Is my age (50) preventing me from even getting to interview stage ??

[Weymo]

I’m nearly 51 and despite having A Levels have only ever worked minimum wage jobs.

I was made redundant last month and have applied for over 30 jobs now, none of which have even made it to interview stage.

I’m not signing on for universal credit as my husband is self employed earning £21k so I won’t be given any benefits help, plus the last time I used a job Centre as a single parent, they never told me the town I live in had a sink firm that takes on call centre staff virtually by the hour they have such a high staff turnover, so I’m not confident they can help me.

I’ve had my CV checked my a free online reviewer and she said it’s not very expansive, but I can hardly expand ‘skills’ like warehouse assembly work.
My best jobs were in my 20s but those skills aren’t relevant in my current job search. I used to be a fine art ceramics painter, but I have two young kids and just need any job I can get, I’m not looking for a career.

Do you think my age is putting employers off?? I’m fit and healthy with no vices and do outdoor watersports for a hobby, so it’s not like I can’t carry heavy weight (25kg on my shoulders easily enough).

Admittedly I’m applying for shop work and have no recent retail experience - my last was in my early 20s - but my available hours are limited as I need to fit around school runs.

My husband can’t help as he runs his business from an industrial unit and it’s not a safe environment for kids. He can’t take time off to do the school runs either, and I can’t afford the school care clubs as I owe tax credits nearly £6k because they overpaid last year, so we won’t get any tax credits at all until that’s paid off, which will be in instalments as can’t afford to pay off in one go. Actually sorry we get £30 a month in tax credits until the debt is paid.

My car is also old and about to conk. Tax, insurance due in a month, combined they’re worth more than my car! So I can’t rely on it for work commutes.

I just want to get to interview stage!
I love interviews and am not nervous, and have never failed an interview, always got the job. I’m very shy otherwise but seem to do great in interview. On paper, my CV must be letting me down (insert shrug emoji).

I can’t do office admin either although I’m fine with desktop PCs it’s been years ...again...and I can’t even do basic stuff like Excel. I also didn’t get a maths qualification ...at all...I can’t even do mental arithmetic, despite being top of the class for English. Argghhh!

I’ll even clean toilets for a living, but can’t get to interview stage! I was turned down for 2 Travelodge type places for chambermaiding, and although I worked at the poshest hotel in Cornwall as a chambermaid can’t put that on my CV as, ....it was years ago!

Does anyone have any advice on how I can get to interview stage? I’ve also been into shops the old fashioned way, spoke to manager and given them my CV for the current vacancies advertised, but they always say, ‘I’ll pass it onto head office’ and I don’t hear back.

I’ve tried ringing the head office of one of the jobs I applied for, but they said, ‘if you don’t hear from us, you haven’t got the job’, which is fair enough.

Is there something I haven’t been doing to find a job? I’m on all the job websites, have done profiles and assessment tests online, etc

I still have to register with my local temp agencies which I’ll do later today as I revising my CV this morning, but their current advertised vacancies are all warehouse shift work for hours I can’t do because of the kids (the jobs I’m qualified/experienced for) as I live in the middle of super-warehouse-distribution-hub-central in the East Midlands/Anglia border.

We figured out evening work is best as daytime school hours are too gold dust. So...pubs, family restaurants. I did a free shift in one of those already... can I put that on my CV??

Any help is so welcome! I’m at my wits end. I posted befor I have 15p in my bank accounit and I’m not kidding, I have no income until child benefit comes in on Tuesdays. I also sell stuff online but it’s dribbled down into barely one order a week now so it’s negligible income.

Sorry this is so long. I’m starting to feel a bit down about it and I’m a positive, optimistic person usually, I’m starting to feel embarrassed that I can’t get a job.

[BitchyArriver]

Okay, so I’m no expert and hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be around to help.

But one thing jumps out st me, how do they know you’re 50?

I thought very few people put that on a cv anymore? And if age is asked for on application forms, isn’t it ‘hidden’ with the questions about racial background and sexual orientation?

[BlingLoving]

Retail work in the evenings can be hard to find and annoyingly, waitressing etc probably does get impacted by your age. Not fair, but there you go.

What were you doing before you were made redundant?

