older generation with a new degree
My husband, is a retired paramedic, firefighter. Not enough pension to sustain us so he went back to school and received a bachelors in occupational health and safety. He is on the honor list and had a 3.8 GPA. He is a dedicated employee and is not afraid of hard work. He would bring so much to a company that would hire him. At 57 years old, he is not getting interviews and with a 20,000 loan to pay back, we as a family of very frustrated and uncertain of our future. How can he stand out to get an interview? He is more than willing to intern however, companies seem to want to intern new younger students. He is passionate for this field of employment. What can he/we do?
First, congratulations on earning your degree. I too retired from one career without adequate income to fully retire and thus was lured into higher education to make myself more marketable. In fact, I earned a Masters in Human Resource Development graduating with a 3.98 GPA. Unfortunately, I can't seem to garner employment either. I am now 60. I have been dealing with this for a couple of years now and have learned a lot in this process. Regardless of how we try to hide our age there will be a personal interaction at some point. That is when one's age can no longer be hidden. Then, no follow up. I recently read a SHRM article where the author pointed out that age discrimination is by far and away the leading form of discrimination. It is a frustrating situation. I've had to drive truck and do take other manual labor to bridge the financial gap which further exacerbates the problem with my work history. I honestly think that the only option is to take a low level job and be happy with low pay with no benefits or to have ones own business. I don't have the capital for the latter so for me there is no good solution. It is unfortunate that this situation exists in this country as there is so much experienced human capital going to waste. Additionally, we no longer are able to contribute to the nation's GDP and tax base. I do believe with your skill set and education you could be very viable as a consultant. Be prepared to be on the road all the time though. Best of luck to you.
Since your pertinent degree is current, you actually have a better situation than most older gen. jobseekers. Develop a tightly focused resume based on the employer's needs. If prior experience and degrees are not totally relevant, then don't include them, just the current degree. As far as work experience, whatever is relevant to the job, not your whole history. You only need to go back about 10 years, or to whatever years experience they state in the job spec.
The whole point is to get an interview. That's where hopefully your experience and maturity will make the sale for you. As Spock once said on Star Trek, " it's not a lie to keep the truth to oneself.". You don't want to come off as having deceived them though, and if queried about the rest of your work history, you can explain that your intention was to focus on things pertinent to their needs. Keep the focus on their needs and how you match up.
Tell your husband to add a video to his business networking pages I know that employers use them to pick out potential applicants.
Only go back 10 years on the resume. That's a;ll they want to see. Touch up the grey in his hair prior to interviews. Remember you do not have to divulge your birth date or age on the form. If he is healthy without grey hair the kids interviewing him won't know from 57 or 47. Read up on good body language and interview technique. Post the "recent" resume on Monster or CareerBuilder.
If he does any charity work, for the homeless or aged or whatever. include that in the summary at the top of the resume. If he doesn't he might do some with his free time, and include it on his resume. That WILL impress HR and ,make him stand out
Also check the school he just got a degree from. Lots of times companies contact them directly hunting candidates, and there may in fact be a relevant job board.
Congrats to your hubby! It will be tough for him though. It is an age issue in my opinion. The best advice I can give you is to create some sort of start up consulting. The companies that hire in his field are generally very large corporates as a full time employee. These jobs sometimes are not even made public. However the smaller organizations need this yet have few resources to hire direct so it may work. There is the issue of insurance and I do not know your situation and have been working on this problem for over 3 years and have only made minor advances but still some advances. Hope this helps.
Hi Joanne your husband could apply at Theme parks they have a EMT (First Aid) Department. Also some shopping malls might need his experience. Sometimes you have to go outside your field to find employment. Also try factories too. Remember this too shall pass!!!
I would like feedback on this as well. I'm 57, just graduated with a 3.7, Deans list and can't get an interview to save me.
I'm sure he's tried Easter Seal , home health agencies huh
Go directly to the facility you prefer to work with and ask to schedule an interview in person with the hiring manager. You and they have an opportunity meet prior to the interview. That gives you both more insight.
Joanne, If I were you I would encourage him to start his own consulting business. With his background as a paramedic firefighter and with his new degree, he needs to look into ways his experience could benefit the needs of the public in some fashion. He will be able to set his pay and deduct part of his expenses at the end of the year, car phone etc...He won't be happy working from the bottom and why should he? Tell him to start researching and he'll come up with something and then maybe the children could eventually work for him and you have a family business. I am so tired of hearing about people with so much knowledge having to kiss ..... for an opportunity. It takes a lot to start but what has he got to lose? Good luck. I am rooting for him.