2023-12-09 04:03:56
Antonio Gómez de la Vega (Madrid, 1969) has encountered the monster of unemployment twice in his career. He managed to cope with the first, with its pluses and minuses, but the second, in the middle of a pandemic and at over 50 years old, knocked him out. Today, more than three years later, this manager who is an expert in leading multicultural teams has managed to recover so much that he has written a book, “How to go back to work after 40+” (A / O Publishing). All to help others in a difficult situation that made him grow like he never would have imagined.
What advice would you give to someone who has just been fired and reads these lines?
The first thing I would tell you is not to hide it and to let yourself be helped. It happened to me and, out of misunderstood pride, I tried to overcome it alone. Think about what you like, what you are good at and what you need to improve, and go for it. Doing what we like is a brutal energy generator! In Spain, more than half a million people are fired every year. We should normalize talking about it.
He says the second time was worse because he didn’t expect it. What does he remember from that day?
I remember it as one of the worst of my life. They had fired me again nine years later. I was aware that I was not ready and I had turned 50… And I also remember it as the day I became aware that I had to change many things and I began my transformation.
What have you learned?
I have learned a lot. After my second layoff I began to really get to know myself. What a shame we didn’t do it sooner! I have learned that I am much more than my job, no matter how important it is or seems, and to tell the world. And for this I use my RRSS. A very powerful tool that we cannot give up. Also that no one is essential and that we have to update, adapt and learn non-stop.
The path back to a corporation seemed impossible, and yet here it is. Because? Aren’t you afraid of a third scare?
I decided to return because I am a very sociable person and I missed working as a team. I have worked as a consultant successfully and enjoyed it very much, but I spent too much time alone. Therefore, when the opportunity crossed my path, I opted for it. And as for fearing another scare, I no longer consider them scares. I consider them challenges and I am prepared.
It makes a big difference between “asking” for work and “offering” your services.
I write the book to help senior professionals, who are different from younger professionals. Young people have training, but they lack experience and therefore they must go to the market in “asking for a job” mode to acquire it. Seniors have “expertise” (training plus experience), and that has value. And that is why we must go out to the market in order to offer our services, to solve our employer’s problems.
Is it crucial to have a coach or a headhunter?
The fundamental thing is to ask for help, and that help can come in different ways. In my case, I had not initially considered the coach, but a friend who had also been laid off recommended his coach, who turned out to be the spark I needed to start my transformation. It was a great experience. My coach made me ask myself things that he had never asked me before. He made me really know myself.
He says there is now a greater demand for seniors. Are companies singing “mea culpa”?
I prefer to talk about responsibilities than blame and, in this sense, I would like to distribute them between companies and professionals. Many companies are realizing that they have let go of too much talent too soon. That they need the experience and tools that we seniors have acquired and that intergenerational teams will be the most complete. And we are realizing that work is changing and we have to adapt, but without losing our essence, commitment and resilience.
What is the main mistake we make on social networks when we are unemployed?
That of not having a personal brand. Senior professionals, regardless of the position they hold, if they have not changed jobs much, usually appear as employees of a company. What happens when we are fired and that company disappears from our profile? We become invisible! The personal brand is what makes us unique, different from others and attractive to our target audience.
What about the “GIG Economy”?
It refers to a new work model, different from traditional employment, which used to be employed, full-time and exclusively. It’s about working for yourself, part-time, and for as many employers as you want or can. You can work as a consultant, as a freelancer, as a freelancer, etc. And, generally, these are projects of a fixed duration, in which we are hired to do a specific task.
Why should we distinguish between something we like to do and something we are good at?
It’s all about energy, as Einstein would say. Doing what we are good at, but what we don’t enjoy, consumes energy, while doing what we like generates energy. What every professional should aspire to is to be able to do what they are good at and that they also like. And for that we have to think more about ourselves during the future of our professional career.
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