Stage a Career Rebound Like Kathie Lee

Same gabber, different couch.

Eight years ago Kathie Lee Gifford hung up her microphone and waved goodbye to a 15 year run hosting Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, (DIS) a gig that netted her 11 Emmy nominations (but zero wins).

Now Gifford is back on the morning talk show circuit, “eight years older, 10 pounds heavier, a half-inch shorter, and just in time for HD television,” she quipped to her new colleagues, Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira. As of April 7, the 56-year-old veteran returns to The Today Show (GE) to co-anchor the show’s 7-month-old fourth hour with Hoda Kotb, a time slot that is usually allotted for beauty advice, weight loss tips and ambush makeovers.

Gifford's transition back seems fairly smooth so far, but after an eight year hiatus just about any baby boomer's skill set could use some career expert makeover tips. Are you over 50 and returning to your old job after some time away? Don't prepare for your second act on your own, times have changed.

“We have to work with our members and individuals who are 50 and over to prepare them for a 21st century workplace,” says Deborah Russell, Director of workforce issues for AARP. It might be as simple as knowing how to do an attachment in Microsoft (MSFT) Word, or being able to track changes on a Word document without asking your teenager for help. But staying on top of developments in your field will preserve your value. You’re expected to be “ up to speed the moment you walk in the door, know the latest trends, laws and regulations,” says Mary Quigley, author of Going Back to Work: A Survival Guide for Comeback Moms. “If you were in finance or banking or even retail, you need to know how to work the computer, keep an inventory with a spreadsheet. It’s a big thing.”