Job hunting at 50, following 3 years away. Advice needed

TBagpuss

Is your type pf work something where locum work or short term contracts might be an option?  I think having a long-ish gap can be a concern, people's skills can get rusty and often where the choice is between someone with recent relevant experience and someone with no recent experience but otherwise a similar CV, the person who has kept up to date is likely to look like a better option.

Is there anything else you could do to demonstrate your skills remain current? For example, renewing r updating any professional subscriptions or memberships, attending conferences etc? 

It may also be worth applying for jobs which are perhaps a level of two below where you ere when you were las in work, with a view to looking for internal promotion or being in  a stronger position to apply for more senior roles once you have another year or so of recent experience to show. 

DanielDeronda

I've been in the same situation, I'm approaching 50 & had been out of work for over 4 years, due to various circumstances.

However, after a prolonged job search, getting very close to job offers on a number of occasions, I was recently offered & have subsequently accepted a new role, of which I'm now 3 weeks into.  I had times where I felt that I should just take anything to get some money coming in, but I attempted to keep my IT skills up to date, keep in with changes in industries/companies I would like to join & basically tried to keep my motivation/metal health as positive as possible.

I've been given an opportunity to show my employer that they have made the right decision in hiring me & I'm keen to make the best of it & hopefully I won't have to go through the draining process of job searches again for the foreseeable future.