Job hunting in your 50s

[christinarossetti19]

Does anyone have any success stories?

Background - I've been self-employed for 14 years. Not intentionally initially, it just sort of happened and worked well when my children were younger.

Worked dried up during the pandemic, there are now many, many more people doing this role as the area has become very popular, and what work there is is mainly online, which I absolutely hate. Could cope with this in the short-term, but can't imagine spending the rest of my working life worrying if I'm going to have any work next month, and if I do, doing it on fecking Teams or Zoom.

I spent about 6 months job hunting last year. Lots of applications, 8 or 9 interviews, no job - someone else always had more relevant skills and experience.

Had a break in the autumn as had a bit of freelance work, and my mental health was in tatters. Personally had a difficult time, one of my children refusing to go to school due to unmanaged bullying (now in a different school and much happier) and my mum's health declining rapidly, she died in December.

But even with all that going on, I felt much better in myself than when I was continually putting myself out there to be rejected over and over again!

A New Year and I'm going to have to start job hunting again, and I honestly don't know how to dust myself down, spend hours looking for jobs, filling in applications, tweaking my CV, preparing for interviews, attending interviews with no job at the end of it.

Just putting this out there really. I was on a couple of threads last year where most people did secure new jobs, some very quickly. This was good to see but luck never came my way.

I'm doing an MSc (though might not be able to continue as the next part needs a job role to 'practice' in). Tried finding a job in the sector where I've worked for 25 years to no avail. Looked at different sectors but someone else always had more skills and experience, of course...

@RunningInTheWind

I’m of a similar age and background and was offered 2 roles last week. The age + self-employment has given me enormous confidence (zero fucks) and I’m been totally upfront about not being in “formal” employment for the last decade.

I’m making zero excuses and zero apologies for that and have basically said “I’ve needed to be there for my children and wasn’t able to dedicate myself to an external role”.

Everyone I’ve spoken to has been “wowed” at the self-employment bit - and as for not having 2 years recent managerial experience - I’d be rolling my eyes and asking who they think’s been running this —shit— show the last 2 years!?

Totally agree I had 3 job offers at the end of last year. I made no apologies for being SE (also used Director title) and my job Interviews and offers were very much a business negotiation. Being SE gives you skills and a mindset very few people who have just been employed have

Yes to the “business negotiation” aspect.

25 years ago I’d have been terrified of saying the “wrong thing” and not getting it.

Now it’s a case of “you lucky fuckers would be so lucky to have me, let’s talk about how you can impress ME!”.

OP - startups seem to like those who have been SE - as someone else said, it’s a mindset thing.

Wow, many congrats Hoppinggreen and RunningInTheWind.

Very impressive and much kudos to you.

I lost A LOT of confidence during my unsuccessful job hunting last year.

I think if I had been trying to change fields it would have been sort of easier - it was the experience of trying to get a foothold in the field that I've been working for 25 years and not succeeding that really knocked me.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but is the institution you’re doing the MSc with offering no help at all with finding suitable work for that part of the degree?

It's not a stupid question at all.

The MSc is through the Open University and it's not that you need suitable work as if you were doing counselling or specific skill development, more that you need a job role to be able to relate theory to practice iykwim.

I will speak with my tutor and see if there's any way forward, although the 'module descriptions' talk very much about 'in your job role', 'in your organisation' etc.

Doesn't have to be paid work, but my attempts to find voluntary work/offer my skills to organisations so that I can 'practice' (for free obvs) haven't come to anything as yet. It's the finding the inner reserves to keep putting myself out there that I'm really struggling with at the moment.

I totally understand why - it's a practically applicable course. I've been able to wing it with some freelance work and drawing on past working experience for the first year, but that won't work (and actually would be a bit meaningless in terms of what the course could help me achieve) going forward.

I meant it's not worth sacrificing your mental health on this objective.

I wonder if you explained more about the area you're trying to get work experience in, if people could give better advice. Nursing is very different from engineering or legal aid, etc.

I wish it wasn't proving so destructive to my mental health as well.

In terms of my mental health, like most people, I need to feel like I belong or fit in somewhere, have something to do, have something to contribute, have some peers/colleagues/people to talk to on a daily basis - 'how was your weekend?' type of stuff.

I do also need an income.

Prior to the pandemic, I did get enough of this from the work that I was doing. The shift to remote working has gradually eroded this and my reserves are absolutely shot away from the effort of trying to get a foothold somewhere and not succeeding.

That was why I asked 'how do you keep going?' because I need those things for my mental health, but trying to access them has, as yet, not proved fruitful.

@christinarossetti19

I'm sorry to hear about your dd - so difficult for her and you.

I agree that there are benefits to older workers, but not a view necessarily shared by younger ones (even if no-one would directly say that, of course).

One of the interviews I had was for a job way 'below' the level that I've been doing for nearly 20 years, but more money plus obvs annual leave, pension. I could have done it standing on my head.

The three people on the panel were in their 20s and I can honestly understand why they didn't want to recruit someone twice their age who began working in the field before they were born.

Although I did feel a bit mystified as to how they'd gained sufficient skills and experience in their short years out of university to secure roles with more seniority than I'd feel comfortable applying for but ho, hum.

Some professions, even ones you think might have only an academic route, have a professional one. I know economists, investment bankers, chartered accountants etc etc who all were fully qualified by their early to mid 20s.

Okay, this may be massively outing, but just in case anyone does have any suggestions.

