Getting hire after 50+_

I agree, and now I am concerned enough to start my own little food source growing and doing my own canning. This also puts more expense added to the cost of living.

Steve Dillon said:
Being 25, we got to put you "ol cootes out to pasture" LOL!

Hay Steve what about YOUR PARENTS do you want to put them out to pasture WITHOUT anything?
I'm sorry if it wasn't for the OLD COOTES as you say YOU wouldn't be here. I have tought my kids to speek better of there elders I guess you wasn't brought up that way.
It's just the greed in the ounger folks anyway.

Barbara LaRock:
Thanks for the tips on over 50 job searching. Im on the "edge" of 50 and it has been very hard to explain to Gen-X HR people why I am not excited about the IT field anymore after 20+ yrs in it. I have also tried entering jobs from the past 15-18 years only. I never reveal education dates. I am going to do some more research and continue to revise my resume and keep my hair colored!

Thanks, Amy. Please let me know if I can be of more help to you. Barbara

RE - the comment that now you need money to grow your own food:

A little off topic here - but might I say that you need VERY little money to grow your own food, if you have just a little bit of land (or even dirt in tubs in front of the window). I don't buy any veggies at all during the summer, and live in a farm neighborhood where we all grow various things, then exchange the surplus with one another. Using brown rice and other cookable grains as the base, with various tasty concoctions of the veggies on top, it's amazing how little you spend - and you can be sure of the purity of the source! I take all my own food to work also (a temp assignment through Randstad - gave up on Office Team months ago) - so there are weeks where I literally do not take out my wallet all week, except to buy gas to get to work. Recently invested in a used Kia Rio, and that has helped on the gas front enormously (29+ miles to the gallon). Having lived for the last couple of years on temp assignments, I've really had to learn how to be as frugal as possible. It's actually a very comfortable feeling to be "living lightly" on the planet.

well being that the food is off topic, I plant seeds and the little seeds start growing and then they shrivel up and keel over. I have tried this a few times and get the same results. Is there a secret? I do have some land and a house on the prairie per say in a village up state new york.

also, i am going to try to apply for a toll collectors position, it pays well.

I am only 26,but if there is one thing i learned,it is that maturity and wisdom do NOT necessarily go hand-in-hand with age. Wisdom and maturity is not determined be the AMOUNT of years lived,but the QUALITY of the years lived. Ive met people twice my age that didnt act HALF my age. Ladies and gents,please be reasonable. It may not be ethical to pass someone up because they are "older" but it IS more profitable for companies to do so,especially due to the changes of nationwide health care policies. Companies are looking to workers who are more physically capable of dealing with the trend of being burned out at work. Besides that,people my age or younger are usually alot more psychologically pliable,which makes them more desirable to the countless companies looking for a future docile and robotic workforce. In other words,the older generation being turned down for younger people arent the only ones hurt by the process,the younger crowd is also being hired for alot of the wrong reasons. Even if they dont realize it.

Elizabeth McLaughlin said: well being that the food is off topic, I plant seeds and the little seeds start growing and then they shrivel up and keel over. I have tried this a few times and get the same results. Is there a secret? I do have some land and a house on the prairie per say in a village up state new york.

try garden.com - they usually have some great ideas.
Also, lowes.com (it's a hardware, garden, etc.) store.

Also - google for planting advice.

The main things to remember: amount of sun, how much water, and space needed.

thanks - maybe they are hiring too!

Join the Minutemen like I have! YOU need to stand up for American jobs, what is left of them.
We demonstrate somewhere every weekend and keep the pressure on the scum in washington. As a unemployed 58 year old I can tell you I have been through 3 jobs in the last year. Two commission only, which never generated enough to even meet minimum wage and one scam that neted 400 after 10 days of telephone calls. The New Deal Compact is over, capitalist won and labor in this county is so much wasted trash to them.

juana in New York City in New York, New York said: To Blondie in Cincinnati, hang in there I found a job after 5 months. try the health care industry. They are much more forgiving ....Good luck

What division of Healthcare? Nursing? I've been looking in the Pharmaceutical research industry and they are very discriminating towards older workers. I've been looking for over 4 months now.

