By Liz Ryan

Toward a Fresh Start

A job seeker asked me, "Is it possible to rebrand oneself after age 50?" I had to hesitate for a second and ponder the question. "It isn't possible, exactly," I said. "It's mandatory." We're in the middle of a workplace culture revolution. Twenty or 30 years of devoted service to a blue chip employer by itself carries less résumé weight than it ever has, these days. "What's in your wake?" is the new job-market mantra, and over-50 job seekers have more need than most to focus on their concrete, here's-how-I-made-a-difference stories and their answers to the question, "What business problem do I solve?" Here are ten tips for 50-plus job seekers (and their close cousins in the working-but-wondering community) as they endeavor to build their personal brands, their job search direction and toolkit, and their overall career mojo.