[BlingLoving]

Also, am not sure that the "your experience isn't very expansive' is terribly helpful from the online person.

You need to identify the skills you need for the jobs you're applying for. Highlight that you have those skills gained by doing x, y, z. Then you could just list the various jobs without going into huge detail about responsibilities etc.

I will PM you.

[leghairdontcare]

Firstly, people shouldn't be able to tell form your CV how old you are so take off any dates.

Secondly, have you checked if you're entitled to contributions based JSA?

More generally, if your work history is a bit all over the place you might want to consider a skills based CV. Also, I don't want to be rude because I know how hard it is, but it's not clear from your post what your most recent job was (warehousing?) so you need to be sure any CV or application your submit is really focussed and succinct.

[Weymo]

I do put my date of birth on my CV but even if I didn’t they’d figure it out because of the year start date at secondary on my education section (1980).

I was doing light assembly work for a print firm when I was made redundant.
Prior to that a series of short term temp work.

[Weymo]

@leghairdontcare I haven’t checked about JSA, no. To be honest if I can help it, I don’t want to claim anyway as I don’t want to have to sign on in a Jobcentre, I’ve only done it once before and it’s the most awful feeling going in, like a walk of shame or something because I worry they’ll think I haven’t done enough to find a job.

[Weymo]

I’m currently revising my CV so I’ll check back later for any more replies and take into account any advice give here to help with the revision , thanks so far

[QuaterMiss]

Brutally?

You need either:

an access course (for maths and general updating) and then a degree or apprenticeship,

or

to start a business of your own.

You have so many years of work ahead of you and the jobs that robots won’t do are becoming more specialised. You simply don’t, currently, have either the qualifications or experience to be competitive in the job market - even for the lowest paid jobs, so you’re probably banging your head against a brick wall.

Are you in a place where you could talk to careers people at a local college/university? They’d be able to give you clear advice on the best route to getting some necessary qualifications. (And no, you will not be the only person of 50 doing this. More and more people are starting or continuing their education at your age or older.) You need to rethink.

[BuzzShitbagBobbly]

I do put my date of birth on my CV but even if I didn’t they’d figure it out because of the year start date at secondary on my education section (1980).

So take those dates off?
(Yes your age will be affecting your interview-ability, unfortunately.)

I can’t do office admin either although I’m fine with desktop PCs it’s been years ...again...and I can’t even do basic stuff like Excel.

So change that! There will be plenty of free tutorials and
teaching modules you can do to learn. And/or your local council or college might run free or subsidised courses for beginners. You've clearly managed to learn how to use the internet, so another IT skill isn't a dealbreaker.

[Pinkbonbon]

They shouldn't know your age from your CV though...

And nor should you be putting your availability (or non availability rather) on it.

Call centres normally run shifts like 4-10pm, 8am-4pm ect... so don't tend to be all evening.... Unless you look for maybe a 20 hr per week one but even then they will want flexibility.

And obviously retail is day work. Retail I found very hard to get into without prior retail work. You could try a bookies? That's how I bridged the gap from call c to retail. But again flexibility with hours may be key.

Anyway, basically just list your most recent work history (not enough for them to guess your age). If there has been a gap then look for some volunteer work to put on there, even if it just ends up being a month or so of it, you need to show employers that you are able and willing to get back out there.

[Pinkbonbon]

Yeah, take the date off the 'education' section. Just use your more recent job or two n date them. Then maybe they will assume you are in your forties.

[DeNiroDeFaro]

There shouldn't be anything on your CV that gives your age. And to be honest after 30+ years I wouldn't be putting your secondary education on there. If you must, put a summary of your qualifications and then just have the most recent (10years) of jobs, with bullet points to summarise the rest

[Missillusioned]

Go and sign on at the job centre! If you have been working recently you will probably be entitled to 6 mths job seekers allowance which is not means tested, so it doesn't matter what your husband earns. Ask about a computer skills course as well. Sometimes they will send people on these. Don't be put off by image. If you qualify for help it is because you're entitled to it.

[Teddybear45]

Remove your age and any dates from your CV. Apply to retailers you know have age friendly policies - eg B&Q, supermarkets, etc.

