Redundant at 53 - what the heck now?

[Toastandmarmite999]

Hi,

I was made redundant just before Christmas.

I'd retrained in this job 3 years ago and it's taken these 3 years for it to become clear to both me and my employer that I just wasn't cut out for my new chosen career.

So I'm returning to what I know - admin/secretarial/office managerial - and I'm currently applying for so many jobs - it's exhausting.

I'm a lone parent - I have enough savings to keep us going until March, but I'm finding that I'm not even getting asked for interviews despite having a strong CV.

This has never happened before and I can only assume that it's because of my age. The last time I was in the job market was over 10 years ago (I was hired at my previous role through an internship whilst studying).

Are others my age here finding the same - do you have similar experiences? I've registered with 14 recruitment agencies, but nothing yet.

Admittedly it's early days and there's been Christmas and New Year to get through - but I'm already panicking and applying for jobs that will leave us out of pocket, or a commute which will mean leaving my DD before she leaves for school and not being there for when she gets back (I was WFH before which was ideal).

Please send me some rays of hope you silver beauts - any tips, any success stories. Thanks x

It is just really tough these past few months, each job in my sector probably has something like 200 applications according to LinkedIn job ads and speaking to agencies.

From the ONS 'The estimated number of vacancies in September to November 2023 was 949,000, a decrease of 45,000, down by 4.5% since June to August 2023 with vacancies falling in 16 of the 18 industry sectors.

Vacancy numbers fell on the quarter for the 17th consecutive period in September to November 2023, the longest consecutive run of quarterly falls ever recorded.'

Temping is a great way to get your foot in the door!

There are lots to choose from, I'd google "best rated recruitment agencies in " town name" and see which ones score highest.

You can still job hunt but it would ease the financial pressure.

My 60 year old sister was in this situation last year. She registered with a recruitment agency and was temping within 2 weeks (admin). She worked non-stop on a couple of assignments for about 4-5 months until her final contract offered her a permanent admin role.

Like you, she thought her age would be problematic but her agency told her they couldn't give two hoots about her age, they just wanted reliable staff who would turn up on time and do the job!

Good luck xxx

Isn’t it weird OP how the effects of ageism sneak up on you? I expected it to be gradual, but it isn’t.

I went from being 45-47 completely on top of my game and confident of multiple offers if I felt like moving jobs … to being 50 and working for a company who are completely transparent about preferring younger employees, and even with mandatory retirement at age 60 in some roles! I am almost completely sure they will look to manage me out within the next 5 years.

Somehow despite still routinely exceeding all of my (demanding) targets and out performing those younger than me, my “performance is a concern” these days. Prior to hitting 50, with the same performance metrics, I was in the “high achiever” group.

Agism sucks, and bites you in the arse far earlier than you expect it to.

even with mandatory retirement at age 60 in some roles

Surely that's illegal if you are in the UK?

NRFT

You need to be claiming universal credit from the very first day your work ceased. This ensures you national insurance payments are kept up-to-date. Don't wait until all your savings is gone. You're a job seeker and you've been paying NI so you should be entitled to something even if is only for a limited amount of time. After that you may not get anything income based if you've a DP working but should still get your NI paid.

What are the IT/digital skills that are considered to be must haves these days? I know what they used to be but wondered if recent developments have changed anything.

You don’t need to put your age on your CV - they can kinda figure your age based on previous employment history etc. but they won’t know exactly.

My mum was 60 when she got a new job last year. Just keep applying and I’m sure it will happen. I think the job market in general is quite hard atm. I have friends 29/30 who are struggling to find jobs so I don’t think it’s just your age.

If you did I Levels they can tell you are older. They were discontinued in 1987. Similarly if you did a degree at a Polytechnic. There are lots of easy clues.
In many jobs you have to put dates of employment as they want to see if there are any gaps.

O levels

If you did I Levels they can tell you are older. They were discontinued in 1987. Similarly if you did a degree at a Polytechnic. There are lots of easy clues

Which is why your CV should only go back 10 years at most so as not to give people the easy clues.

Like you, she thought her age would be problematic but her agency told her they couldn't give two hoots about her age, they just wanted reliable staff who would turn up on time and do the job!

Also my experience as a long term temp in my 50s and early 60s. Reliable hardworking temp staff are cherished by any decent agency.

Re the O level thing, I don't mention my GCSEs anyway. You can always say GCSE maths and English equivalent if you really want to put them on your CV. I wouldn't though - if they need those, I'm they'll ask you when you apply.

OP is 53, her school record is irrelevant with (I assume) a solid work history behind her.

Try banks and building societies, they are very big on diversity and appreciate experience.

@MrsDanversGlidesAgain I have never applied for a job that does not ask for all your educational achievements, including at school.

And all the jobs I apply for ask you for your complete work history.

And I can't recall the last time I was asked for them, if I ever was (first one perhaps, just after graduation). So OP will have to decide for herself whose experience trumps whose about the need for qualifications on a CV.

And all the jobs I apply for ask you for your complete work history

Never been asked for that, either. My CV would be a leaflet if I had every job I've ever done in 45 years (assuming I could remember all the temp assignments). Instead it's two pages going back to 2010 and oddly enough that seems enough to get me jobs. Good ones, too.

Yes, I think you are agreeing with me if you read my post? I said that I wouldn't bother with putting GCSEs on a CV. If they do have them as a requirement, they'll soon ask.

If you apply to work in schools though they do sometimes want EVERYTHING. I had to supply my GCSE, AS level, A level and degree certificates when I got my first job in a school - I was applying to be a lunchtime supervisor FGS 😂. But they don't let you apply with a CV anyway. The ones who want your full history often don't accept them ime.

One good reason not to apply for a job in a school. What purpose does having all this info serve? I mean, how would knowing I was in the Civil Service for 18 months from 1975 be relevant to a job as a lunchtime supervisor in 2024?

Well one of my team retired. A year in she was so bored with retirement! We hired her back in her mid sixties. Her age wasn't a factor.

I mean...I'm only 40 and this was a while ago, so I didn't have to go back to the 70s or anything. It really didn't bother me tbh.

There are many good reasons not to apply to work in a school though! Having to supply ID and exam certs wasn't that off-putting to me the behaviour of many of the students was

The sector I am in tend to ask for job application forms to be completed, not a cv. I do leave off temporary jobs while studying, but they expect to see no gaps in work and study history.
And if you do not, your application will be rejected. I have also had to provide O level certificates about 35 years after taking them. I do not work in a school.
Not all sectors are the same.

OP generally companies that describe themselves as dynamic want young staff.

Many banks ask for full history too. I wrote on another thread about a parent being furious with the college I worked at as we were unable to supply a reference as the pupil had left over 20 years prior. Bank wouldn’t budge apparently.

BUPA also (or used to) ask for a full history including education, all employment and any gaps. The PPA used to as well. The last two were fairly big employers in the general area where I live.

Hi,

I think you need to find a way to explain you want to return to your previous type of role after a 10 year career change. Otherwise it'll look as though you are just looking for a stop-gap until you find another job in your current field

No gaps in employment demands from CV checking companies are a pain in the rear end. I had this at exjob when I went temp to perm. Apparently I was supposed to inform all my social circle the minute I had a week's gap in assignments so they could be called on to prove I was not up to something nefarious when I wasn't actually working. In the end I said 'you've got my CV, ring the agency I worked for to fill in the gaps' and sat them out.