The Résumé Rider: Flying Fleas and the Senior Job Market

As the proud baby boomer owner of a Royal Enfield Bullet in military green as well as being a gypsy army brat, I was thrilled to see the company announce that it’s reviving the Flying Flea as a limited edition bike under the name Pegasus, a symbol of the British airborne divisions.

Military manna from heaven, the Flying Flea was parachuted down or landed by glider onto WWII battlefields to relay messages between the airborne and the front lines like a modern day (at the time) pony express. Royal Enfield is going to build just a thousand of these revival bikes with two color choices, Service Brown and Olive Drab Green, to replicate the original colors. The company is also paying attention to detailed authenticity around the handlebar grips, leather strap across the air filter, blacked out silencers, rims and pedals.

The Royal Enfield Flying Flea is testimony to the value of legacy, a quality too often overlooked in a disposal job market. Baby boomers bring a treasure trove of work experience and skills to companies tuned-in enough to recognize and reward that generation’s work ethic and talent. In my role as a career coach and resume writer I work with a lot of ‘boomers’ who have emerged on the upside of many of the harsh realities of the job market by following some very basic game changers:

Don’t panic and above all be confident and take pride in what you have to offer.
Deep six the way you learned to job hunt and adapt to the modern online job search strategies.
Rewrite your résumé to bring it into the 21^st century of Applicant Tracking Software and keywords and don’t be afraid to ask for resume help. And, leave off the dates of your degrees.
Your resume is not meant to be your life story. Save that for Sunday dinner with the family. Focus on the position you want to apply to and highlight your skills and experience relevant to that role. You don’t have to go further back than 10- to 15-years.
Be your own Walter Winchell and replace the outdated objective statement with a brief summary of your strongest qualifications.
Replace your laundry list of skills and things you “do” with your achievements, quantifying them wherever possible.
Having been in the workforce as long as you have you probably have more professional contacts than you realize. Reach out to your network and let them know what you’ve been up to and, most importantly, what your goals are and the unique value you can bring.
Be willing to learn new skills and demonstrate your flexibility and openness to change. Become a student of what’s happening in your industry. After all, you are already an expert. Now, commit to innovation.
Communicate to hiring managers that you’re up for a challenge.
Update your online presence, especially on LinkedIn. It’s a good way to show you’re savvy.

Since its overhaul in 2009, Royal Enfield has been an open throttle of success for Eicher Motors. Over the past nine years, the company has sold over two million bikes. I love Royal Enfield’s claim about being the world’s oldest motorcycle company in continuous production. And, you, my collegial baby boomers, can still be in production and make an invaluable impact in the economy by doing what you do best: being you. Royal Enfield hasn’t even tapped its potential to become popular with U.S. riders nostalgic for the 1960s as well as young adults wanting something unique and affordable. You have that same potential to align your decades of achievements and skills with modern day career opportunities. The Flying Flea is back with a vengeance! So should you when it comes to declaring your job market worth.

Ride safe and WRITE SAFE!