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Hi Fishes,
Does Deloitte USI have any cool down period, if you apply and do not get any response from the company? I had previously applied in a role, but didn't hear back from them. So, I'm planning to try to apply via referral this time and I'm wondering if I should use the same e-mail ID or a different one! Deloitte USI
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I think in this market you should be thinking I’m lucky to be working in this biz despite your age. Celebrate this achievement
I think in this market you should be celebrating “I’m still employed and it appears I won’t lose my home to foreclose”.
Am not on the creative side, which I recognize may make this response somewhat less applicable because the playing field in creative definitely skews younger and this feeling may be more acute. But I have found much of advertising skews younger and it’s hard not to feel out of the loop and over the hill with the “kids”.
What has helped me is also recognizing that while the odd-man-out feeling is difficult to navigate, I have perspective, experience and cultural benchmarks/background that can complement the work & POV of the young’ns around me rather than us being in opposition. And when I’ve led with that perspective, it’s actually brought me closer to the younger team members, helped me connect with them and have them recognize that I do have something to offer. More often than not, this has made the relationships richer because even if they’re in positions of power over me, the mutual respect offered to one another gave each of us space to grow and learn together.
But it also sounds like there’s a part of you that feels that you should be further along in your career or in positions of greater advancement than you are. Are you perhaps being too hard on yourself? You mention you started this career later, which suggests this was an intentional and thoughtful pivot you made for yourself. That’s a profound form of self awareness and self care to pursue a new path in the interest of finding better for yourself. Maybe it put you behind a couple of rungs from where you *might* have been had you started down this path earlier. But there’s no guarantee it would have. Do you think you would have been happy remaining on the path you were originally because it may have meant your have a higher position?
It’s ok to feel how you feel—but don’t think of your current position in the hierarchy with your younger colleagues in a vacuum. Give yourself credit for what you bring to the table, recognize what they bring to the table and you’re likely to continue to build the trusting relationships with the young’ns that will help keep you in the game. Good luck!
Thank you so much for this deep and thoughtful piece of advice. I need to remind myself of my own circumstances and your words are pure wisdom. Still tough though. Thank you for taken time to reflect on my question and offer your perspective.
I also had a late start as a “pure” CW (was in marcomm previously) and also sometimes feel like I’m behind. I’m 44 and have been pushing hard for ACD but currently not an option within my team due to structure and budgets (even though others younger than me have been promoted in the past). So I’m actually looking outside my org for opportunities, but it’s tough out there right now. I think Publicis 1 adds some great perspective, so I don’t really have any other words of wisdom. Just wanted to empathize and say you’re not alone.