)

IDA's situation analysis can help you find out how you are doing in your current job. The analysis can support you in your reflections on your development.

Strengths survey - help you find your personal strengths

Get help finding your signature strengths. Even experienced people can become aware of overlooked strengths. You can use them for your next interview with your manager, for your applications, CVs and in your skills development.

Book a career counselling session

As an IDA member, you can speak to an experienced career counsellor. You can get help with your challenges at work or identify your skills, strengths and aspirations.

Competences must be developed throughout life

You need to find the confidence in your skills. Not in your job or the company you work for. If you want or need to look for another job, your skills must be in demand and future-proof. So even if you have a lot of experience, there is no guarantee that what you know will be of interest to an employer tomorrow.

Expert advice: keep your skills up-to-date

It's in your skills that you need to find security - not in your job or the company you work for. That's why it's important to keep maintaining and developing your skills.

How to make time for courses and training

You'll never find the right time to take continuing education. Often the barrier is that you can't manage to take a few days out of your busy schedule. Your manager is often willing to pay. So you need to plan it properly and make an agreement with your them so that it doesn't become your problem, but the manager's responsibility.

Book a Competency counselling session
Talk to one of IDA's compecency counsellor and find relevant, quality-assured training and development to keep you happy at work and in the market.

Job search is harder as a senior

If your career considerations suggest it's time to look for pastures new - or you've been made redundant - then you need to start looking for a job. It may be a long time since you last did so. When you have a lot of experience and are looking for a new job, you need to think carefully about which of your skills are relevant to the new job. For example, if you are applying for a specialist job - any management experience you have should not take up most of your CV.  It will only give the impression that you'd really rather have the manager's job. You may even need to make it clear that you're quite comfortable with not being a manager.

Write a sharp job application
There's no one-size-fits-all guide to writing a good job application, but IDA's careers counsellors have put together some tips for the sharp and focused job application.

Make a powerful CV
Three out of four companies give the CV top priority when selecting job applicants for interview. So it needs to be sharp, up-to-date and targeted at the job you want to apply for.

Use LinkedIn in your job search
LinkedIn has become an almost indispensable job search tool, and it's one of the first places a prospective employer looks. It's your public CV - so remember to keep your profile up to date and use it actively in your job search.

8 bad reasons to quit your job
Take a deep breath before you look for a new job, if you're doing so believing that the grass will be greener on that side. Many experienced IDA members have a great strength in knowing both the company and its customers.

How to handle a layoff at the end of your career (In Danish)
Getting fired at an advanced age often comes as a shock. But for many, fear is worse than reality, and your experience is in demand in many places - if you present it right.

Contact IDA's experts
IDA offers many types of advice on career development and job search. Which type of counselling suits you depends on your situation and what you would like our help with.

Salary - as a senior you need to be extra sharp in negotiations

Already in their late 40s, many will find that the big pay rises ebb away. There is usually no longer the same steep learning curve that increases one's market value, and it is now more up to one's negotiating skills if more is needed in the pay packet.

IDA has - thanks to data from many members - a number of strong tools and guidelines to ensure a good negotiating position.

How to find the right salary level
Use salary tools to get an idea of the salary level in a new job. Here you can pull out salaries for members with the same profile and length of experience as yourself.

How to prepare for salary negotiations
If you want a higher salary, you need to prepare thoroughly. You're probably already in a good position, which makes it harder for you to explain how your work adds value for the employer and to stand firm on your demands at the pay negotiation.

Further education can be an alternative to a salary increase
It is a good idea that you have prepared alternative wishes, if you can't get a higher salary. For example, you can negotiate for holidays, a free phone, free parking, a newspaper or other benefits.

It might be easier to get your training paid for as an alternative to a pay rise, Here are four good reasons to negotiate continuing education.

Turning 55 does not mean you have to forget about salary increases.

Experienced professionals should approach salary negotiation just like their younger colleagues, says IDA's salary negotiation specialist, Lars Budde Nielsen.

Legal advice - e.g. for a senior agreement

IDA members can rely on experienced legal advisers both when a new contract has to be signed or when a dispute arises over employment conditions - or even when you are fired.

You can always contact IDA's legal advisers

Senior agreement

If you want to have more flexible employment conditions and, for example, reduce your hours, have longer holidays or perhaps different types of work, IDA has drawn up proposals for an additional contract and a new contract that you can use as inspiration in the negotiations with your manager.

They provide an overview of what your employment contract should contain and what you should pay particular attention to.

Five good arguments for using IDA's senior agreement (In Danish)

Dismissal - what do I do? The figures show that it takes longer to find a new job at the end of your career - but it's far from impossible. Many companies are short of engineers, scientists and IT graduates. We can help you plan your next step (In Danish).

Stress - get help to deal with it

You can easily be affected by stress, even if you have plenty of life and work experience. It can be a really unpleasant and often taboo situation. That's why IDA is ready with advice and tools for both prevention and individual help if stress strikes. Unfortunately, experienced employees in particular are less likely to reach out for help.

We often say that we are "stressed". But there is a difference between stress and pressure. Pressure, to a reasonable degree, is not dangerous and can actually contribute to better performance and make us develop. But it must not become too much, because then it can turn into a stress load.

That's why it's a good idea to know what the symptoms of stress are:

• The physical, e.g. headache, fatigue, palpitations
• The psychological, e.g. difficulty concentrating, depression, anxiety
• The behavioural ones, e.g. becoming more introverted or having a short fuse

IDA has a range of tools and advice for dealing with stress

For example, you can start by taking a stress test (In Danish)

Many with long experience are justifiably proud of their job and position. That's why admitting you need help can be extra daunting. So remember: There's no shame in going down with stress. It's a shame not to do something about it.

You can always contact IDA advisors for confidential individual advice