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I have been looking for a job for 6 months, during this time I was hired as a temp as a work from home customer service phone agent and the only other job which is part time at a fast food restaurant, just to have a job while I continue to look for an administrative assistant or office manager position! Last job I had in the fast food industry was over 35 years ago at the age of 16 which I hated then and hate now. Was promised part time 32 hours; only got the 32 hours the first 2 weeks for training then it dropped to 21 hours; but the last 3 weeks 9-12 hours. How is a person to make a living on those hours, I'm not a high school - college student! New hires had started in the meantime. I suspect they do this because of people not sticking around or a way to get you to quit so they don't have to use their portion of funds contributed for unemployment.
I was laid off after 9 1/2 years from my previous job; position was fazed out due to technology; I saw the writing on the wall a year out and looked for a lateral move to another department, but those positions were few and new requirements for a degree! Oops which I don't have. Thankfully I put back 4 months of income. I should have claimed unemployment, now it's too late and I have worked 35 years for 3 employers straight. All applications now are on-line, most you receive no replies, some you are invited to take an assessment test which some of the test are based on scenarios that you have never had; most likely never will and of course the same questions asked 5 different ways throughout the test and some test are timed. Who said these test are better than an employer using gut feelings about a person or if that person does poorly on the test that they can't perform the job, be a good employee or even qualify for the position? As an applicant it would be nice to know how you scored on these test. 120 working days and approximately 500 applications, 3 phone interviews and 6 in person interviews, 1 temp position and 1 useless part time job my odds are not very good it seems. The work at home employer at least list me as an internal employee for other program work that sounds promising!
I'm not stupid I knew I should have finished my degree just kept putting it off being a working mom...just didn't have the time and I had work experience on my side and what it cost to go back to school just didn't seem it was worth the investment. It seems I should have used my gut feeling! Well I have lowered my expectations and I'll take whatever I can find as long as it's more than 12 hours a week and I most likely will go back to school now that I'm an empty nester.
Age discrimination is alive and well. Younger workers are favored. Don't feel bad about not getting that degree, since you are older it would not have helped you.
I have plenty of friends and acquaintances that are in your position. They just cannot get a meaningful job.
There is a glut of workers in just about every industry so employers can be very choosy on who they hire. Another reason why younger workers are preferred is that they are cheaper to hire at lower wages. Young = cheap.
I am sorry that you and others are in this position.
I am sorry for the situation you're in. If you need a survival job and do not mind physically touching others (some people do), become a CNA. Or apply for a Pharmacy Tech position. The barriers to entry for both are very low, and there is a fairly high demand. And neither of those jobs requires a degree. If you like the medical field, then try to work and study your way into nursing or Physical Therapy Assistant. I had no problems finding a job at 56, as a physical therapist.
This is not meant to be funny. After all it is not. Are you a member of AARP? There's a Job Search Tool at their site. I don't know if age would be a factor there, but it may be worth a try. Why would companies advertise jobs there if persons aged 50 and better wouldn't be welcomed? I only looked because of this post and found several jobs in my area that would be of interest to me given my past background.
You may need benefits. I don't know. But you may also want to look at a few gigs offered at Fiverr.com and sites like that. There's also RatRaceRebellion.com who claims to offer work from home jobs. These are not endorsements.
Thanks for your comments BusinessManIT and your suggest 2nccoast. One point I didn't mention is that I have a tiny tiny side business I had started back in late 2006 when I left my employer of 18 years to care for my elderly mother; it was borne out of from my prior clients; they had my personal phone number, could reach me 24/7 and were calling to help them with a project. I tried to re-route them back to my former employer; however they said they didn't want to deal with them any longer, so by the end of that year my mother passed and six months later I was up and running; needless to say my prior employer was very upset as I had signed a non-compete 18 years earlier. I was fortunate that my state doesn't recognize non-compete as I was not the peruser. Doing really well until the down turn in the economy and 90% of my clients lost their jobs and knew I had to find a paying job which I did 1 week before a job freeze at the company I spent 9 1/2 years with. I only had a few clients and tried to cultivate it a little (got a little lazy - or burnt out...been working since I was 14.) But I get a little income from it, guess you could say it buys the groceries. Maybe I need to try to invest more time again to it, but I don't have the funds to throw at it and would need it; just don't think I would re-coop my investment and there is four times more competition now than it was 12 years ago. I need to work smarter not harder; just don't think it's possible at this time in the working culture we are in--hope it doesn't last!
Thanks for the tips AtlantaMove!, No I haven't joined AARP. Don't need medical benefits thankfully my spouse is retired military and we have that covered somewhat. Once he hits 65 to my shock our cost of premiums and co-pays annually go up; I don't get it - you'd think it will go down, but not the case his premium at 65 for part B plus the military premium for me is more than what we pay now! Unbelievable - but maybe not as we here about the veteran getting the short end of the stick; don't get me wrong the veteran is getting a lot more attention these days than in past history! I'll take a look at the sites and suggestions you and others have given me!
I was laid off after 9 1/2 years from my previous job; position was fazed out due to technology;
I saw the writing on the wall a year out and... (now) I have been looking for a job for 6 months
I have lowered my expectations and I'll take whatever I can find ...
It seems to all come down to having the right skills or smarts or strength.
Or just being nearby where/when help is needed.
Whatever it is that you did for 9 1/2 years... where else is that still being done?
As an empty nester you might be able to go somewhere else to do it.
Age discrimination is alive and well. Younger workers are favored. Don't feel bad about not getting that degree, since you are older it would not have helped you.
I have plenty of friends and acquaintances that are in your position. They just cannot get a meaningful job.
There is a glut of workers in just about every industry so employers can be very choosy on who they hire. Another reason why younger workers are preferred is that they are cheaper to hire at lower wages. Young = cheap.
I am sorry that you and others are in this position.
You are absolutely right. Here is how age discrimination works. In a mass layoff companies lay off roughly an equal number below and above 40. Forty years old is the magic number. That's where you are protected or so you think. Those close to 40 but over find jobs fairly quickly in a good economy. People over 50 are screwed partially because being desk bound for 30 years takes its toll on your body.
It’s been horrid. My husband was out of work for over a year. He finally had to move to another state to get a job. Currently we live apart until something changes.
I am in my mid 50s and have worked in an office as an admin assistant/copywriter for 35 years. I was let go from my job in October and applied everywhere and had a handful of interviews but nothing panned out. Six months later, unemployment ran out and I panicked and took a job at the first place that would hire me. A grocery store as a cashier at more than a 50% pay cut with no benefits and only part time. Last retail job I had was as a teenager after school. I actually don't mind the job too much but my body is hating it. Too much time on my feet and by end of shift my back is killing me.
I've had interest from companies looking at my resume and getting a few interviews that seem to go well but I do believe my age is an issue (and my last salary was much more than companies are offering now). My resume does not indicate how old I am, but I think once I'm in the door for an interview and they see me, my chances of getting the job decrease.
I have never been unemployed and always had a job when I would look for another one. I usually only had to go to one or two interviews to get a job. I'm seriously hating life right now!
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