Shop Our Downloads

The Grief Cycle has five phases and it begins with denial. This complimentary download explores how denial undermines your energy and efforts in moving forward from the loss of a job. It also provides tips to defeat your denial and set yourself up for future success.

4-page PDF

After facing your denial following the loss of employment, anger is the next phase that sets in. This sounds ominous but if channeled correctly, anger can actually serve you well in moving forward. But only for so long. This guide explains how you can navigate through the anger phase effectively.

6-page PDF

Bargaining is a dangerous phase in Job Loss Grief. Here is where you make unfair compromises against yourself. You “bargain” away what you are worth. This guide will explain the warning signs for bargaining and how to avoid giving away the store, your store.

6-page PDF

Depression is a silent destroyer of energy and will to recover from loss of a job. It can sabotage your health, your relationships, and your future career. This guide provides tips to recognize job loss depression and how to act against it.

6-page PDF

After navigating the four prior phases of Job Loss Grief, one arrives at the Acceptance Phase. Let us be clear, acceptance does not mean that you like your circumstances or enjoy what happened. It does mean that you have coped with it and can “accept” it in order to move forward with your life and career. This guide helps you achieve that acceptance and prepare you for what is next on your personal career journey.

5-page PDF

This definitive checklist summarizes all five phases of Job Loss Grief and combines them into a convenient guide. The 8 pages cover all aspects of navigating your way through the trauma of having lost employment and having a career cut short. This is a handy companion to the more explanatory downloads that cover the individual phases of grief.

8-page PDF

This guide explores four distinct paths that you might take as a next step in your career. This summary document looks at Remote or Flexible Work, Seasonal Work – A Financial Bridge, Returnships – A Door Just for Us, Government and Nonprofit Options, and Encore Careers – Work with Purpose. This is the lead-in to a complete series with subsequent documents zooming in on the specific career paths. Start with this guide, then decide which next one makes sense for you.

6-page PDF

Haven’t you heard of “returnships”? Don’t worry. Most people have not. This is a unique re-entry portal into the workforce specifically for people who have been out of the workforce for a period of time. In fact, one prerequisite is that you have not worked for at least 1-2 years. This guide explains the world of returnships, what makes them interesting for the over-50 set, their competitive nature, and what you can expect from them.

6-page PDF

Government and nonprofit organizations may not be at the top of many people’s job search list. And there are reasons for that. However, there are also reasons to consider these as viable alternatives to a return to the corporate world.

This download covers the advantages and disadvantages of government and nonprofit jobs. Examples are provided for each on different types of roles and which type of corporate backgrounds and skillsets might be suitable for them. Most importantly, the sources for these jobs are also covered. This download corresponds to Episode 21 of the Ageism Survival Guide.

10-page PDF file.

Encore Careers happen when you take your valuable skills acquired over years in a private company setting and apply them to a new mission-driven job with a purpose. It is known that having purpose to life leads to an ultimately happier and healthier life.

This download, related to Episode 22 of The Ageism Survival Guide, covers a variety of potential encore career options. The document covers advantages and disadvantages of each, along with the types of skillsets that apply to each. In addition, this download identifies where such positions may be found, the on-line sources that list them.

9-page PDF file.

In Episode 16 of The Ageism Survival Guide, host John Stech covered how remote and flexible jobs could be a very viable alternative for workers over 50. In this accompanying downloadable PDF he explains why these jobs work for 50+ workers, some examples that people might not think about, and where to find them.

10-page PDF file.

Seasonal work can be considered a true bridge job. It is temporary by definition and its real purpose is to help you keep a regular schedule and to keep funds flowing into your coffers. If you have spend months searching for your next right thing and the checking account is running low, seasonal work could be an alternative for replenishing your funds and keeping bills paid. It also gets you out of the house and into a regular schedule.

This downloadable resource highlights several opportunities within the seasonal work category that people may have not considered. Advantages and disadvantages are covered for each type.

7-page downloadable PDF file.