[escapade1234]

If you’re happy to clean, set yourself up as a cleaner and find your own clients. If you can throw babysitting and dog-walking in, you’ll be a very attractive proposition. Then you can choose your clients and set your hours.

[HorseGallopingOnATomato]

I just want to say that it might not be anything you’re doing/ anything to do with age. It’s so competitive. job searches are tough for everyone! I sent more than 60 applications this year, all really well researched and filled in, and did hours and hours of exams, projects and analyses for the second/ third rounds. Did four interviews. Got three job offers overall. Most of the jobs I went for had hundreds of applicants and it might be the same for you. It’s a numbers game too.

[TheAlternativeTentacle]

You need to put claims in so that your 'stamp' is paid ie it still contributes to your pension. If you don't then you will find you haven't paid enough years in and your pension will be reduced.

[DonnaDarko]

Like others have said, definitely remove dates. And as your education was so long ago, focus on your work experience and highlight your transferable skills. You only need to have the last 6 or so years of work experience on your CV - I would not go back 20 years - but try to highlight the parts of your job that are relevant to what you're applying for, or re-word some parts to make them sound like they fit in more with retail.

I would also not put your availability on your CV. Employers like to think that staff can be flexible so this is something I wouldn't mention straight away. I would ask about the flexibility of hours at the interview stage.

[TheAlternativeTentacle]

Also, when you have a CV, and are sending it in for jobs, you need to rewrite it each time, detailing in there how you meet the Essential and Desirable skills/experience needed as each job will differ.

So you will end up with a load of CVs which you can cut and paste to match the skill set needed.

You don't just have one CV - it needs to be tailored each time.

[milliefiori]

You don't need your school dates or your age on your CV. You need to revamp your CV completely in line with current practise. Start with your contact details, then a paragraph about your overall key skills and interests, and what you are looking for. Then list 'recent work history' from the past 1-3 years and then 'relevant experience' which is a highlight of your working history, where it is relevant to current applications.

Do some lateral thinking. Why do you want to work in retail? Is it because you know you are good at customer service? If so, mention this and say where you picked up the skills (even if you got a 10 minute training in a pizzeria aged 16 on how to be nice to customers, you can pimp this to say 'in-house training on customer liaison during my time in catering taught me strong skills for interacting with customers politely and efficiently, leaving them with a positive impression.' They don't need to know this was years ago or really minimal.)

Pick up the buzz words from any advert you apply to and repeat them back in your CV and cover letter. Many jobs are processed by non-specialist recruitment filterers these days and they use tick boxes to see how many buzz works you score, so use the language the recruiters use.

I tweak my CV for every single job I apply for, (I do freelance, short term contract work so apply frequently, in a competitive market.) I reword it so the buzz words they ask for appear in what I send them. It's worked so far. I'm older than you but get called to lots of interviews and am very cheeky and blunt about why they need a 50+ person on their team if they look shocked. It always goes down well.

[madameweasel]

I wonder if your lack of any form of maths qualification is an issue.
Some employers will have a minimum qualification requirement for maths and English so will only look as far as your education, spot the gap, and dismiss your CV without getting as far as looking at your experience.

[QuaterMiss]

I do hope the OP will return to respond to later posts.

Though I think you are almost all being far too optimistic given her current circumstances.

[KatherineJaneway]

You never put your DOB on a CV and take off the dates around your education. Only put in your last 10 - 15 years of work experience on a CV and make sure it is not over 2 pages of A4 long.

Also don't forget a snappy personal summary at the start of your CV.

[BuzzShitbagBobbly]

Start with your contact details

Which means as little as your phone number and email address.
Taking up a quarter of the page with your full name, postal address is a complete waste of space. That sort of fine detail can go at the end.

Random example from google, and even then I'd strongly question the relevance of "London" in this.

[StCharlotte]

First, take your DoB off.

Secondly, I'm 56 next week and I started a new job this week. I also got a job 4 years ago having been self-employed for nearly a decade. I think my CV must be good (esp. as the interview for this job was a formality - them telling me about the job basically). I was also offered a civil service job four years ago after a gruelling recruitment process. Hope that's encouraging?

So I disagree It's your age. I think It's your CV. Tailor it for the job you're applying for.

Good luck