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It seems like anything nowadays can disqualify you from getting a good job, no matter how skilled and motivated you are:
"Criminal" record, especially felonies
Bad reference
Employment "gaps"
Poor credit report/score
Being "too old" (40+)
I have a good job and I live in perpetual fear of getting laid off and never getting a good job again. If I got cancer, I would care so much about the fact that I might die as I would the fact that being sick and taking time off work might make it hard to re-enter the workforce.
Is fear of losing the reason why so many Americans work themselves so hard?
Well, I've been lucky enough to not have committed any felonies.
Bad references? Nah, good work habits and willingness to do such.
Employment gaps...Here and there, filled in with UI....
poor credit? Well, not going for a position that requires that...
Too old? Funny how the last 4 jobs I held they actually WANTED me to work for them...Due to work ethic...Go figure...
Oh, and no, I'd not call what I do as "A good job" but it sure makes me happy.....
1. People control their criminal history by not committing crimes.
2. People control their references by only providing the names of people will give a good reference.
3 Employment gaps can be mitigated by doing freelance or volunteer work should unemployment drag on past a few months .
4. Poor credit can be controlled by paying bills, repairing credit report, or targeting jobs where credit doesn't matter.
5. After age 40, one can plan to stay long term in a current position, stay abreast of latest technology, keep skills updated, move to become an "expert" in the field by getting published, speaking at conferences, etc.
1. People control their criminal history by not committing crimes.
2. People control their references by only providing the names of people will give a good reference.
3 Employment gaps can be mitigated by doing freelance or volunteer work should unemployment drag on past a few months .
4. Poor credit can be controlled by paying bills, repairing credit report, or targeting jobs where credit doesn't matter.
5. After age 40, one can plan to stay long term in a current position, stay abreast of latest technology, keep skills updated, move to become an "expert" in the field by getting published, speaking at conferences, etc.
I'm at that crossroads in my life where I feel I am too old to go into debt to learn a new field, so all I can do is try to maintain what I have now in my industry.
My body has been breaking down at an alarming rate the past few years. I've been dealing with a knee ligament issue the past six months and it seems like every little thing keeps cropping up. Not good when your job is physical.
1. People control their criminal history by not committing crimes.
2. People control their references by only providing the names of people will give a good reference.
3 Employment gaps can be mitigated by doing freelance or volunteer work should unemployment drag on past a few months .
4. Poor credit can be controlled by paying bills, repairing credit report, or targeting jobs where credit doesn't matter.
5. After age 40, one can plan to stay long term in a current position, stay abreast of latest technology, keep skills updated, move to become an "expert" in the field by getting published, speaking at conferences, etc.
No need to live in fear.
Agree with you on 1-4, but I am concerned about being in my late 50s because you can stay abreast of latest technology and keep skills updated, but if a company lays off in order to offshore, they don't care about those things. I am an expert but you overestimate the ability to "get published", and no opportunity to speak at conferences because we can't get out of the office on company time to go to outside conferences, and the company controls who speaks at their own conferences, it is usually sales types instead of experts. Of course the experts don't get to leave the office for our own conference either.
Agree with you on 1-4, but I am concerned about being in my late 50s because you can stay abreast of latest technology and keep skills updated, but if a company lays off in order to offshore, they don't care about those things. I am an expert but you overestimate the ability to "get published", and no opportunity to speak at conferences because we can't get out of the office on company time to go to outside conferences, and the company controls who speaks at their own conferences, it is usually sales types instead of experts. Of course the experts don't get to leave the office for our own conference either.
Getting published is a function of submitting proposals. Have you been doing that?
Don't you get vacation? If need be, use a day or two of vacation to speak at the conference. Consider it an investment in your future.
age isnt much of a factor here, the average age of the industry trends older at 50+ from various sources
already there is enough of a shortage that anyone with experience and no personality issues have no problem getting a job. even if they preferred "younger" workers, there just isnt enough around to be that picky.
Most employees are continually anxious about the possibility of losing their job.
Whenever the big wheels would come down to give a talk, for the employees it all was bla, bla, bla until it got to the topic of future job security and possible jobs growth or loss.
My advice: When you are young, start saving aggressively. By your 50s be out of debt.
Having a paid off house and no debt and a big bank account is a good way to kill the fear of potential job loss.
LOL
People with criminal records get hired everyday
People with "bad references" get hired everyday
People with "employment gaps" get hired everyday
People with poor/bad credit get hired everyday
People over 40 get hired everyday
If you can't get the job. most of the time the problem is you.
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