LinkedIn is an invaluable tool that you can use for communicating your desired next steps and to be found by recruiters. But most people do not use LinkedIn the way it is designed - as a search engine. This 7-page guide explains how to optimize your LinkedIn profile in order to clearly communicate who you are, your skills, and how to properly use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy to be found.

7-page PDF document

This download outlines how to formulate your job search and where to prioritize your efforts. Whether job boards or recruiters or your network, where should you invest your time. This guide addresses that point and makes specific recommendations on how to most effectively set up your job search.

5-page PDF document.

Your LinkedIn profile is not just a resume you keep in the cloud. It is your most effective and visible marketing tool. There are many details about LinkedIn that people do not understand, from how searches are done, which sections of the profile are most important to be found, and how to camouflage age. Learn how to completely rebuild your LinkedIn profile to make it an effective marketing brochure selling your most important product - YOU!

4-page, downloadable PDF.

Your resume from 1998 is no longer relevant in today’s tech-influenced job seach process. This download provides advice on structuring a modern resume for today’s job search. How to format for the Automated Tracking System (ATS). How to neutralize your age. How to custom-tailor to each individual job application.

4-page, downloadable PDF.

This download corresponds to Episode 14 of The Ageism Survival Guide podcast. Your resumé is not being read. Recruiters are overwhelmed by AI-generated applications and are tightening down the rejection filters in their Automatic Tracking Systems (ATS). 50+ workers are most impacted. What to do? Leverage your network. This download covers the current market situation and step-by-step tips on how to use your network to gain traction in finding a new job role.

7-page PDF file.

This comprehensive guide offers 32 ways to amp up your networking game on LinkedIn. It covers everything from reaching out to alumni from your university to tapping into LinkedIn’s Groups and Events. Each of the 32 networking paths includes how to find people, how to reach out, and a convenient copy-paste template that can be used to send messages via connection requests or InMail.

24 pages. PDF format.

Surely you have seen people display LinkedIn’s green Open to Work badge on their profile photo. Perhaps you have also used it in the past. This download explains the pros and cons of using the badge in Visibility to All mode, Recruiter mode, or Visible only to Me mode. The download also includes instructions on how to turn on the different settings.

10-page PDF document.

Working for yourself can be an incredibly rewarding experience, especially after having worked for “The Man” your entire life. The guide summarizes a wide variety of paths you can take when electing to work for yourself. Some require very little investment, while others may be more investment-intensive. Start with this overview and decide which may a future route for you.

8-page PDF

With 20, 30, even 40 years of expertise in your field, you have the knowledge that companies need to achieve their goals. Turning to a new career of independent consulting and advisory is one means to leverage your accumulated experience. This guide explores different consulting and advisory options, the revenue models, and the pros and cons.

9-page PDF

One can argue that fractional and leadership roles are technically working for someone else. But they are time-limited engagements, not necessarily full-time, and allowing you to have a portfolio of additional career components. This guide explores what the opportunities are, where to find them, their pros and cons, and what the revenue opportunity really is.

9-page PDF

Micro-Entrepreneurship is a low-investment way to step into running a business for yourself, either with a single income stream or an entire portfolio of digital businesses. This guide explores 11 distinct avenues to monetize your experience and knowledge. They range from “anchor” revenues, which are your earnings backbone, to supplementary cash flow, which is the cherry on top of your business dessert. This guide is three times the length of prior guides for a reason: there are many opportunities to be covered.

29-page PDF

While micro-entrepreneurship is light on investment and heavy on smaller digital business opportunities, starting your own company can range from medium to large investment. Whether opening a bricks and mortar store, operating a manufacturing company, or providing in-person services, this guide covers the considerations to take before getting started. You will learn about which company types are appropriate, accounting necessities, and all other considerations for starting a business. Most importantly, it asks the question whether you are truly cut out for this. Spoiler - only you can decide.

23-page PDF

Franchising is a way to be your own boss but without inventing and building everything from scratch. This download offers an overview on franchising, its costs, types, and resources.

Related to Episode 30

18 page PDF