How Dave Posey landed a senior job a month after quitting at 54

Posey, who lives in Parker, Colorado, said he quit because he disagreed with the direction of his former company. He hired a career coach two months before leaving, while still employed and not actively job-hunting. The coaching helped him present his value to employers, and a recruiter approached him.

He shifted from recounting experience to explaining what he could solve. Instead of relying on a résumé-style list of accomplishments on LinkedIn, Posey began discussing how he recognized problems and made decisions. He framed his experience in terms of the challenges employers might face and how he would approach them.

He also worked to rebuild his professional network and become more visible. Posey said he had grown comfortable after a career in which opportunities had tended to come to him. By the time he began looking, he had not kept up his network or regularly put himself in front of people.

The coaching helped him identify a recurring strength across his jobs: diagnosing sales systems, finding leaks and improving performance. He turned that pattern into a concise professional identity, describing what he does rather than focusing on one past achievement. For example, he could point to his ability to diagnose CRM systems and stop margin leaks, then use his résumé as evidence.

Finally, Posey practised explaining that brand until he could deliver it consistently in conversations and interviews. He also used the same language across his LinkedIn profile, résumé and cover letter. His experience supplied the proof, he said, but a clear account of the problems he could solve made that experience relevant to employers.

Posey said the job market had shaken his confidence despite his long career. He hopes the strategies that helped him regain it can help other people navigating a job search in their 50s.