Job Hunting and Switching-Post 50 years old

[ihearyou2]

I was just thinking to myself damn I'm already over 40 and heading to 50 at light speed. I'm starting to get terrified of hitting 50 and all the job horror stories about people losing jobs at that age and not finding new ones. Alternatively getting stuck in a job and there is no opportunity to switch to another one.

I was curious for the people that are there, is it that bad as far as job flexibility or has more been made out of it by the media then is really there?

[TrixAre4Kids]

Dunno but I will interested the responses. I plan to retire in next year or two and will be looking for another job, albeit part time.

[TD2K]

I'm in my early 50s and I'm not really that worried. First, I think my current job is pretty secure. I do good work, my boss is happy with me and I'm flexible on assignments, something a lot of our current staff isn't. In addition, the engineering field is going to be losing a lot of people over the next decade and I think the demand for experienced senior people will just increase. A few years ago when the oil and gas industry was going great guns, we couldn't find senior people to interview much less actually hire.

[Agatha]

I'm in my fifties and currently looking for a new job. Not one outside of my field; not sure if I would want to go there if I could. But something different inside of it. My profession is in high demand but to do something "different" inside of it is a matter of luck, connections, and time. Those kind of jobs do not come up often.

I'm giving myself two more months, although I may take some temp work just to keep from deleting my reserve. People have asked me "isn't it scary at your age?". There would have been a time in my life I would have been terrified but I'm not scared. I can go back to what I was doing. But I don't want to. I may have to but I don't want to.

[cronewitch]

I was 54 when I got my current job. It is different being older when looking. Some will see you as prime at 50 something but over the hill soon after. Some depends on you and how old you act, look and feel. If you are in good health, look rested and have current job skills you will be fine. If you are looking for a kid job like fast food they won't want you but you shouldn't want that.

Somethings you have no control over like if you have bad joints or are stiffing all over. But do what you can with clothing, diet, getting sleep, hair style to look more like you are young for your age. Good posture and looking like you can walk up a flight of stairs. Act enthusiastic about trying new things and learning ask if there is room for promotion even if you want to just veg out until retirement. Play up your experience and any benefit you can bring the company like that you are done raising children so you are free to travel for work.

The time it is really hard is when something happen to your health like a stroke where you might look different after or depression where you just look slow.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

IHearYou,
What type of work do you do and what is your competency level? That is really the key.
I am 55, and in IT. The last 3 1/2 years I have been re-training myself in Microsoft Business Intelligence. I have no real experience n the software, other than working with the licensed copy I have here, doing projects, watching 100s of videos and doing lots and lots of reading.
I do have 40 years experience in the IT industry. Last summer I managed to get three interviews. One of them was very promising, but I did not get the offer. I was able to 'fudge" my way through interviews using the knowledge I acquired and applying it to my newly acquired skill set.
It is all how you present yourself, how you talk and convincing the interviewer that you are competent.

[Deleted]

Feb 10, 2011 7:18:12 GMT -5 Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ said:

It is all how you present yourself, how you talk and convincing the interviewer that you are competent.

Not all of it. Unfortunately, you still gotta get past HR and even an HR person can take your college graduation year, figure you were 22 then, and get a good approximation of your age.

I changed jobs within my company at age 55 and beat out 2 other candidates. One was a younger guy; I don't know who the other was. I've got honest grey hair, but I'm normal body weight, dress well, and carry myself with a lot of energy. I stressed that I was a learning junkie- listening to podcasts in 4 languages, only one of which is English, that for me the required travel was a perk (noted how extensively DH and I travel voluntarily)- basically told them real-life examples that broke any stereotypes about people over 50 being resistant to learning new things or too old to get up and move.

Outside the company I have a good network within my profession and a couple of terms on my society's Board so I would hope that at any company there will be someone who knows me, and that always helps.

No guarantees, though. I joined this company in 2002 at age 49 and it was a tough search- of course, it was also late 2001/early 2002 in the NY/NJ area. And higher-level jobs are always harder to find and because they pay a lot more they're less likely to accept "I haven't done that but I'm willing to learn".

If I lost this job I'd make a good attempt at finding another one but I suspect it would take time and I'd have to relocate.

