There have been a number of articles written in the past few weeks identifying the possible changing recruitment habits of some employers. The uncertainty in the stock markets, fuel price movement and the relatively weak pound against other currencies would appear to be causing employers to think twice about recruiting permanent executives in some cases. Perhaps they are playing a waiting game and are turning to contractors and interim managers to plug the skills gap until such time as the way ahead becomes more predictable.

This could a blessing in disguise for the interim management sector although I am a little too old in the tooth to get excited too quickly. We have seen no evidence of this trend as yet but we have seen an influx of first time interim managers registering with us as a result of changing career aspirations and increased corporate redundancy programmes.

Redundancy is one of the main changes in executive careers that cause a re-think of what people want from their work life balance. Many successful interim managers would not have considered an interim career had they not been forced to consider all options following a corporate redundancy programme.

We mainly supply the manufacturing sector with interim managers and the demand is still consistently buoyant but with no spike in extra demand as a result of changing recruitment policies as yet. Rest assured we will keep you informed if we detect any change in recruitment patterns.

Visit Paul Wilson’s interim management blogto read more articles about interim management, recruitment and coaching.

Making a career change after 50 years of age presents its own advantages and disadvantages. There is often good reason for looking at a career change after 50.

Many workers find years of hard physical labor leave their body aching and injury too can debilitate a worker’s ability to perform in the workplace. Even stressful jobs can take their toll on workers in the white collar section of our society. These workers can look for more relaxed jobs and sometimes choose a more outdoor type of work environment as they scale down their workload towards retirement.

Making a career change after 50 years of age means that the worker will bring a wonderful variety of experiences to the workplace. They should take care to list and describe all aspects of their work history in resumes and cv’s, so that prospective employers can take advantage of useful skills already learned.

Even though a worker may not think they have relevant skills for a new career, any one who considers a career change after 50 will have a plethora of skills they may not recognize.

From years of driving, keeping accounts, arriving punctually, working as a team member, communicating with client and staff, understanding banking, taxation or social security, a worker develops a skill base that can transfer from one career to another. Making a career change after 50 may mean taking on more training.

The older worker should not be put off by the thought of retraining. A career change after 50 could be the perfect opportunity to peruse an interest that has been put aside for many years. Even a hobby can become a new career if training, enthusiasm and a niche in the industry allow. The more mature worker may find their dream job waiting just around the retraining corner.

Maturity can be a bonus to some employers. Finding someone who has chosen a career change after 50 years of age, provides them with a stable, experienced and dependable worker who has shown themselves capable of success through a lifetime of work. Although more mature the benefits of experience and training can be valuable to the employer. The older worker needs to see their years of training and practiced skills as a valuable asset to present to likely employers. Even in a new field, so many skills are transferable. With a career change after 50 years, the worker will be able to demonstrate, even if in a volunteer capacity to start with, the advantage of their expertise and experience.

Age should not limit the scope of the career change after 50, the more mature worker still has a great deal to offer any employer.