To think job market for those 55 and over is dire

[Bettyfordtoday]

At 55, and recently made redundant from a highly paid corporate role I am struggling to get another role or even an interview.

I'm wondering what others do at this age point, too young to retire but seemingly too old to interview ?

Have a mortgage etc to pay and don't want to get in debt , redundancy pay will last if I am careful to the end of the year at most

Have you tried care or support work?

I am also job hunting! The market is the worst I've ever known.

I spoke with a recruiter just yesterday who said my role was at risk of being replaced with AI. He had a smug attitude about it. So I told him "yours too!" ... he was a bit kinder after that realisation.

I was recently made redundant and I’m same age as you, I applied for lots, first interview I had I got it and loving it. I didn’t put date of birth on cv nor education dates. Manager actually said he’d rather employ someone older after I’d been in post a few weeks. Good luck it’s not all doom and gloom

I see this come up all the time.

I do have questions.

Firstly, would this advice be given so readily to a man? Genuinely interested.

Presumably any candidate would have to have proper safeguarding checks, rightly so, but this can delay applications for a considerable amount of time - confirmed by friends who work in the industry, so is it really a quick fix for those "desperate" for work? And should it be - going into care or support work should, in my opinion, be vocation driven before "desperate for any job".

Not all people drive, which reduces the sort of flexibility for home visits etc.

Women in their late 50s looking for work may have just finished caring for relatives themselves. That's the position I'm in, and frankly the experience has been traumatic, not least with regard to how the "care industry" and LAs operate.

People requiring care deserve better than a woman with a ten thousand yard stare and emotional baggage. It's not beneath me, but it does terrify me.

I have the greatest respect for carers of all stripes, and I think they also deserve better than colleagues who feel the profession is a last resort.

@MistressoftheDarkSide People say it all the time because there is tons of work available, all over. Note I said care and support work - the field is huge, working with various types of clients. Wiping old people’s bums in a residential home is a tiny snapshot of the industry, as is having to drive. But yes, you’re looking at six weeks or so to start from the point of applying.

We experienced this recently- the blatant ageism was shocking.
The fact you have a wealth of knowledge and experience is disregarded.
DH has always travelled with his work and one interviewer said they didn’t think he would cope with it 😡😡
And if you mention you’re willing to learn they also seem incredulous.

I hear you. I cared for my mum for a lot of years and when she died more caring was not on my list either!

My DH works in care with a fully male workforce. I think people of all walks of life, male or female, get suggested to work in care because there are always jobs going.

However, I think my DH would agree with you that sending people into care as a 'last resort' absolutely sucks for the residents/patients and for the staff who are genuinely passionate about their role. Having people come into the workplace who don't want to be there or are, frankly, rubbish at the job just makes things harder for staff and makes residents feel uncared for and unsupported.

The majority of people in care or needing care are women. As of 2021 data, female residents outnumber men in care homes with a ratio of 23 females to every 10 males.
Many families are not comfortable with male carers hence the drive to recruit women.
I have some friends who have made good careers for themselves in the care industry.
I am a teacher and I constantly read on MN that many posters are not prepared to consider teaching because it is not family friendly. They want gentle, flexible work from homes jobs. However, the recruitment and retention levels for new teachers are the best for 15 years as young people realise that teaching is a job unlikely to be affected by AI in the coming years.
I said up thread that I still work (very, very part time). I am mid seventies. There are jobs out there but you cannot insist on job conditions being tailored to suit your wants rather than the specific requirements of the job.
In my experience, older people who are determined to work will find work. However, shilly shallying around and laying down working conditions is a quick way to be overlooked. Work often leads to other work. Someone you work with knows someone who is recruiting etc. Writing a job description for a gentle, easy job and expecting employers to leap at the chance of recruiting you, is unlikely to be effective.

I have a first line interview tomorrow at 9am for an admin role, very little notice, emailed me last night to schedule. I am a mixture of fearful and then in the next breath resigned to the fact that I won’t get in anyway - not a good place to be! It’s just knocked the stuffing out of me, the constant rejections and I feel absolutely jaded and lacking in confidence. BUT Onwards and upwards, I will spend today preparing and if anyone has any good answers to give why I haven’t been in the workplace since 2020 (illness), then please let me know!

Sympathies to everyone else that is also in the same boat, it really is so hard in this current climate and being in your 50s!

Best of luck @LikelyLacking! Be confident, you may be just what they're looking for (I'm 52 and got a new, career job last year after 17 years out of the workforce, so if I can do it after that length of time, you can too). Remember that you have decades of valuable experience, that all skills are transferable, and that us Gen Xers know and aren't afraid of hard work. When I had my interview, my boss said he wanted someone who wasn't afraid to pick up the phone and speak to people - a low bar - but one that many Gen Z candidates seemingly aren't capable of clearing! Don't let age define you. And if you were ill just be honest, but breezy about it. 'I suffered a period of ill health, but I'm fully recovered now', if they even ask. They probably won't.

That’s a lovely post Zurigo - thank you 😊

Your experience makes me feel more positive. I think maybe my own doubt in myself and desperation for a job has at times come through in the interview, so I’m working as we speak with my mate Chatgpt on my confidence in prep for the interview. 😄 I will come back and report!

@zurigo best of luck!! I had my first interview for 14 years, they had a pile of applications and had seen people the day before and that morning too...and they rang me before I even got home to offer me the job!!!
You can do it!!