I've been running training courses in mental health for many years - last 10 years mainly mental health at work as it's really taken off. I did a lot of Associate Work for a national mental health charity for example. Worked in mental health for 25 years overall, developed specialism in bespoke, practical courses, wide range of topics within the mental health area.

As people probably know, workplace well-being has exploded in the last few years and there are now an over supply of people working in the field. Mental health first aid, well-being apps etc.

I applied for a lot of jobs in mental health or training last year, but wasn't successful in getting anyone of them - someone else always had more relevant skills and experience. It seems to be a very young field now. It's much harder to connect with people during online interviews, I found, although I did apparently come over well.

Considering that maybe I no longer 'fit in' the mental health field, I started as MSc in Systems Thinking in Practice last year out of interest, because it seems to have wide potential application and because I'm interested in how workplaces can embed staff mental health into their cultures, systems, processes rather than seeing it as an (expensive) 'add on'.

So, all about organisational change/strategy, which I've obviously seen a lot of in the various organisations that I've worked with over the past 20 years, and feel that I do have something to contribute in some quiet little corner somewhere, but do need to be in an organisation in some shape or form to continue the next part of it.

During the nearly past two years of freelance remote working, I've felt more and more isolated and disconnected. Online training was adequate as a stop gap but as a way of life (which it will become in many organisations that are working out how to hybrid work) a poor substitute for in person interactions.

I also can't generate enough work (see above points re: over supply) nor, as yet, find a job.

All this has combined to really knock my confidence - I can see how much I've changed over the past few years. What would help my confidence is getting a foothold somewhere, and then I go round in circles.

Thanks for peoples contributions on this thread. I do understand that it might come across as me blocking everything that people are suggesting, but I honestly used a quietly confident, optimistic, give-it-a-go sort of person even up to starting this MSc in an area that I knew little about less than a year ago, and that's hard to imagine now as I feel so depleted.

Have or would you consider the Civil Service? Not your field but it does over a very wide variety of roles and someone with your specific skillset could find a space I think. I also think it might serve as a bit of a springboard to something more suited to you. One big advantage of CS is age is not an issue. Just a thought....

Thanks Jewel1968.

I have looked at the Civil Service website a number of times although couldn't really understand the 'job grade' information. I got a bit overwhelmed by trying to keep a search broad, but not really knowing what I was looking for I think.

I've done some work with various departments there over the years and get the sense that they're all very different, but don't know enough to have a real picture of somewhere where I might find a role.

Are there any resources eg internet forums where I may be able to find out more detail about what it's like working in various departments/roles do you know at all?

TIA

Good question. I am not sure if there are any websites that explains what it's like in each gov department. There should be. There is some information on how to apply as the process is a bit of a faff. I will see if I can find anything that helps.

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/recruitment

jobs.theguardian.com/article/want-to-work-in-the-civil-service

www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Not sure how much use these are but when I read your background I could deffo see you in the CS.

Yes, I was made redundant Aug 20 after the first spell of furlough. I was an events organiser and there were no events.

It took me six months of trying but eventually got two job offers in one week, a 12 month contract on average money and a permanent full time role on good money setting up a department, needing to turn my hand to anything marketing-related. I was 57. It was horribly stressy but I have a mortgage to pay, a son to raise. No choice, so I just had to grit my teeth and keep going.

Focus on your experience, your adaptability, your commercial acumen. Being freelance gives you skills and confidence that others can only dream of. You are totally professional, not a 20 something still having hangovers and romantic dramas.

You'll get there xx

I'm just chipping in to say good luck OP, and I'm sorry about your mum. I'm sure you must know all too well how grief clouds judgement, but I wanted to say, keep going. Your MSc sounds great and there must be some organisation, somewhere, crying out for these skills. With limited emotional resources, it's probably not what you want to hear, but think about widening your sources. Take out everyone you know for a coffee and see who they know, what they know. Research organisations whose work and ethos you admire and badger them for a "chat" (NB. not an interview) to see if you can get some kind of placement. Think breadth, not depth if you see what I mean. Good luck.

@Jewel1968

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/recruitment

jobs.theguardian.com/article/want-to-work-in-the-civil-service

www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Not sure how much use these are but when I read your background I could deffo see you in the CS.

Thanks - I will have a read.

MintJulia I'm glad to hear that you secured a new role. Yes, you're right that you do just need to keep going, but I'm trying to work out how to get myself into that frame of mind again.

Version thanks. I don't feel grief struck by my mum's death - her health had been deteriorating for a long time and the last year very rapidly. Although we've never had a close relationship, I was her only family in the UK and she needed someone to sort things out for her.

I could do without having loads of shit from my childhood being stirred up by having to sort out her house etc, but it's no harder than her calling me umpteen times a day in a state of distress iykwim.

Thanks again all.

What about Training Coordinator like this?

I thought a ThinkTank might suit you but mostly not hiring, not ones in health sector anyway.

Thank you lljkk.

I did see that job, and it looks very interesting, although it's the wrong part of London for me (it's on site).

I was looking at Think Tank type orgs last year, although yes not much movement at the moment.

NHS and its growing number of subsidiaries is another area that I've been applying to/keeping an eye on.

One of the best things I did, was know when to stop.

I'd spend each morning looking through job ads. a few hours tailoring cvs and application letters. But by 3pm, there was nothing useful left to do so I stopped. Turned off the PC, went for a walk, made a cake, did some ironing....anything non-job related.

Allow yourself that downtime.