Getting back into workforce

I am semi-retired but am bored out of my mind. I want to get back into the workforce and have excellent experience as an administrative assistant/secretary. I am computer literate (Word, Excel, Outlook, some PowerPoint), with heavy telephone and filing experience and I am meticulously well-organized and detail-oriented. However, it seems no-one wants to hire a mature, seasoned worker. Please help!

www.retirementjobs.com/

Try this maybe - there are others, too if you search online. Good luck!

I am having the same problem, I have the experience but I know its my age that is a factor.
I have to work, I do not receive social security, I have 7 years until I get ant of that. I ret the interviews but I know my age is playing a big role in getting the job

I am also having the same problem. I can only believe that it is age that is getting in my way of being hired. I have all the experience with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, and yet, I cannot get hired if my life depended on it. I am receiving Social Security, however, it will pay for my household bills, but not for food or anything else. Between the mortgage, which I understand is not high for where I live, and the utilities, taxes, etc., I need to work. I went to work at the Sheriff's office, however, they didn't put me into a secretarial position. They had me doing other work that I hated, not to mention that I was the OLDEST employee doing this job.

I will suggest you ladies to go to the Sheriff's office and see if you can't get a job there. You may not get secretarial work, but you may get something you like in its place. I haven't found anything yet, but I'm still looking.

Job hunting, like anything else, requires a positive attitute, and it is often difficult to keep your spirits up while you are searching. Good Luck to all of us.

Guys, the world is not over. For you getting back into the market you need several things:

1. New Marketing Plan. Identify everything you have to offer. Then look at the job postings and find out what is it that they're looking for. Get clear about what you want.
2. New Resume. Does your resume have gaps? Does it have outdated irrelevant information? Us as hiring managers (and I am one at Expedia) are looking at your resume to see how relevant your expereience is to our job description. If you have "I bought pizza for the team as a Project Manager - and yes this is a real example", then we say, OK, they're a pizza delivery person. Pay a professional to re-write your resume. You have all this experience (maybe education) but your resume doesn't reflect your skills. I wasn't getting any interviews/offers until I had a professional write my resume. Your resume has to be tailored to the positions you are targeting. So before you pay the $150 - $250 to the professional make sure you give them 10 - 20 job disc of the positions you are applying for.
3. Get coaching on the new interviewing techniques. Everything has changed. Did you know that once we bring you in for an interview we're no longer looking at your skill level but your personality? It's all about the level of rapport you have with the interviewer - it's all about that connection.
4. Fill in the gaps with something you were doing that is relevant to the job you're applying for. Everyone as a mininum is a sole prop business owner. You can spin it in a way that gets you the results you're after.
5. Stay positive and focused and take action.

I can go on and on but there are some initial things you need to take care of before getting back into the market. It will determine
1. Whether you get an offer
2. Whether you get an offer you actually care about
3. Whether you'll get a decent salary

Ping me if you have any questions

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I agree that you've experienced institutionalized discrimination. However I've worked with hundreds of admins/coordinators and what I've found is that we can either sit here and complain or we can move on to better/more respectable/higher paying positions. I love admins, they are beautiful souls but we don't take them seriously in the market.

If you read some of my other posts, admins that stay in their jobs longer than 1 year are in two categories.
1. They LOVE their jobs - God bless them, please stay where you are.
2. They HATE their jobs but they have self-worth issues.

Once they resolve the issue of worthiness, they start climbing up ladders very quickly. My typical experience with an admin is once I resolve the self-worth issue, within 2-3 weeks they get these positions:

1. Project Coordinator - technically the same position, much better pay, less work
2. Project Manager - much higher pay, better job opportunities, lot less work (meetings/schedule tracking mostly)
3. Program Managers - same as project manager
4. Technology (such as web designer, QA, etc)
5. Business Analyst - same position (much higher pay) typically 50 - 80/hr
on and on. Be discriminated or move on to a position of power and fulfillment.

Good luck,
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Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Actually, Paul, I'm not an administrative assistant. I'm in on this discussion because I found it interesting.

Once again, Paul, your ideas sound simply wonderful but they don't address institutionalized discrimination.

Also, it may not be appropriate pursuant to Indeed's Terms of Service that you hawk your services on its board.

Forget age discrimination, you just have a lousy attitude and no matter what field you pursue, that attitude will show thru! Besides, what God has for you no one can take away from you and I suggest that you work more on having a positive attitude more than anything else. Thank you Paul to such wonderful insight, the hardest thing these days is trying to get into the head of an HR person and this has been very helpful info that I will take with me and share with others! God Bless you and Ms. Negative!

Paul Anderson in Kirkland, Washington said: I agree that you've experienced institutionalized discrimination. However I've worked with hundreds of admins/coordinators and what I've found is that we can either sit here and complain or we can move on to better/more respectable/higher paying positions. I love admins, they are beautiful souls but we don't take them seriously in the market.

