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Your right, they are at a disadvantage, but they made the choice not to work any job for over a year. Like I have said many times on this very board, I managed to stay employed during the terrible economy despite being a former mortgage broker where many managers have admitted to me they were scared to hire people with my background.
I worked some terrible jobs, went back to school, and volunteered for a couple of organizations while others were bitching about no jobs. I grew up with a single mom who raised 4 kids despite not getting a dime from the government nor from child support, she worked 2 jobs at many times in those times, and managed to always have a job.
I also have been in sales and sales management much of my career and after having to deal with the spouse avoider, the trust fund kid, and the social calendar guy, that I am tired of dealing with people who do not want to work.
If someone was to tell me they worked a crap job while looking for something better, they decided that they wanted to change careers and then changed their minds, they volunteered somewhere on the side, they went back for more schooling, they wanted to spend time with their kids, hell even if they say that they spent their time traveling then I can accept that. My problem is with the person that sits at home watching day time TV or playing video games then I want nothing to do with employing them.
Well, I know a few people who would have gotten on their hands and knees and scrubbed prison toilets with a toothbrush while they were unemployed, but nobody was hiring them because they were overqualified, or there was such a huge volume of applicants that they didn't make the cut.
There are some people who are lazy and others who are too proud to take jobs not in their field, but to assume that being unemployed is a choice they've made, is wrong.
Well, I know a few people who would have gotten on their hands and knees and scrubbed prison toilets with a toothbrush while they were unemployed, but nobody was hiring them because they were overqualified, or there was such a huge volume of applicants that they didn't make the cut.
There are some people who are lazy and others who are too proud to take jobs not in their field, but to assume that being unemployed is a choice they've made, is wrong.
Agreed and it is a ridiculous insensitive statement to say the least.
Didn't see it mentioned, but I disagree with the advice to take any job. If you need the paycheck then go ahead, but having "any" job doesn't make you a better candidate for a niche job. I mean, how does a programmer keep up their skills as a waiter? How does an accountant keep up with new software/laws as a bartender. How do manufacturing/oil workers keep their skills as exotic dancers? Etc...
But are you sure it isn't just your field that is hard on everyone and not just your age being a factor? Do you know with certainty that younger people are getting the jobs that you are skilled in? I don't mean entry level jobs, but I'm assuming you are more skilled than an entry worker, don't you have an advantage over younger workers with your experience with those more skilled jobs? If the jobs aren't there, then it isn't age discrimination, just there are no jobs. It's at the lower end that it gets messy and you should stay out of that mess if possible.
I am an attorney with 32 years of experience. I lost my job at year end. Should I take work at a Costco in order to appear driven and motivated?
I am an attorney with 32 years of experience. I lost my job at year end. Should I take work at a Costco in order to appear driven and motivated?
No you should not and that seems to be the popular advice on this board which has never made any kind of sense. Accepting any job to appear driven and motivated does nothing but lead to depression.
I am an attorney with 32 years of experience. I lost my job at year end. Should I take work at a Costco in order to appear driven and motivated?
Of course not. You should take a job at Costco if that's all you can find and if it means the difference between having a roof over your head or sleeping in a box under a bridge.
This flawed belief system is based on the notion that everyone "gets what they deserve in life," a nonsensical idea that can be dis-proven by a child, and yet which holds sway over human thought, particularly in this nation thanks to its misguided Puritan work ethic and the laughable notion that an ever vigilant God doles out punishment and reward right on schedule to everyone.
This belief is most common in the successful who truly don't understand how the world works - the ones who don't "get it" and realize that at some point they were ignorant and lacking experience, and thus somebody had to take a chance on them. It's also very common in older citizens who lived in a time when jobs were plentiful. They're often the ones grumbling about how there are "plenty of jobs" because "back in mah day, I went down to the steel mill and got a job that morning with just handshake!" while happily ignoring the facts that you can't just walk into places to get hired these days, and that mill - along with many other places - has been out of business a long, long time.
The brutal reality is that there not enough good jobs to go around, and there's no direct link between good behavior and rewards in the employment world. But people need to be able to sleep at night and think that the people who were just laid-off "deserved it" somehow... because it helps them believe that they won't be next on the chopping block, because they are "different" and "hard workers," of course.
I am an attorney with 32 years of experience. I lost my job at year end. Should I take work at a Costco in order to appear driven and motivated?
work ethic. it works for those who have it. those who don't might not work, or see as much value in work for the sake of it. meaning an honest days work for an honest days pay. no matter the work or the pay so long as you are sustained by it somewhat
if a person thinks they are entitled to a certain position because they went to school to work in one field or position all their life....i am not sure that going to school and getting a degree assures us of this? you may have to change your state of mind a bit to reflect reality. so maintaining a balanced state of mind and strong work ethic can help a person prepare for just about anything but sitting around in a bathrobe all day "looking for work" on the internet
it can be tricky. i have a friend who was let go from his long time career as a corporate lawyer. same company for 27 years. great guy, but has become so much a lawyer, overweight, and comfortable, he couldn't see himself doing anything else. but sadly nor can he do much else because of his weight related health issues. so you have a guy who is very educated, smart, and capable in his field who can't even do what a lot of low skilled, low wage jobs require you to do. sure a person might be smart, skilled, and educated.....but can they even stand up seven hours a day to work retail much less work at costco? all that education and entitlement to be no more capable than a middle age worker with a GED checking receipts, as the masses push their shopping carts out the door of a warehouse store
his wife supports him now. she's in real estate. they have retirement savings, a good "nest egg." he's only nine years older then me and he is done at 58. i guess that is ok if a person wants to be done at 58. he never wanted to be, however. he's had a few job offers for things which "don't pay enough." it's just not worth it to him, to work for less then his market value. as he sees it. his position and pay sets his worth for him. without it he just tells people he is "retired"
but he isn't. not really. he's just not capable of working. it sounds good to others though, retired at 58. i guess that's good enough for him, now. although he never planned it that way
work ethic. it will keep you prepared.....for almost anything
I can't speak for anyone else, but if the candidate's profession has a short supply of jobs, I wouldn't care one bit. And give me 55+ any day of the week--usually that means more mature and experienced.
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Well, I know a few people who would have gotten on their hands and knees and scrubbed prison toilets with a toothbrush while they were unemployed, but nobody was hiring them because they were overqualified, or there was such a huge volume of applicants that they didn't make the cut.
There are some people who are lazy and others who are too proud to take jobs not in their field, but to assume that being unemployed is a choice they've made, is wrong.
^Yep. I avoid hiring wildly overqualified people. I have a responsibility to my company, which includes hiring the right people for openings, not people who are going to up and leave the first chance they get. Turnover is expensive. People who want a foot in the door get no interest from me either. While I sympathize with their plight (been there, done that), it's my responsibility to hire the right person who will stay in the job a reasonable period of time.
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