Can't find work

[dework]

I have recently turned 51. Have worked all my life in recruitment, but haven't since having DC v late in life. Now I am ready to go back to work, but even local LIDL rejected my application. Absolutely have no idea where to find any kind of position. See women my age working in Sainsbury's, M&S, but have been rejected after sending my application to all of them. Absolutely had no idea I will be in this situation late in life :(

At what stage in the recruitment process are you being rejected? Is it the online form or the interview?

How long have you not been working for? Did you do any voluntary work in your career gap?

Probably because you look over qualified and they think you'll leave as soon as you get something better.

Does your cv make the best of your experience etc? I imagine, as you’ve worked in recruitment, you would have a good idea about how to present your skills etc? Do you need a few online skills courses to bump things up? A little bit of volunteering / charity shop work to add something really current and show you’re serious about returning to work?

There are lots of admin jobs in schools. It's really hard to find good people. Maybe take a look at a few local school websites. Lots of Are hubbing up their HR teams.

Try civil service, police, nhs, government roles.

usually blind applications, and tick boxes- as long as you meet the criteria, you will get an interview. Then if you score highest on interview, you will get the job. It’s a mathematical exercise, no room for personal preferences or opinions.

I had to take an entry role, but once you’re “in” and learn how things work, it’s relatively easy to move around and up. Often encouraged as well.

Sign up for this email, it's free, and see if any of these companies take your fancy. Returners are really popular at the moment

womenreturners.com/

I signed up with a temping agency and got hired from there. I’m 54 and my age hasn’t been an issue so far.

I've just hired someone in my office who is 65. Keep looking!!

Online form.

I'd join a temp agency. Never know where some temp jobs lead.

Do you tailor your CV, statements and and online answers to the role?
Are you overqualified?
I don't suggest that you lie on your CV but being economical with the truth can help. Eg: don't mention degree in education section or reduce wages from previous job to match the job applied for.
I speak from experience here, I am well educated but life has thrown a few barriers in the way and I can't go back to my career or any job in certain sectors. I only got a suitable "low wage, manual job" after altering my CV.

Do a little bit of research on the company/ role / wages and think about the perfect person they want... and morph into this dream applicant.

Why don't you go back to recruitment rather than a supermarket?

I returned to work this year aged 50 for the council. Not the oldest in my department! And - in a previous life I hired a 66 year old because he was the best for the job!

Online forms in big organisations are probably shortlisted by an algorithm or person using narrow parameters. Wonder what the retail online form uses to sift and reject 🤔

If it’s an online form it’s likely that there are key words or phrases.

there’s a rumour someone in my organisation got a job by knowing the key words, and just said/wrote those. No context, no sense. each one got a point, and they ended up scoring highest and getting an interview/job 😂

you’ll find once you hit that magic formula and get an interview, you can c&p with small tweaks for each job, and get an interview every time.

look up whether employers base applications on competencies or job knowledge, and tailor accordingly. Competencies are a slightly different way of writing as it’s evidencing an are with specific examples.

I'd also suggest signing up with a recruitment agency.

Hi OP I went back to work late 40s, after a hiatus for one reason or another and I too was refused jobs. No disrespect to anyone these where for cleaning jobs and Iceland for example. The Job Coach at the job centre said there’s no point in me applying for these jobs because I’m over qualified and the employees know that I would unlikely stay for long. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.
Good Luck

Key words are your friend. Look at the JD and include as many of those words as reasonable possible within the context of your CV
Initial sorting is often via an algorithm

There are loads, and I really mean LOADS of older women (40s, 50s +) in university admin roles at all levels (I dont consider that to be old, being in that bracket myself, i should say!). In my dept we have just hired one woman in her mid 50s and one in her early 60s, both with decades of experience in other fields.

Have you thought about care work?? Plenty of people needed for that and you could work in a Nursing Home or do Agency work to start with. All you need is to tailor your CV correctly and sound keen to learn to look after people.

If you wanted to then move on you could kid complete the Care Certificate & try some Agency shifts in a hospital which could lead to a job of any kind in a hospital as it's about getting your face & abilities known.

Don't suppose you're in Buckinghamshire are you? I am DESPERATE to recruit reliable admin staff and would take pretty much anyone who can be bothered to turn up to the interview!

That is exactly what I am getting at the rare interviews I manage to even be invited to! That I am overqualified and will leave after 6 months.
My problem is that I have no formal qualifications, as I came to London from Europe many moons ago (still got the accent!) and worked my way up. Then had children, stayed at home for far too long. It is my own doing, I absolutely acknowledge that it is my fault, but there I am 😭😭
I have had this 'crazy' idea to go to Uni. I can still get in for Jan start. To do Finance and Accounting at Anglia Ruskin London Uni. I already have foundation level in bookkeeping from college in London (again, many moons ago), but never worked as an accountant.
What chances will 50+yo, newly-qualified woman have to get a job, then?
I am asking You, wise MNters, as I have literally nobody to talk about this in RL. Wouldn't want to burden myself with student loans, but really really want to go for it. My DCs are 11 and 14.
Thanks to Everybody, who have read and responded!

I am an accountant and have always worked at a pretty senior level until a few years ago when I exited the workforce for personal reasons. At age of 52 I decided to go back to work but not at the level I was before. I did not get even one responses from dozens of supermarket / retail applications I made. And in fact I think I only got one response from many other finance / admin type of online applications I made, even that response was from a recruiter, it didn’t get any further.

In the end I got work very quickly when I walked into one of those high street recruitment agencies and spoke to somebody face to face. It was really helpful to have a chat with somebody, to explain that I was deliberately taking a step back and wasn’t just taking something until something better came along.

Putting my professional accountant hat back on, in honestly, no I don’t think going back to university will help a great deal in finding an entry level position into this type of work, I certainly don’t think it is worth getting into debt for. I would instead try an agency and look to get a finance clerical entry level role.

I would approach your local college and JCP - there are loads of government funded schemes at the moment aimed at getting people back into work.

Things like SWAPs and Adult Skills Bootcamps pair with employers so you can learn a skill as well as employment skills and include job interviews with employers.