I spent 20 years with the workforce management department of a major health insurance company. The company offered me an early retirement package at just the right time in my career. My workload had diminished to the point that I felt I needed more for the salary I was receiving. I put much of this on a work ethic taught to me by my father growing up. He was a self-made man who ran a successful small business.

My role in the department saw me grow from a real-time analyst to a forecaster/scheduler. As my time with the company grew, my duties expanded from workforce planning/partner support agent to my final role as a long-term planning analyst. There were many other duties within those roles. I not only learned new things, but also passed my knowledge on to others. At one point in my career, I found myself leading a small team of analysts.

There was one major constant over those twenty years. I found that I was a workaholic.

My job and career took more of my time than life itself. I only realized that as I took the time to recharge my mind, body, and soul. I was able to take a few trips with my wife that we had not done in many years. We got to spend a week on vacation together and had a great time.

However, I believe I have found the urge to work again. I miss those workplace interactions, providing support to others, and just working. Many of those energies are being put into work around my home, but my mind wants more challenges. I want to feel that rush of knowing the support I provided had a great impact on a group.

This reasoning has me looking out for potential roles that will fit my talents. The biggest concern at this point is knowing I have skills, but the task of updating a resume. To think that something as a resume is a major concern, but after 20 years, it’s finally time. The resume I had been updating over the past many years will not work for today’s new formats and AI screening.

Why share this? As someone in his early fifties, I am sure I am not the only one facing this challenge. There are jobs out there for me, and others as well. It’s a case of ensuring we get that resume accurate. An interview is one of the most anxiety-provoking things for some of us.