If you read some of my other posts, admins that stay in their jobs longer than 1 year are in two categories.
1. They LOVE their jobs - God bless them, please stay where you are.
2. They HATE their jobs but they have self-worth issues.

Once they resolve the issue of worthiness, they start climbing up ladders very quickly. My typical experience with an admin is once I resolve the self-worth issue, within 2-3 weeks they get these positions:

1. Project Coordinator - technically the same position, much better pay, less work
2. Project Manager - much higher pay, better job opportunities, lot less work (meetings/schedule tracking mostly)
3. Program Managers - same as project manager
4. Technology (such as web designer, QA, etc)
5. Business Analyst - same position (much higher pay) typically 50 - 80/hr
on and on. Be discriminated or move on to a position of power and fulfillment.

Good luck,
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Paul, face it....you are trolling for clients. There are just not enough jobs out there for all of us who are unemployed.

Positive Christian in Kissimmee, Florida said: Forget age discrimination, you just have a lousy attitude and no matter what field you pursue, that attitude will show thru! Besides, what God has for you no one can take away from you and I suggest that you work more on having a positive attitude more than anything else. Thank you Paul to such wonderful insight, the hardest thing these days is trying to get into the head of an HR person and this has been very helpful info that I will take with me and share with others! God Bless you and Ms. Negative!

Positive Christian, I LOVED MY JOB and wanted to be with the firm until retirement. I never had a lousy attitude. As it was, two months after my ten year anniversary, we went through another round of layoffs and my position was eliminated. I am doing everything that Paul suggests and even more, there are just not enough jobs out there for all the unemployed, even if you are best buds with the HR person. Age IS a massive factor here, as well as looks. Youth is "less expensive" than the more "seasoned professional". Some firms take the position that they would rather have an inexperienced employee to teach their company protoccol; other firms would rather have an experienced person who can assimilate into their corporate culture. However, the decision will, more often than not, come down the financial outlay of the firm.

Displaced Legal Professional in Denver, Colorado said: Put another way, some firms would rather have a younger, inexperienced employee whom it can push around, as opposed to an older, seasoned employee who knows the ropes and won't put up with bullcrap.

I know, but this is the "corporate speak" they couch it in.

Hi,
Wanted to send you a note of Hope, I'm in the same boat. I will pray for you.
Good Luck, Let me know how you do.

Scarlett said: I am semi-retired but am bored out of my

mind. I want to get back into the workforce and have excellent experience as an administrative assistant/secretary. I am computer literate (Word, Excel, Outlook, some PowerPoint), with heavy telephone and filing experience and I am meticulously well-organized and detail-oriented. However, it seems no-one wants to hire a mature, seasoned worker. Please help!

avidinterviewer in Somerville, Massachusetts said: It's often difficult to get back in the game if you've been out of the job market for a while. I think that both Paul Anderson and Displaced Legal Professional have good posts. I agree with Paul that it's very important to be able to market yourself well.

As a quick note, I think it it essential to make sure that your resume is up-to-date. You can google "older worker resume", and a lot of useful free sample resumes will come up, and you can compare the current draft of your resume to theirs. And it's not necessary, of course, but I find it helpful to have a resume editing company review and critique my resume (not one that charges hundreds of dollars, lol, but a good resume editing place like International Elite Resumes, internationaleliteresumes.com , where the editing of a resume only costs $39). A good friend of mine used this service and recommends it, but again it's not necessary if your resume is in good shape already, and the important thing is to keep your chin up as you try to re-enter the job market!

It's funny that you mention resume critiques. I have had mine reviewed by three separate firms and they have given three totally different recommendations!

Paul, First off, been working in manufacturing for 10 years as admin assist now purchasing admin specialist...times are changing, most new hires are on college programs, they graduate, company hires them, they move from dept to dept every 18 months, revolving door, where are the 55 yr old employees? Oldest new hire is 40? What's with that? Admins are being pushed out, these young people can do it all, not sure what the hiring model is, but surely is to get the 55+ people out. Any ideas?

The power is in your hands to make a difference - no one can do this for you but yourself.

www.examiner.com/administrative-professional-in-atlanta/why-administrative-and-executive-assistants-continue-to-stay-jobs-they-hate

No company wants to hire at all whether you mature or young, I'm in the same position, I'm blessed that I can get up in morning and am healthy but I have NOTHING to look forward to for the remainder of the day. I pray God will help me find suitable employment soon.

lesliec in East Orange, New Jersey said: No company wants to hire at all whether you mature or young, I'm in the same position, I'm blessed that I can get up in morning and am healthy but I have NOTHING to look forward to for the remainder of the day. I pray God will help me find suitable employment soon.

My prayers are with you as you are not alone. I am in Ohio and Lord it is praying, hoping that somehow change will come.

thank you for the opportunity!