[Deleted]

The reason we relocated to Germany was that the company DH works for was about to do a massive layoff just as DH was turning 50. He too, is in the IT field and has about 32 years of experience but he thought he would have a hard time finding another job outside the company (he's worked for them for over 23 years) getting paid as well as he does with all the perqs. All of the colleagues whom he considers to be friends had to relocate; one twice (the second was moving back "home"). But yes, there was one colleague who had trouble, wife left and he committed suicide. Very sad.

DH could have retired but given the investment melt down in 2008 we didn't think it would be a happy retirement (he hasn't camped in 30 years, lol).

I can only suggest that you keep your skills up and pay attention to opportunities when they come up.

[Savoir Faire-Demogague in NJ]

Not all of it. Unfortunately, you still gotta get past HR and even an HR person can take your college graduation year, figure you were 22 then, and get a good approximation of your age.

HR has little say in who gets interviewed in the IT job market.

[Anne_in_VA]

I was laid off just over 5 years ago at age 58 and was out of work for over a year. I have up-to-date skills and a certification in my field (the one most companies ask for) and still had a hard time getting interviews. I look quite a bit younger than my actual age and most people think I'm in my early to mid 50's, am energetic and a great personality. I interview well (so I've been told) and was told by several agencies, including temp ones, that I wouldn't have any problems getting a job but that wasn't the case. My resume was redone with key words for each job I applied for.

I finally got a job at my present company because they were looking for with very specific qualifications and I was the only one they found with that set of skills. This company is very age friendly and has lots of older workers. I've since been promoted once and expect that I'll get one more before I retire in the next few years.

[Deleted]

IHOP we are going to be in a different postion than the over 50's now. The baby boomers are going to be retiring leaving a lot of opportunities for us. We just need to keep our networks and skill sets current.

[stats45]

It really depends on education and skills. Look at the previous recession, for example. The unemployment rate for college graduates was around 2% was the recession began and never rose to more than around 4.5% for college graduates. I'm sure it is a bit higher for older workers, but even that isn't all that high.

It is very difficult, however, for older low-skilled or unskilled workers to find another job and particularly to find a job of comparable quality. pay, and benefits to their previous job. Older construction workers, factory workers, and service employees find it very hard to find another job after being fired. In addition, the advice to 'go back to school' just seems overwhelming at fifty, and it isn't that practical for most people.

I think the best answer is for people to develop skills at all ages, but it just isn't how most people view the world. People who post on the 'Your Money' boards have a similar outlook and worldview for the most part. It is the reason we have threads jabbing at people who don't plan, waste money, do stupid things, etc. Everything important about job switching and hunting happens well before you need to find another job, and most people just don't look that far ahead.

[cronewitch]

I have seen many people lose a career job at 57-58 and never find another. So I targeted my budget to live on a McJob if I had to. Now at 62 I could afford to retire and probably will in a couple of years, I am waiting for Medicare and building excess retirement money but if I lost this job I might not even look again. If I did look I wouldn't work really cheap. But I am out of shape, unless round is a shape and don't dress well and don't want to buy more clothes so would probably just retire. I would really hate to look for work in my mid sixties.

[Deleted]

I'm in a large company and we have hire people in their 50's all the time. Here's what I've noticed...

1) They are humble. They don't let their egos get in the way of taking a job they might be overqualified for.

2) They generally have good technology skills.

3) They are well put-together. They dress well, speak well, and interact with people well.

I think most of the people that have trouble finding jobs are people that stayed in the same narrow job for 25 years, never acquired many additional skills, and lack self-awareness to understand why they can't get a job.

[HoneyBBQ]

Luckily in acadmia, being 50+ is no big deal.

My spouse and I relocated 2 years ago with no problem and he is 50+.

[ihearyou2]

I'm in senior management on the accounting and finance side and have been doing this for 15 years or so. I speak to my superiors that are in their 50's and they seem to have that frame of mind as far as not being able to find positions and just suck it up even if they are unhappy. I am not sure if it is just them or if there is some reality to it. The reason why it scares me is because I don't want to have that reality or to start thinking that way.