Am I old or experienced?

Flip wrote:

My company is either going to be sold or closed. I am 56 years old and my company has not been on the leading edge. I have looked around, but it has been made clear I am too old.

You wonder how you are going to get by. Realizing I may have to take part time clerical level jobs after 3 degrees and 3 professional certifications is not confidence building.

What can one do?

Response from Amy Wrzesniewski, Associate Professor, Yale University School of Management:

This is a difficult situation, and you are right to feel frustrated. Competitors would be smart to leap at the chance to hire someone with your level of experience and expertise. One possible way to showcase the depth of experience that someone in your situation could bring to a new organization would be to tailor your cover letter and resume to highlight the kinds of special projects, crisis turnarounds, and technological advances in which you may have played an important role in at your organization.

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For a limited time, Dr. Wrzesniewski responded to questions reader posted at our Layoffs leave scar blog post.

Be sure to read our feature Discarded and Demoralized.