I got a job it's in a nursing home. I will be doing the management accounts. Its in the housekeeping area for the nursing home. I start 4/16/2007.
Hope everyone finds something soon.

blondie10198 in Newark, Ohio said: I got a job it's in a nursing home. I will be doing the management accounts. Its in the housekeeping area for the nursing home. I start 4/16/2007.
Hope everyone finds something soon.

GOOD FOR YOU !! Hope things work out well for you. Thanks for sharing some positive feedback.

Redo your resume to emphasize your skills, not your DATES.

Younger workers are generally not as intelligent or flexible as more mature and experienced workers. They may be detail oriented but never seem to get the bigger picture! Younger workers do NOT stay young either, SILLY!
You said:
It may not be ethical to pass someone up because they are "older" but it IS more profitable for companies to do so,especially due to the changes of nationwide health care policies. Companies are looking to workers who are more physically capable of dealing with the trend of being burned out at work. Besides that,people my age or younger are usually alot more psychologically pliable,which makes them more desirable to the countless companies looking for a future docile and robotic workforce. In other words,the older generation being turned down for younger people arent the only ones hurt by the process,the younger crowd is also being hired for alot of the wrong

Carey in Denver, Colorado said: Younger workers are generally not as intelligent or flexible as more mature and experienced workers. They may be detail oriented but never seem to get the bigger picture! Younger workers do NOT stay young either, SILLY!

You totally missed my point. Intelligence,flexibility,and maturity are for the most part irrelevant in alot of todays jobs. Thats where the younger workforce comes in. Younger workers havent been indoctrinated by society yet,neither are they set in their ways. They are easily molded to fit the company's wants. The companies hire them BECAUSE they arent generally intelligent,flexible,mature or experienced. It makes it easier to employ the "chew ,em up and spit 'em out" practice. You also said, "Younger workers do NOT stay young either,SILLY!". No joke,thats why when THEY no longer fit the companies,they will be replaced as well. Unless companies put more importance into maturity and experience like they used to,instead of wanting easily indoctrinated automatons working for them.

This is not true, the problem is that our country has taken on globalization and supporting the WTO, IMF way of doing financial business and trade. Jamaica for instance is a good example of where we are heading as a global nation. They lost economy, jobs and were not able to produce agriculture, etc. due to the rules. Most of their products were coming from South America and through Miami. Due to a loss of business, workers lost their jobs, could not get hired because the work was not available to them. Free Trade Zone CENTERS were set up and workers were put under such horrible production restraints. It appears to be a pattern happening here in the U.S. and Europe. I believe that the FTC and our politicians should address this problem QUICKLY!!!

How is using a temp service cheaper? Office Team is charging $25 to the company for data entry! It is EASIER than hiring employees, but NOT CHEAPER!!

Princess Delilah in Painesville, Ohio said: I am only 26,but if there is one thing i learned,it is that maturity and wisdom do NOT necessarily go hand-in-hand with age. Wisdom and maturity is not determined be the AMOUNT of years lived,but the QUALITY of the years lived. Ive met people twice my age that didnt act HALF my age. Ladies and gents,please be reasonable. It may not be ethical to pass someone up because they are "older" but it IS more profitable for companies to do so,especially due to the changes of nationwide health care policies. Companies are looking to workers who are more physically capable of dealing with the trend of being burned out at work. Besides that,people my age or younger are usually alot more psychologically pliable,which makes them more desirable to the countless companies looking for a future docile and robotic workforce. In other words,the older generation being turned down for younger people arent the only ones hurt by the process,the younger crowd is also being hired for alot of the wrong reasons. Even if they dont realize it.

It's not unethical, it's against the law!

Looking for work after 50 is a style all to its own. For every 50 resumes I send out, I get 20 calls, and 15 interviews from those. I average 3-4 interviews in a day, if I can schedule them correctly. Agencies are not the best, because they can toss you with no notice like yesterdays newspaper. But from this method and NOT stopping, I have been able to pick and choose WHERE and for WHOM I wanna work. You have to have a sense of urgency to the science of job hunting. RULE#1-dont stop!

i don't understand you get 3 interviews 5 days a week. how long have you been doing this and why don't you have a job yet?

I think that we the experienced, talanted, educated group of workers (over 50)should band together and hire each other! HA! We could really do some good!!

