Is it possible to change jobs once you are in your 40s? what about 30s? Well it is surely possible in the 30s, as well as in the 40s – but when you hit that 48-49 band it is almost the last call for a job change.

If you are a sales person holding a senior job, you need to ask yourself whether you have the necessary skills to go and create a new team under you. Do you have the energy? If you quit a mutual fund can you join a life insurance company and create a new channel? Will your old relationships come into play?  Well it depends on what you have done in the past 4 years of your job. If you have gone around the country and kept in touch with institutional investors, IFA, banks, etc. there is a chance that you will at least be called for an interview. If you are well into your 50s, there is very little hope of finding a sales oriented job.

I do think if it is a planned move, one should use their network well. There is no point in going to a friend and say “find me something to do” – that should have been done long ago. However, people who were arrogant and had fixed ideas will find it difficult to make this transition. No clue how they will be able to kill their ego and approach a friend and say “find me a job”. It is not easy is it?

You have to be clear about what change you want…like

a) change of function or change of industry? Do you want to go into product development or continue in sales?

b) do you want to go to a completely different industry – from head of sales in a life insurance company to head of sales in a mutual fund aggregator or a dentist aggregator?

It is important to know what kind of change you’re hoping to achieve first because the next steps you take depend on what type of move you’re looking to make.

If you want to change your role but not necessarily the industry, you should concentrate on networking within your field. Honestly this will not matter in the MF industry – nobody seems to be leaving anyway.

If you want to change both your role and the industry, you’ll need to identify the industry you want to be in and come up with a plan to get the training and certifications you need to break in.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, you’ll want to figure out what type of business model to pursue.  Don’t be fooled – this is the worst thing to do if you have a huge EMI committment..or kids in Ivy League.

Think about it. Then act.

What if the separation is sudden, without warning and by force?

Then the choices get limited. Best of course is to lie low for 5 months..and then look for a change outside the industry. Being unemployed for a long time -say 12 months – is not good on the CV and makes it difficult to find a new job. Best in such cases is to joing a friend / vendor / partner. Again this depends on how well you have kept relationships in the past….somtimes it is Karma.