To think job market for those 55 and over is dire

this line of thinking is discrimination and illegal. You wouldn’t apply that kind of logic to any other protected characteristic.

one day, you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of 50.

I was made redundant at 61, they just wanted me out of the way so they could employ a specific friend of the CEO.

I was expecting it to be difficult but was pleasantly surprised. I had three interviews within the month and signed a new contract in seven weeks.

Slightly lower pay but local, almost zero commuting cost and much less stress. I was very lucky I think, right place, right time.

Good luck OP. Focus on your skills, your long experience, your lack of family ties.

Ive slways worked as an NHS clinician and they want me to work to 70 because we are so short staffed. Im 64 now. I work full time.

I wouldnt even mention them to be honest. I dont on my CV but I do have professional qualifications that superseded them.

Mention your achievements through your working life; not school in your teens.

I’m planning to rewrite my CV in the way you describe.

I’m late 40s and a high earner in the city but not at the most senior level I could be. I will have an empty nest by age 50 and I was planning to really turbo charge things and apply for more senior roles outside my current company after my DC go to university. Work like crazy until mid-late 50s and then slow down.

I am worried about ageism definitely but I am hoping that going for senior roles where you need 15-20 years experience will work in my favour somewhat…

If I wrote all the dates and jobs I’ve had on paper it would look like I have 25 years experience. In reality I took a couple of years out when DC were small and worked very part time for a few years so my equivalent experience is around 19 years. So I’m trying to work out how to write my CV in that way.

unfortunately I can’t just leave off the first 5 years or whatever because the first 5 years of my career is hugely differentiating in my field so would hinder my application to leave it out.

so I want to say something like “5 years in x area followed by 15 years experience in y area” and keeping dates a bit vague.

If anyone has seen a way to do this I’d love to hear about it!

Even more fun when you're 44 and actually mental.

My last job was understanding about my issues - which also include autism and ADHD. The former makes me nervous about having to do AI interviews that grade you on things like eye contact, the latter makes me think I just wouldn't cope with anything more admin-based than what I used to do.

Yes I have heard someone else (in Recruitment) say this and it made me think!

No, you don’t need to put education dates on your CV.

I agree. It was hard enough with employers not taking on women of child bearing age because they might be ‘unreliable’.

Now they are doing the same with menopause, I’m all for awareness but talking about leave etc just continues the myth that we are weak little beings who have to have special concessions made at all stages of our lives. I think it will hurt recruitment of women greatly.

I’m finding it’s dire and I’m 44. I do think all the info about menopause massively puts people off recruiting this age as we’re all basically mental apparently.

There's another thread about older applicants being made redundant from the CS at the mo. Sadly

I'm going to sound like the most awkward negative Nancy here, but I failed Maths four times, have no A-levels and no degree. On paper it's a miracle I've ever been employed lol x fortunately call centres used to take almost anyone. Other jobs used to be down to a combination of contacts (no longer an option) and my "winning personality" in person. Trouble is these days getting in front of a person is nigh on impossible, and if interviewers are young and anything like the pink koala person upthread, I'm scared already 😂 It still smarts that Primark rejected my online application a few years back....

i’m 48 and worried that if I get made redundant again I’m basically unemployable in my field

Last time I had an interview I’m fairly sure the only reason I didn’t get the job was my age

I’d leave them off, just list A levels and that I have Maths and English at ‘GCSE/O Level’ (which is all they are interested in), and then degree stuff and work experience?

Civil service are making cuts too. I know a couple of people who have been made redundant recently

I'm 48 and haven't worked for 15 years due to very severe chronic migraines, having as many as 25 migraine days, sometimes more a month. After 20 years of trying everything to get them under control I finally have a treatment protocol that seems to be helping a lot. I want to return to work, I left a good career in Media but nobody seems to be interested in me for anything at all even Morrisons rejected me.. I do have skills I could go freelance with but its very difficult to start from scratch at this point.

Nice bit of ragebait there. The algorithms love a bun fight. You'll be older too one day. If you aren't a bot.

do you think you might be generalising a bit? I work with several women and men in their 50s who do not fit this profile at all.

I wouldn't employ an older applicant because in my experience they think they know more than you, have no ambition, want an easy life and coast to retirement. Not fair on the rest of the team who have to pick up their slack.

@MistressoftheDarkSide Christ on a bike. I can really relate to your post!!

@igelkott2026 of course it was Jeremy! It seems obvious now 🤣

I despair 💐💐💐

I was last properly in the job market at 42, and the young perky chap at the agency I signed up with made me dumb down my admittedly patchy CV to virtually nothing experience wise because employers then were "threatened" by older candidates. Lots of doom and gloom about not fitting in with younger people because gaps in my CV for caring and child rearing meant I'd be lucky to get anything full time at NMW.

Did a couple of years in a call centre selling insurance on a warm calling basis which was "OK" but no scope for progression to underwriting, those opportunities went to younger people. Then the company restructured and it was last in, first out. Did some retail, then a couple of years admin at a small construction firm, before DPs mother developed dementia, came to live with us and being the lower earner I became her 24 hour carer. In order to keep me in some kind of work, we opened a small shop, which she came with me to until after about two years, when we couldn't keep her safe any more and she went into a home.

Was doing ok, then Covid hit, we relocated to smaller cheaper premises after lockdown. A month after our re-opening, DP died suddenly. Kept things limping along for a further two years accruing debt along the way then my DF and SM went into separate health crises and all sorts of clusterfuck went on with that.

DF died last year and I'm NC with evil SM - her choice - and I'm just peering out of my foxhole and thinking about WTH I'm supposed to do now.

Which is why I opened this thread. Which mainly confirms the feeling I've had for a while - essentially - I am obsolete 😂

That was Jeremy Hunt. He didn't do anything and neither has this government.

Although I am not sure what you can do about ageism. It's difficult to prove you were discriminated against for any protected characteristic but age is probably the most difficult.

Same.
Im 55. Kids are grown up, I’m fit as I’ve ever been, bags of experience, up for trying new stuff. I’m not ambitious for senior leadership, so I won’t be angling for promotion or leaving in a year.
give me interesting work, a decent pension, private medical insurance and hybrid working and I’ll be there for another 10 years.

Although I think some employers are cynical about older people. They know that many of them will be sorted financially so they just can't exploit them like they can younger staff, because they'll just say up yours and leave. Younger people with mortgages and young children can't and have to put up with bad treatment.

It's dire for everyone, but the under 25s and over 50s have it the worst.

Either too experienced or not enough experience.