7 Tips for Finding a Job After 50

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After quitting my job of 22 years in a large American city, and returning to my hometown , I was shocked at the frustration, and mental exhaustion of trying to find a job even with survival wages. I am 59, and unless you know someone through social networking, you are probably not going to get any response to your resumes. (After two months of continuous hunting)... I finally got a job at an hourly minimum wage, through a relative's friend of a friend, who owns a business. Job hunting is a demeaning, humiliating, frustrating, at times enraging, mentally exhausting effort , and I would not wish it on anyone. I don't have a college education, and I guess you could say I am a professional "nothing", but I couldn't even get a job as a waitress, in the local coffee shops. There were lots of openings, but I was passed over. I didn't state my age on the resume, but I guess it would be easy to figure out. I found most of the jobs I applied for were given to employees internally, and the interviews I managed to get...ended up in phone calls telling me a current employee had decided to transfer for the position. These were places where they seemed to be age-friendly..there were ladies employed there older than me, (very plain, no makeup, outdated hairstyles). Job hunting is highly commercialized, where employers use phrases like TEAM PLAYER, and THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX, ARE YOU A VISIONARY? on and on, until I couldn't look at another job description. Even for the lowest paying positions, (like the one I managed to get). The job description was always FAST-PACED, ABILITY TO MULTI-TASK, CUT, PEEL, SHRED, MASH, TAKE ORDERS, ANSWER PHONES, LEAP TALL BUILDINGS IN A SINGLE BOUND. I was out of breath after reading them. I have only 3 years left to retirement, and I'm hoping I'll be able to keep the job I was hired for.

Michelle 4:19PM February 09, 2013

I noticed most of the 20 fastest growing jobs require a degree. Not all of us have a degree so what is out there for us. By the way many women 50 or older who have worked in an office setting are computer literate and still can't find a job. What do they do, they aren't old enough for Social Security and they have bills to pay.

Linda of GA 4:15PM December 28, 2012

That it is,although i don't want a job 7 hours long standing with repetitive motion it's what I have.
Thanks for the info yeah I wanted to relate to other people maybe starting healthcare for elderly because I thought could be a better income,no way.I can stil enjoy the rest of my left life. Strenuous job ...How to say it in japanese?

huaman macetas ana of AL 2:17AM October 10, 2012

Hello: I work t alianza Dominicana for more than 16years and when i think that i can retire with dignity the institution closet their doors and all of us can find another job because our ages i speak for myself but for all those people that are outside that have to live with a unemployed benefit, witch is not enough. for living

Luisa Almanzar of NY 10:38AM September 08, 2012

The supply of labor is so much greater than the demand for labor that employers can be extremely selective. With health care costs on the rise and greed ruling the world the over 50 worker is in real trouble. It is hard to look 30 when your 50. It is much harder and takes longer for an over 50 person to find work. If you are unemployed for very long you are pretty much done becuase there is probably a younger person who is still working also applying for the job. If you have any money left at that point it is time to start washing windows door to door. If your completely broke you can try dancing in front of your hat on the corner.

Braithwaite of FL 4:51PM August 10, 2011

my husband is 30.He has a masters degree in Marketing and Finance. He si currently unemplyed as we shifted location.he has been looking for a job for over a year now with no luck.he was working in construction logistics in dubai (where we were based earlier).
He is interested in pursuing logistics in FMCG industry..Any advice on how he can go about doing it .

confidential 8:06AM June 23, 2011

Hiring managers are often lazy and narrow minded. They want people who are just like them, who are teh same age, who went to the same schools, who have the same tastes etc. They usually use teh school the person went to as a filter so they don't have to do it. A person who went to Wharton or Tuck is considered a superior being to one who went to a state school for example. Its also easier to hire a younger person from a prestigious school. They come cheaper, are superior (so they think) and will stay longer than someone over 50. I actually had a hiring manager say directly to me "Why should we hire you when we can hire someone from yale?" If he was testing me I would say that a hiring interview is no place to play games with people. Thus if you are over 50 and went to a second tier school will find it brutal to find work in this economy.
Remember in any organization many people can say no. From teh receptionist to the guy in the mail room to the HR manager they can reject you by simply not moving your resume up the ladder. Only one person can say YES and that is the person you must find by hook or crook. Finding him and getting your information into his hands requires guile, research and nerve. Sometimes its just a matter of walking into the office and studying the office directory usually it takes a lot of work. When you find the guy, and it wont be in the HR department,
Web sites like Monster .com are largely useless but should be used under the idea of turning over every rock, but don't depend on them for anything. People who use them look for key phrases and very specific skills and experience.
Don't lie about anything that can be simply looked up. Don't give yourself a degree or award you don't have.
Don't try to age proof your resume. Vague dates are a red flag to any experienced hiring manager. A genuine hiring manager, who is not a lazy snob, will tell you about the job and what he needs and what his work problems are, and not ask about other nonsense like your age and where do you think you will be in 5 years.

Ross Mandell of CT 1:53PM April 06, 2010

Not everyone is at an executive level. Older execs are accepted more readily than high-tech professionals. Especially those professionals who have specialized areas. High-tech is for the 30-somethings, not the 50-60 somethings.

Strictly Confidential of NJ 3:19PM March 26, 2010

I got laid off at age 51. I did all the usual things that people tell you when you're looking for a job. Job Boards for executives. Went to "networking" events and talked to other old unemployed people. Nothing worked, until I tried something really unique. I bought a course on what I would call extreme networking. Got it from Old Headhunter Secrets. A month later, I got a VP job at nearly the same salary I had before. You have to do a lot more research on a company you want to work for. Study the website, sure, but then talk to people at the company. Find out where (or with who) they are having problems, take those people out to lunch if you have to. Ask them to introduce you to other people in their department. Talk to them too. Every company has problems. Then don't send a resume, create a business presentation on how you can solve their problems. Pick up the phone and talk to the CEO or a SVP about how you can save them money or increase revenue (or both) and then ask for a meeting! The third time I did this, the CEO hired me on the spot!

Ken Andrews of MA 9:33AM December 29, 2009

I got laid off at age 51. I did all the usual things that people tell you when you're looking for a job. Job Boards for executives. Went to "networking" events and talked to other old unemployed people. Nothing worked, until I tried something really unique. I bought a course on what I would call extreme networking. Got it from Old Headhunter Secrets. A month later, I got a VP job at nearly the same salary I had before. You have to do a lot more research on a company you want to work for. Study the website, sure, but then talk to people at the company. Find out where (or with who) they are having problems, take those people out to lunch if you have to. Ask them to introduce you to other people in their department. Talk to them too. Every company has problems. Then don't send a resume, create a business presentation on how you can solve their problems. Pick up the phone and talk to the CEO or a SVP about how you can save them money or increase revenue (or both) and then ask for a meeting! The third time I did this, the CEO hired me on the spot!

Ken Andrews of MA 9:23AM December 29, 2009