How to Get a Job When You're 60 Plus

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Stay in bed. You're too old.

Craig Eliot of CA 10:31PM September 01, 2011

As an older worker, before spending money on more education, make sure you do informational interviews with prospective employers to see if you may be hired without experience in the field. The organizations doing the training will not necessarily tell older workers the truth about being hired.
At 60 I recently received my certificate in medical coding and have taken classes in medical billing. All employers want two years of billing and coding experience before they will hire you. I have years of experience in administrative, customer service, IT and sales, however, I can't get anyone to hire me or even let me volunteer as a medical coder.
I am volunteering at a hospice organization doing administrative work, data input and filing. The only hope I have is if they give me a chance in their finance dept. So far all they will let me do in that department is file.

Sharon of CA 6:46PM July 06, 2011

As a tradesman in his 60s I was seeking work in my chosen trade, got a job as a sub contract roof plumber.
Using the Company Ute I would take out one, often two, apprentices at a time, to perform various roof flashing tasks on new houses for the Domestic building contractor's.
Each week I would get New Apprentices,sometimes they had never even used a hammer before, all up I painstakingly "trained" about ten .
They were 17 going on 18 years of age and getting their driver license, then I noticed three brand new Utes in the yard, next thing noticed the apprentices going out on their own , They have little or no safety training and are working at heights above the legal limit, without safety rails on a daily basis, despite the fact that the Company has a branch that INSTALLS safety rails.
This lasted about six months, when one day I was told "we wont be needing you tomorrow, were not that busy' ................no notice, no explanation, no further contact.
I rang one of the apprentices and he confirmed that they were going to jobs on their own, unsupervised
I am as fit and strong as ever,and never had a complaint about my work, so this was not the issue.
From the very start ,The C/- 39 y.o. Boss kept a distance from me ,not engaging in conversation etc, it is clear to me now that his attitude to older people is a very basic business decision , Hire em,' use em, n' loose em.
Sadly I believe people do not want to have older persons then themselves as employees,
In my opinion the only hope for older people to have ANY self esteem, recognition, or credibility, is to be your own boss and work for yourself, a little too late for most of us I'm sorry to say .
Brace yourself's for the disappointments ahead, and good luck.
John Brown .Eastern suburbs. Melbourne Australia

John Brown 6:28PM July 01, 2011

I am an Indian worked in INDIAN AIR FORCE for 20 years in Instrumentation as Sergeant and Air craft instructor for transport air craft.
After doing plenty of automation courses joined industries. Worked abroad for Instrumentation and Automation projects of Cement plants for 16 years.
Have excellent knowledge in Instrumentation systems and Automation projects , operation and maintenance , modifications.
As my age is now 60 plus , still physically and mentally fit to give my best
services to any of the organizations.

CINANE HANUMANTHA RAO 12:34AM February 07, 2011

Please recommend me some geninue websites for work at home, I already wasted lot of time and money with scam websites
thanks
ovaisj

ovaisj of TX 11:42PM December 20, 2010

My husband was laid off in his 50's, is now 60, and either his age or poor credit because of late bills is hindering him. He got retraining and gets interviews but no job. Employers with attitude that older guys are too set in their ways may someday be in the same boat. Lay off the older HR people so we have new blood who are not so prejudiced, and make it illegal to discriminate on credit history (criminals probably have great credit because they can pay their bills) or age.

s boyer of PA 10:47AM August 13, 2010

This comment is for Cheyenne Peyton of CO. Maybe you never be in the shoes of a senior looking for a job; because if you enter that treshhold, with your attitude, you will find yourself looking for eons. I do not believe that a senior should have to grovel to find or keep a job. In this modern, and global economy, many seniors have gone back to college, earn their degrees, and are now mostly overqualified for the minial jobs offered them. Many have to resort to food-stamps, and other social help in order to keep their heads over water. These seniors are highly skilled and keep abreast of the newest technology avaible in the job market.

Christine Horold of NC 11:57PM July 08, 2010

And I suppose the 58 year old who wouldn't hire older workers is the same sort of fellow who dismisses the unemployed with "why don't you get a job"?
Employment is a two-way street, people who want to work should be able to get jobs and not be denied them because of age or experience.
The notion that the older worker is set in his ways is absurd, people continue to learn thru out life. For that matter most of what is needed on any job has little to do with the "latest". Jobs are 80% getting along with people and only 20% technical. The youngster with the latest text book learning is not necessarily the best at working with others.
Age bias is as irrational and as perverse as race discrimination.

Bubba of MN 10:41PM June 30, 2010

At any age you have to earn a job. At no age are you guaranteed a job. At no age are you entitled to a job. If you are older, experience counts for very little. Just because you have experience doesn't mean you are the best qualified for a position. While it's always good to have a veteran working for you if this veteran is convinced that the way they did things when they were 20 years younger works today, they don't deserved to be hired. They will drag your business down. They are beyond learning anything new. They have an attitude that is toxic to companies. I wouldn't hire them.
Unless...
Unless they are adaptible, unless they want to learn, unless they will shut up and never say the words no one wants to ever hear in a company, "when I was with ABC Company we did things this way." Any senior who utters those words should be fired on the spot.
But if a senior worker can let go of their past, learn new ways of doing things they might have done differently in the past, be open to trying new way and be humble in their approach to getting a job, they this person will be one of the best candidates you could ever employ.
But experience, as valuable as that is, never should be the main criteria for hiring someone. They have to be humble, they have to still be able to learn new things and they never can say what they are entitled to, just because they are older. Humility not arrogance will get seniors good jobs.,

Cheyenne Peyton of CO 2:24AM June 07, 2010

I have literally been trying to get a simple office assistant or administrative assistant for years with no luck! After my husband left I went back to school at age 52, obtained an Associate in Business Administration, and have been unsuccessful in finding gainful employment. I had a few temporary jobs but the employees came back to work from their leaves/vacations so they were always just temporary jobs. I am told I look young for my age but it doesn't help. I obviously am over 45 which is the "over the hill age" according to many. I have tried retail jobs but I'm always told "you have no RETAIL experience". What is an older person to do?

Lani of CA 4:54PM April 11, 2010