Office Team does age discriminate. I am over 55 and very qualified. Same things registered over one year/no responses. I am embarrassed that the AARP lists them as a
Over 50 employer. Part of the problem is none of the offices in Texas respond to their Online responses, at all. As a staffing company goes, they are pretty worthless.

Jobbing in Texas in Irving, Texas said: Office Team does age discriminate. I am over 55 and very qualified. Same things registered over one year/no responses. I am embarrassed that the AARP lists them as a
Over 50 employer. Part of the problem is none of the offices in Texas respond to their Online responses, at all. As a staffing company goes, they are pretty worthless.

Why don't you contact the EEOC? It is against the law to discriminate based on age, etc.! They have a form on line. Fill it out!

I have spent some time today, reading all of comments posted here. Some comments I agree with, others not.
But, one thing is for sure, job hunting over 50 is no picnic. I was "reorganized" out of an upper level position in the healthcare industry in late 2005 and finally found a position in October of 2006.
I spent considerable hours every day on the internet scouring any/all sites I could find in an attempt to find work. I applied for jobs comparable to that which I had had, and applied for jobs in my field that requried less skills than I possessed. In the end I found a job, but took a $20,000/yr pay cut.
I could go on and on about my experiences in job hunting, and my opinions of the younger workforce and their work ethics, but to no avail. I don't see it changing. As "older" workers, all we can do is set an example and hope that someone recognizes our worth and experience.

j in chicago in Chicago, Illinois said: I have spent some time today, reading all of comments posted here. Some comments I agree with, others not.
But, one thing is for sure, job hunting over 50 is no picnic. I was "reorganized" out of an upper level position in the healthcare industry in late 2005 and finally found a position in October of 2006.
I spent considerable hours every day on the internet scouring any/all sites I could find in an attempt to find work. I applied for jobs comparable to that which I had had, and applied for jobs in my field that requried less skills than I possessed. In the end I found a job, but took a $20,000/yr pay cut.
.

I have spent 6 months looking for a job just as you did, every single day spending hours looking on-line. I am presently changing my strategy to look for work that requires much less skill than I have. I am competing mainly against 25-35 yr olds who have made less money in the past, so Im just hoping to impress someone looking for a stable experienced person willing to take a pay cut.

Jobbing in Texas in Irving, Texas said: Office Team does age discriminate. I am over 55 and very qualified. Same things registered over one year/no responses. I am embarrassed that the AARP lists them as a
Over 50 employer. Part of the problem is none of the offices in Texas respond to their Online responses, at all. As a staffing company goes, they are pretty worthless.

COMPLAIN TO THE EOEC! Equal Opportunity Employment Commission!

Its hard to hide your age. Temp agencies make you fill out W2 forms and they require a birthday. Any tips on getting around this???

Juana in New York City in Little Neck, New York said: What is up with this companies and agencies? They do not want to hire someone after 50. If you don't put the dates on the resume, they'll contact you wanting to know the dates and then when you tell them, they never call you back. You would think they want some one reliable and with experience.

May I suggest you check into your State's Labor Dept. They are surprisingly helpful and have many resources to help!

the people at the dept of labor are very helpful but the bottom line is there are no jobs. Best to walk from company to company and office building to office building and try for a direct hire job.

Couldn't agree with you more. There are positions that I have applied for that I fit the qualifications EXACTLY and never receive even a phone screen. Its tough to prove age discrimination though.

Juana in New York City in Little Neck, New York said: What is up with this companies and agencies? They do not want to hire someone after 50. If you don't put the dates on the resume, they'll contact you wanting to know the dates and then when you tell them, they never call you back. You would think they want some one reliable and with experience.

I am still looking for employment in NJ. Not much luck, I am going back to NY where there is very little luck there too. I am going to try services and walk dogs, landscaping, house cleaning on my own.But it seems like everyone is trying that too.

Juana in New York City in Little Neck, New York said: What is up with this companies and agencies? They do not want to hire someone after 50. If you don't put the dates on the resume, they'll contact you wanting to know the dates and then when you tell them, they never call you back. You would think they want some one reliable and with experience.

