Job Badly Needed (Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater: home, employment, college)

[Cheryl Allen]

I'VE JUST RELOCATED TO CLEARWATER FLORIDA AFTER BEING DUMPED BY MY HUSBAND OF 16 YEARS . I HAVE 10+ YEARS EXPERIENCE IN ALL ASPECTS OF HOME OXYGEN SERVICE (MOSTLY CHART AUDITING). I HAVE APPLIED TO AT LEAST 5 STAFFING COMPANIES AND PLACED AT LEAST 30 ON LINE RESUMES - AND NOTHING. AS FAR AS I CAN SEE MY ONLY DRAW BACK IS MY AGE (58) AND THE FACT THAT I CAN'T TYPE 40 WPM (I CAN DO 30). WHAT IS UP WITH THIS AREA. I HAVE A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE, I JUST NEVER HAD TO TYPE FAST...JUST ACCURATE! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY ADVICE ABOUT JOBS IN THIS AREA ? I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK.
CHERYL ALLEN

[jessiesma]

isn't helping. are you telling them? They're not allowed to ask. WPM is an excuse, it is Accuracy that counts. How are your computer skills?
I am 61, thought about finally finishing the Bachelor's in paralegal. and was told by the college that I could certainly do the program and congratulations yada,yada but I would have a very hard time getting a position BECAUSE OF MY AGE. The program director came right out and said it
I'm going to say something kinda blunt but I was divorced 20 some years ago and it takes time to heal. Your opening line about being dumped indicates that maybe you have a ways to go. Not withstanding that you need to earn a living and you don't want gaps on your resume you can't explain, can you work on that? The sense of rejection must be overwhelming with potential employers also telling you you're "over the hill." Are you at the point you can put on a game face and not let the hurt show as it does in this post? Believe me, I really feel for you and understand it completely but the best revenge you can have is to live a great life. How do you look? Maybe treat yourself to a makeover, slap a smile on your face and get that job. You can cry later and believe me you NEED to do that.
BTW it's not just here, it's most places. I'd guess that if you were a new applicant where you came from you'd experience the same thing.

Originally Posted by Cheryl Allen

I'VE JUST RELOCATED TO CLEARWATER FLORIDA AFTER BEING DUMPED BY MY HUSBAND OF 16 YEARS . I HAVE 10+ YEARS EXPERIENCE IN ALL ASPECTS OF HOME OXYGEN SERVICE (MOSTLY CHART AUDITING). I HAVE APPLIED TO AT LEAST 5 STAFFING COMPANIES AND PLACED AT LEAST 30 ON LINE RESUMES - AND NOTHING. AS FAR AS I CAN SEE MY ONLY DRAW BACK IS MY AGE (58) AND THE FACT THAT I CAN'T TYPE 40 WPM (I CAN DO 30). WHAT IS UP WITH THIS AREA. I HAVE A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE, I JUST NEVER HAD TO TYPE FAST...JUST ACCURATE! DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY ADVICE ABOUT JOBS IN THIS AREA ? I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR FEEDBACK.
CHERYL ALLEN

[Trabbz]

Look up potential places in the area, and deliver a resume in person to the hiring manager or appropriate person. Sometimes you just have to be direct and up front with people. Call the place, ask if they have openings, and "sell yourself" without sounding arrogant. Its a tough market out there so you have to stand out from the rest. If you are qualified, bring them a resume and let them know you are qualified. It is very impersonal to apply somewhere online without any sort of interpersonal follow up.

[yukon]

If you have access to a PC, there are typing programs you can use to increase your typing speed. That would remove one objection. As for your age, take a good hard look at your resume - something on there is telling prospective employers your age. How far back does your work history go? If it's more than 15 years, it's too much. Depending on your employment history, 10 years might be enough. Do you have dates for graduations, degrees, etc? Take them off. How current are your computer skills? Almost every profession now requires some sort of PC interaction. If your skills are current, that can act as a nonverbal indicator to employers that you are on top of the game and not old.

[spainbrit]

I love these HR people, they would rather have a young person who can type in mistakes at 40wpm than an intelligent, experienced staff member who can do the job!
I am sorry to hear your circumstances, can't offer too much advice though other than writing directly to the companies that specialize in your line of work. Cut out the agency and see if that helps - good luck to you

[Keeper]

check out craigslist for jobs. Go directly to the companies and hand deliver a resume on quality paper with a cover letter if possible.
Check out the newspapers in the area. I know Tampa has several companies that might work for you.

Try to get a temp job for now. The old saying 'it is easier to get a job when you have one is true'.

Good Luck

[jessiesma]

spainbrit says just what's on her mind...and she's right!

can you work for a hospital or nursing home?
a lot of people have posted some good things here so at this point, see if any of them apply.

Oh! another couple of resources you might try are www.worknetpinellas.org and St. Petersburg College's Career center. St. Petersburg College They can help with the resume and interviewing skills which can always benefit from a refresher. I would hope that worknetPinellas as a government agency would not discriminate because of age. This is really a problem for us in the age bracket and it's hard to prove in a new hire situation in an at will state.

Originally Posted by spainbrit

I love these HR people, they would rather have a young person who can type in mistakes at 40wpm than an intelligent, experienced staff member who can do the job!
I am sorry to hear your circumstances, can't offer too much advice though other than writing directly to the companies that specialize in your line of work. Cut out the agency and see if that helps - good luck to you

[JunoAqua]

check out amscot financial 14-15 /hr

[jessiesma]

do you know people for whom this worked? I tried it years ago and Inever got past the receptionist. She said she'd deliver my resume to the proper person and I never heard. When I asked her who it was to go to she refused to tell me so I couldn't follow up. This happened in several companies. More recently, when my husband has tried or called, they tell him the first thing to do is to APPLY ONLINE. This was the case with Amscot. If that paper isn't getting into the decision maker's hands, forget it. Even then you may never get an answer. You really need that middleman. That's why in a previous post, I suggested St. Petersburg College career center. They will do this when you're "job ready" as will Work Net Pinellas. IMO the OP may need to polish her resume and interviewing skills, things SPC can help with. It might be something as simple as being too brusque and direct as a Ny'er. I'm one but I learned this is the South and you've gotta be a bit more easygoing and laid back when you meet people even in a job interview. A lot of people here like to "visit' with you and don't even stop to think that some of it is a violation of EEOC rules. They don't mean to discriminate, they're just trying to be neighborly. Really. This can be a bit of culture shock to Ny'ers who are used to "going out and getting the job" and who are very sensitive to those no-no questions, you know, the ones about kids, husbands etc. BTW, you can refuse to answer but for sure you won't be the one they hire. If they think they're being friendly, yo come across as uncooperative so you win the battle and lose the war. You should be able to tell if the question is loaded or innocently put.

Originally Posted by Keeper

check out craigslist for jobs. Go directly to the companies and hand deliver a resume on quality paper with a cover letter if possible.
Check out the newspapers in the area. I know Tampa has several companies that might work for you.

Try to get a temp job for now. The old saying 'it is easier to get a job when you have one is true'.

Good Luck

[dvegarrett]

My ex is a nurse, sh e always claimed they were very short staffed.