Searching for a new admin role at the age of 54. Need to leave current job due to bullying mentality!

[Shelleyfromthesea]

I’ve made the decision that I need to leave current job for my own MH wellbeing (it’s been stressful to say the least)!

I won’t go into great detail but a toxic employee has currently been promoted to a senior role, this will absolutely entertain their narcissistic tendencies, so I’ve made the decision to actively search for another job.

I have 30+ year’s administration experience, working for the public and private sector.

Could you recommend where to start searching. I’ve initially searched on Indeed recruitment site but could do with your help.

My CV is up to date, I’ve omitted my age, although it doesn’t take a genius to work out due to school leaving dates being in their.

I’m feeling pretty rubbish atm so please go gentle. I’m wondering if this is hormonal from my side too, sleep currently shocking, I feel like a zombie.

It’s been almost 17 years since I last had to start job hunting so any recruitment tips etc would be most appreciated. The last time I searched for a job it was in the local paper!

And sorry, I’ve disabled the AIBU vote. I know this isn’t an AIBU question but it’s a busy place so hopefully you’ll be able to help.

I don't think your age will work against you at all. I work for a public body and our senior directors all have shared PAs (usually one for two to three directors) who sort out their diaries, answer letters, arrange their meetings etc.. as well as wider admin support. Plenty of these roles are filled by older people, often more mature women.

The roles require a lot of common sense, good interpersonal skills, diplomacy and a calm demeanour. Having more life and work experience often helps.

They may well ask for examples (from roles on your CV) of how you dealt with various scenarios e.g. workmate not pulling their weight, conflicting priorities, personality clashes. In this they could ask for things relevant to the role e.g. awkward customers on the phone, how to deal with people with learning difficulties or neurodivergence, very strong accents, sexism (e.g. in traditionally male industries like manufacturing or building), so make sure you read everything you can find about the role itself and check out the organisation.

I have been shocked in the past by interviewees knowing little or nothing about the organisation they are interviewing for - read up on the company itself. You can't sell why you want to work for a particular company if you don't really know what they do, and chances are you WILL be asked that question.

Shorter commute with a better work life balance is a good reason to change jobs. Unless it's an incredibly basic role, looking for new challenges to expand your knowledge and skillset is another

The rule I was taught about clothing is to dress for the interview one stage smarter than you think the role will require if possible e.g. local/county council smart skirt or trousers, blouse & jacket. For financial services, accountancy, legal etc, fully suited and booted. For a trendy software company or in fashion, you can show your personality a bit more in your dress. For industry or construction, neat but practical. The girl who showed up for an admin job in FS wearing a top cut so low you could almost see her nipples & brightly patterned shorts didn't get the job, nor the girl with (presumably intentionally) ripped jeans including one at the very top of her leg so you could see the curve of her bum didn't either. Nor did the guy who stank of BO and had ear wax poking out of his ears! All sifted by agencies over the phone!

Good luck! I’ve been job-hunting recently at almost 50 and was definitely starting to worry about ageism so it’s nice to read positive experiences on this thread. I’ve been lucky and start my new job next month with a company that recognises and values how much experience I have to offer, I hope you find the same 🙂

Thank you so much! Great advice.

When preparing for interview in NHS and public sector use the STAR technique. It focuses your answers and stops you rambling. Give as much detail as possible, break down all the tasks you can/did perform - don’t assume the interviewer knows what you mean, tell them !

https://www.vawizard.org/wiz-pdf/STAR_Method_Interviews.pdf

also when applying, read through the job description and person specification and try to address as much as possible that is described as you can in your application form or covering/ personal statement. It’s all done on points nowadays, which is fair and ensures no bias (including age related) slips in. Be thorough.

Thank you! This is really useful information!

My advice is be brave! Your years of experience will get you further than you believe!

I had my last day at my old firm yesterday and start a new role in a couple of weeks.
I left due to the strain on my mental and physical health from the very poor company environment.

recruitment fees in today’s market are really high so when I saw a slightly too low position in my field advertised by a company I really wanted to work for I applied anyway! Turns out they were looking for someone with my skills but didn’t think they’d find one without paying these high fees, which meant they wouldn’t have been able to offer a competitive salary!

So my bravery at applying has led to a win all round! I’m working for a company with a much better record for staff care at the right salary and they got a suitably qualified person from day one reducing training costs.

You got this xx

Thank you! Good luck in your new job! Hope all goes well for you!

I'm currently job hunting in my late 40s and have age proofed my CV. I only go back 10 years, I put the level of my main qualification but not the date and put 'qualifications and references on request ' at the bottom.

I could be mid 30s... until they see me face to face!

Oh and it's brutal out there right now so the best of luck!

@Allergictoironing quick question. I have a chronic illness, thankfully I’m in remission and I’ve not needed to take any sick leave for at least 6 years. I do however require treatment every 8 weeks, meaning I require a days leave or unpaid leave on this particular day (current employer does pay me).

Do I mention this during the interview stage or only if I’m offered a job? I’ve no doubt this ‘might’ be a disadvantage, especially in the private sector, to mention it during the interview stage.

Where are you based op?

In general, I would say tell them at interview. If you don't and you get the job, you may find that they won't be flexible about this. Public sector tends to be a bit more considerate of this kind of thing.

An example would be my current job. When I interviewed I had a couple of things that may have gone against me but were non-negotiable. I had a dying cat, and told them I may need time off at short notice for vets and eventually PTS. I have significant arthritis in my lower back, so needed possibly to leave early for treatments on some days if I couldn't get an appointment plus I'm limited sometimes in walking about or carrying things, though like you had missed very little work due to this. I have ADHD, so occasionally need reminding about behaviours.

Any one of these things, if they hadn't known about them or they'd been a different organisation, could have meant that I would have failed my probation - 2 vets appointments plus a couple of days off in the first 2 months for the cat to be PTS, typical NHS physio appointments only during working hours, being a little "in their faces" with a couple of people. But because they knew about this, they were very understanding.

Something to consider would be seeing if they will do some kind of compressed hours e.g. 9 day fortnight if that would suit you as well, and ensure that your rota day off ties in with your regular appointments. Or in my case I opted for flexible hours, with the agreement that I would arrange that as much as possible around workloads - this has worked out really well for both parties as I've stayed late sometimes to finish urgent work off, and in return I've had a few days when I've had to be a bit late in due to excessive stiffness in the mornings meaning it's taken me longer to get up and moving.

I would go to the interview with all the options that would be OK for you (leave, unpaid leave, flexi, compressed hours) and when you mention the treatments say you would be very happy to use whichever method suits them best. And if they get funny about it then they aren't an organisation you would want to work for anyway!

A decent employer should be able to work round something regular- it's frequent unplanned absences which are tricker to handle.

I would ask in the "do you have any questions for us?" but at the end and emphasise the lack of sick leave.

If you're interested in being a receptionist then the veterinary sector is crying out for receptionists - pay is about £11.44 - £13 per hour.

Try Charity Jobs - loads on there at the moment - particularly WFH and hybrid if that interests you. I previously ran an employment project I'm happy to run an eye over your cv if you would like me to I've done it for a few people lately - I'm also a whizz at application forms so if I can help you let me know x

This thread has been useful thanks. I am 52 and not very happy in my current role. I’m going to look for jobs next year (can’t do it any earlier for various reasons).
I will age-proof my CV - I already taken out the dates of my degree and other qualifications - but had included all my jobs, I hadn’t thought it might be best to leave out the older ones!

I think the important thing is keeping your IT skills up to date. Things change so quickly. In my current role I have to interview candidates for admin roles and their age isn’t an issue as long as they can demonstrate they have good basic IT skills.