I have sent out 97 resumes. I get called back for phone interviews and as soon as they start asking question about how long and the reason you left an employer the red flags go up this person is old. We have a lot to offer still and it is disgusting how we are treated. Been seeking employment since 1-1-07 still no luck.

I read that they are going to be giving OUR jobs to new immigrants. I have complained to that Bush administration that the citizens here cannot find employment. They seem to have another agenda, VOTE THEM ALL OUT!

Rob in Denver, Colorado said: How is using a temp service cheaper? Office Team is charging $25 to the company for data entry! It is EASIER than hiring employees, but NOT CHEAPER!!

It's absolutely cheaper than hiring a permanent employee. They don't have to pay any health benefits, vacation time, sick pay, 401k contributions, social security and unemployment taxes. Even though most employment is "at will" they can let a person go with no notice and not have to worry about legal repercussions. Cheaper? You bet.

Elizabeth McLaughlin in Sparta, New Jersey said: I read that they are going to be giving OUR jobs to new immigrants. I have complained to that Bush administration that the citizens here cannot find employment. They seem to have another agenda, VOTE THEM ALL OUT!

VOTE FOR TANCREDO THEN!!!

Hello Amy. Your comment about no longer being interested in IT after 20+ years matches my position exactly - except that I have almost ten years on you. I've had my fill of learning and becoming proficient with the "newest" and the "latest" and then having to start all over again when something newer comes along. That's something the college kids can have. I was working with a small consulting company and our major client decided to go do it all by themselves and so I'm now looking for not only a new job but a new and better one that I can get as excited about as when I first started writing code. Therein lies the problem. I can find loads of listings where the job decsription is general enough that it doesn't require arcane knowledge on how to turn a particular type of crank and I KNOW I could do the work (as it was described) and do it well and there's nothing that specifically disqualifies me and . . . nothing happens. My age seems to be becoming the deciding factor. Nothing else is obvious. I've read most of the other comments about taking/initiating legal action, but what do you need as a minimum? Is it enough that I have a background that matches the requirements that are advertised and I don't get a call back or I get a "you're not qualified"?

In the meantime I have a part-time job with a company called RGIS which is the 800 pound gorilla of the physical inventory service business. I'll never make a living at it but it brings in some bucks and the hours are very flexible and irregular, too. I suppose somebody will complain about RGIS but I don't. I've had the job for a number of years and I'm damn glad I have it now. They're always hiring - Hell, they'll hire practically anything that walks through the door - and they're all over the country. If the cash is getting really tight, it's something to look into.

Malcolm,

Nice to know about RGIS. I was thinking of looking into a couple inventory companies here. You have been working for them for a few years? Are you continuously looking for work? Yes, I did give up on the IT world...as far as being a systems analyst. What I found out is:
IT is now about 25-35 yr olds who have no soft skills or people skills. They sit in a cube and stare at the screen 10 hours a day without complaints. Dont speak to anyone...just send emails and IM's...avoid contact with people at all cost!
IT is now about having certain certifications..not personality, intelligence or experience. If you are under young, cool, and have a pulse and are "Certified" on XYZ, you have the job.
To be hired these days in IT, you "should" be under 35, willing to work 24/7 on a cell-leash and be exempt management.
Recruiters dont seem to be age discriminatory at all. They want to make money, they dont care how old I am. Its the HR people who are also under 40, and dont understand the advantages of mature, stable, experienced people who can fit in anywhere.

Hello again, Amy -

I've been with RGIS for more than 15 years now. My having this part-time job is a result of my being laid off once before. I decided that I needed to have an alternate source of income that was in no way related to my first. I'm sure it would be easy to find people who have complaints about RGIS but I'm not one of them. The conditions will probably vary from one regional office to another, but I'm on my third District Manager now and still have no big complaints. Also, there is some health insurance available. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. It costs something like $17 and change every two weeks.

I've been (I suppose) continuously looking for work since January. Now I'm also trying to find a temporary job for the sole purpose of generating income. I've signed up to take a number of courses at night in order to get a Microsoft Office Certification and this will limit the number of hours I'm available for my part-time work. Once I get this Certification it will be very interesting to see if there's any difference in the responses I get from replying to job postings.

