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Jun 28, 2021 You’ve just been let go. You’re mid-career, retirement is still in the distance, and panic is rising. Forget generic tips like updating your resume or networking; here’s what really helps when you lose your job later in your career:
When people get laid off, their instinct is to dive into job boards and start tweaking resumes. That’s reactive at best, busywork at worst. Instead, take inventory of your assets.
We’re not talking just about money. This is about the full portfolio of professional capital you’ve built:
As Dorie Clark writes in Entrepreneurial You, “People don’t buy your product or service – they buy you and your credibility.” That’s true whether you’re selling consulting services or applying for a VP role.
Instead of updating your LinkedIn title to “Seeking New Opportunities,” reach out to five people who know your work and ask them one question:
“If I were to go out on my own tomorrow, what would you hire me to do?”
You’ll get insight into what the market already associates you with and, potentially, your first client or job lead.
In your 50s, applying for jobs cold through LinkedIn is like yelling into the void. Age bias is real, whether it’s conscious or unconscious. According to a 2021 AARP study, nearly 78% of older workers have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace.
So don’t aim for the front door, aim for the side entrance. The middle management tier is where you often find former peers who are now in decision-making roles. These are the people who can vouch for you and bring you in through informal channels.
Instead of chasing job postings, chase problem-solving conversations. Your outreach email shouldn’t be “I’m looking for a role,” it should be,
“I’ve been thinking about the operational headaches in [industry function]. Are you seeing the same thing?”
Be curious. Be helpful. Be top of mind when budget opens up.
Your layoff is not a personal failure, it’s a shift in strategy. Think of yourself as a business unit that just lost its biggest client. What do businesses do in that situation?
They pivot, downsize, rebrand, partner, or acquire new customers. They don’t wallow. They restructure.
Take a page from what Harvard Business Review calls the “gig mindset” inside traditional organizations. “People with a gig mindset are intrapreneurial, resilient, and value impact over job titles,” writes HBR’s Jane McConnell.
Translate that to your current situation:
The generalist VP who oversaw “operations and strategy” might sound impressive, but when you’re competing in a noisy market, generalists get overlooked.
As counterintuitive as it sounds, the narrower your positioning, the broader your appeal.
Case in point: One former marketing exec we know repositioned herself as “the brand whisperer for B2B manufacturing firms struggling to differentiate.” That’s niche. That’s memorable.
You don’t need to stay there forever, but niche lets you build traction fast.
As marketing consultant Philip Morgan puts it, “Specialization is the act of becoming findable by the clients you want to serve.”
This is especially useful if you’re toying with self-employment or interim work but don’t want to come off as desperate or uncertain.
Create a low-risk, high-value offering that solves a specific problem in 30–60 days. Price it for quick approval, not for long-term ROI. Think: $5–10K engagements that feel like “no-brainer” purchases to your target client.
Examples:
This gets you in the door, demonstrates your value, and often leads to longer-term work. It also forces clarity: you have to define the problem you solve, not just your skillset.
In her book The Portfolio Life, author and exec coach Christina Wallace describes how diversifying your income streams can make you more resilient and fulfilled. “Instead of one job, one employer, one career path, we create a portfolio of skills, experiences, and income sources that reflects our evolving interests and needs,” Wallace writes.
You may not have planned for a portfolio life, but if full-time roles aren’t showing up, this may be your best move. The portfolio could include:
The key is momentum. Once you’re in motion, opportunities compound.
Here’s the hard truth: You may not be calling the shots right now. You might need to take a step back in title or pay. And that’s okay, as long as it’s strategic, not permanent. Think of it like a tactical retreat to higher ground. The real danger isn’t taking a lesser job, it’s taking one without a plan.
If you accept a lower-level role, make sure:
Use this period to recalibrate. Not retreat.
Not in a “cut out lattes” way. In a “buy yourself time and freedom” way.
Your goal isn’t survival. It’s buying strategic runway. Freedom to say no to bad offers. Breathing room to think clearly.
As financial writer Morgan Housel puts it, “The ability to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, for as long as you want, is the highest dividend money pays.”
Simplify ruthlessly to give yourself that dividend.
This isn’t about affirmations and vision boards. This is about psychological conditioning for high-performance decision-making under pressure.
Research from Yale psychologist Amy Wrzesniewski has shown that people who see their work as a “calling” are more likely to stay engaged, even when circumstances change.
Reframe your role. You’re not a “laid-off exec.” You’re a problem solver in motion. You’re running a lean startup of one: you.
Here’s a mantra: “I don’t need a job. I need a plan. And the plan will lead me to the work.”
Losing your job in your late 40s or early 50s without a retirement cushion is brutal. But it can also be the moment you take control, sometimes for the first time in your career.
You have something younger candidates don’t: pattern recognition, lived experience, and resilience forged in the fire.
Forget job boards. Forget templates. Focus on assets, not gaps. And build a plan that puts you back in control, not just of your work, but of your future.
At Bellrock, we help managers define and thrive in their careers. Through management training, one-on-one coaching and real-world practice, we provide perspective that can turn difficult situations into opportunities.
Tara Landes is the Founder of Bellrock. She has spent over 20 years consulting and training in small to medium-sized enterprises. A sought-after speaker on a wide range of business topics, Tara has delivered workshops and seminars at conferences and industry associations across Canada. Tara obtained a BA (Honours) in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario (UWO) and earned an MBA from UWO's Richard Ivey School of Business.
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