Everytime I get on here it tells me to write a post, I have never had anything that I thought that anyone else would find worthwhile, however I find this worthwhile so maybe someone else will. I keep hearing that it is a workers market today because the job market is almost at full employment, I do not find that to be the case, now it has been 31 years since I was in the market, but I have never been out of work for more than 2 weeks in my entire life, I have worked since I was 11 years old, and the 2 weeks I was out of the job market was my own choice.
Now I am a 54 year old male, have Accounting, Shipping, Warehouse, Retail warehouse, forklift trained (although it has been a while), have had purchasing, cost estimating and 3,1 years of experience. I have been out of work since November 1st, have applied to probably in the area of 150 jobs have had 3 live and 5 phone interviews, and only have one job pending, the rest have either not contacted me or have turned me down without explanation, however the last job that turned me down did say it was not me, it was the person they hired had more experience than I did in the particular program they needed experience in. I don't know if it is agism, not the right training, too experience in too many positions or what the particular reason is, all i know is I am getting frustrated and need to find a job soon, I plan on finishing my career wherever I end up, When I start somewhere I stay, and this will probably be my last stop before I retire, I plan on at least 16 years, health permitting. I am continuing educating myself on LinkedIn Learning and also have 3 CPE's from QuickBooks and am working towards getting certified to do QuickBooks online so maybe I can use that avenue.
Now I don't know if this is the correct post they want me to put on here but here it is, I am looking for any kind of Accounting, Purchasing, or Warehouse job, preferably Accounting, I have my salary set at $17 but will talk to anyone with a job that is a little less, if any of my contacts has a position available or know someone that they can get me in contact with it would be greatly appreciated. Being unemployed is no fun and can bankrupt if it goes on long enough, and I am to that point now, I know you shouldn't show desperation but I am desperate. Thank you for taking the time to read this and like I said ANY help would be greatly appreciated.
Hang in there and keep putting your resumes in for your line of work. I was 57 with 29 years of service before the plant was shut down where I thought I would retire from. Interviewed for several jobs and landed a good job over 100 miles from my home, not a six figure income but great people to work with. Maybe you could get some help with your resume to show more of your experience or reword it to get the attention of companies looking for experienced personnel. Good luck!
Try being 70 years old. I think I have five years to. Work because I want to.you never talk or see anyone in online system. How do you put yourself out there and not some piece of paper or e-mail
Ageism is real. You need to work around your resume so they can't figure out your age.
Age discrimination in hiring is for real. No one wants to hire folks that are more than capable but age is a barrier! BULLSHIT!! I am going through the same thing! Can't get a interview because of age. If only a chance were given by the hiring person !!
Ups, I enjoyed working there
Where are you located? Are you willing to relocate for the right role? Make sure you share that stuff in case anyone is in a position to refer you.
I want to give anyone on here who’s worried about ageism & being ‘overqualified’ some encouragement. (For context I’ll be 50 in October —that’s a powdered costume wig in the photo... but my real hair is grey, too.)
First of all, nobody who views your resume should really be able to tell how old you are. If they can, you might want to format it differently. Second, if someone discriminates based on age ...then it’s someone you don’t want to work for anyway.
I can tell by the way you express yourself that you are intelligent, and I can tell from your work history that you work hard. Remind yourself of your worth every day! It’s yours whether you’re working or not. It can be hard to keep your chin up when you’re facing rejection, but it’s critical for your own well being and to help prospective employers imagine what they’ll get in an employee.
I just got hired after an almost THREE year search, during which I ALWAYS got turned down in the interview process. (I am in a field where it’s common to have to give extensive portfolio demonstrations and answer hard-ball brain teasers...I was always too nervous.) During that time I did short term contracts and platform work to stay afloat. I also had humiliating months where I needed to ask my husband to cover all of our rent and sometimes the landlady had to wait.
What finally got me hired? I’m no Pollyanna, but I don’t think it was coincidence that it happened during a week I had been consciously working on being happy regardless of circumstance. That helped me to sound like someone with something to offer instead of sad and needy (which, in fact, was the way I had been feeling quite often...)
I met the person who hired me through an odd job, and it turned out she was hiring for my dream job. I got bold and asked if I should apply.
If there’s advice in here it’s: do what you can to stay afloat while you’re hunting and talk to everyone you meet about who you are and what you’re looking for. Ultimately, it was not the job boards that worked for me —it was human connection.
Good luck! You seem awesome. I have a feeling you will find something much faster than I did!
We hear you Richard! As a older person who still has to be in the workforce... I feel the pain and truth of your words! Thank you for your conversation.
Richard,
First, I would say, always stay positive and very confident in knowing the type of person you are. If you know your experience in the areas of Accounting, then don't wafer.
Secondly, fire your tailor... Yes! Really let him kick rocks!! One thing for sure, employers are big on appearances, so wearing a well-tailored and fitted suit demonstrates an appealing impression.
Third, prior to your interview, read up on the company and know a few trendy accomplishments that the employer have and share how impressive in your awareness.
Lastly, with good eye contact and a smile, let them know how excited you would be to transition to the company and how much through your dedication that you would be a worthy asset.
The only problem that I’d say from my experience is that all the IT positions are contracts. One of those can get your foot in the door and most start at like $16 at least in the Cleveland area. You could try one of the insurance companies like Progressive or check what Sherwin has to offer.
Yeah. Agism is out there. What's HILARIOUS is when they try to play the "OverQualified" and "Recent Graduate" cards on technology that hasn't been widely taught in 30 years. ALL THE TIME, I apply to COBOL Programmer Positions and when they see that I have 20 years experience, they tell me they wanna give a break to a "recent graduate".
GOOD LUCK FINDING ONE! If you want COBOLers, you can't fish off Fraternity Row Pier. You gotta stick your line in the water next to the Senior Center.