One of the reasons I'm no longer interested in IT has to do with some of the people who are in the field now. An acquaintance of mine who still does IT brought up an interesting point. At one time, people became "computer programmers" (remember that term?) because it was what they wanted to do and they had a native talent for it. Now, IT has become just another college major that'll get you a job with big bucks. I'vr run into any number of IT professionals who have done the courses but have just about nothing when it comes to using what they've learned effectively. I don't think it matters what kind or how many different application development packages are out there for sale because you just can't go out and buy a box of creativity off the shelf and pass the contents out to the staff.

Steve Dillon in Sun City Center, Florida said: Yep, you got it! It's mostly the Mexicans that are causing this by stealing our jobs!

And the Mexicans don't belong here!

Olivia in Osseo, Minnesota said: I get so frustrated in my office. I am in my 30s but I work next to (2) 24 year old girls. They come in late, talk on their cell phone and sit on myspace. I have to pick up their slack and I have tried to say something to my boss and she tells me I am not being a team player. I WISH I could tell her to hire someone over 50. At least I know they will work and be proud of their accomplishments. (I am not trying to sterotype younger workers but all of them that work in my company are like that)

Have those bimbos fired!

Cheryl K in Delaware in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said: Have those bimbos fired!

I really dislike children anyway

For every 50 resumes I send out, I get 20 calls

DAMN!!!! You're lucky. If I send 50 resumes I may get three responses.

The paranormal powers of HR coneheads amaze me. They can take a resume that is devoid of age references and still determine your age!

I have more than eleven years of legal experience. Before that, I worked in aviation and radio news. The only dates on my resume are dates of employment for my legal jobs. I reference recognitions from my prior vocations but no dates. No college or paralegal school graduation dates. I am 56 but on paper I appear to be under forty. I have applied primarily for legal jobs, but also for customer service, writing, banking and driving. In all, I've made 199 job contacts. Only fifteen have been interviews. Out of that figure, only ten have been in-person.

I've thought about dropping my dates of legal employment so no dates at all would be listed on my resume. I figure that doing so would piss off the coneheads.

Good news, Im starting a new job soon for a company that seems to be comprised of people over 45! Pretty funny. From the receptionist to the 2 managers , the average age is about 52 and thay all have over 20 years experience. They are a mature succesful group of people who value experience. I struggled through tons of interviews where I felt older than dirt(at 49) and saw cute young babes teeter totter in for interviews behind me on their spike heels and , guess what?...I never heard back from the contacts. They wanted perky, naive and low pay employees. So dont give up! There are places who appreciate "experience".

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: The paranormal powers of HR coneheads amaze me. They can take a resume that is devoid of age references and still determine your age!

I have more than eleven years of legal experience. Before that, I worked in aviation and radio news. The only dates on my resume are dates of employment for my legal jobs. I reference recognitions from my prior vocations but no dates. No college or paralegal school graduation dates. I am 56 but on paper I appear to be under forty. I have applied primarily for legal jobs, but also for customer service, writing, banking and driving. In all, I've made 199 job contacts. Only fifteen have been interviews. Out of that figure, only ten have been in-person.

I've thought about dropping my dates of legal employment so no dates at all would be listed on my resume. I figure that doing so would piss off the coneheads.

If 10 interviews have been in person, that means they are not hiring you based on your interviewing skills perhaps. That's actually a good amount of interviews. Have you considered practicing interviewing with a friend?

There is nothing the matter with my interview skills. I have been attending job interviews for forty years. I have had interview coaching in the past and I've studied job interviewing for years. Ten in-person interviews in 199 contacts is a five percent response rate. I am experienced and competent. I should have had more interviews. I am convinced that if I were younger I would have.

I would clarify my comments, above, that if I had more interviews but no followups I would wonder about my interviewing skills. Also, one interview was an en masse cattle call where all attendees were interviewed.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: There is nothing the matter with my interview skills. I have been attending job interviews for forty years. I have had interview coaching in the past and I've studied job interviewing for years. Ten in-person interviews in 199 contacts is a five percent response rate. I am experienced and competent. I should have had more interviews. I am convinced that if I were younger I would have.

Maybe you could try dressing more contemporary? Just guessing. I don't really think it's your age as many "older workers" get hired all the time. Does your resume suggest you are still "learning;" i.e., taking classes, etc.? Still open to new stuff? :) Just trying to help.