Older Workers May Find Open Arms at Nonprofits

Reader Comments
Back to blog

I am 56 and recently unemployed. The doctor I worked for laid off or in his words, let go with no intention to re-hire, to keep his business afloat. He turned around and hired a 26 year old non-experienced female at a slighter lower rate for 40 hours.. This young lady is also the sister of a family friend.
The two of us, both over 56, that were let go were told at the meeting the doctor would hire a part time person at minimum wage for a total of 20 hours. His wife would work the other two days. His wife created the financial issue by not processing claims in a timely manner.
I do not anticipate finding a job within the next two years, if ever. I feel very strongly that employers are discarding the over 40 female. I'm not sure where this will all lead to but I feel like I was thrown out like dirty dish water because of my age. Hopefully, employers will pull their heads out of their asses and realize what they are losing. I'm not feeling so alone in this category after finding site. Thanks for creating it.

breezy of WA 2:15AM December 16, 2011

I live in a small town and thought I was the only one in this situation. Ive been looking for three months and have had one interview. I don't know what to do I'm out of money the government doesn't help people that don't have little children. So now what?

June of CA 9:35PM April 11, 2009

Totally agree with the last poster. Wake up time. Many non-profit are funded by United Way, Grants or some fundraising process of their own. All sources of money are taking hits. United Way allocations are being cut. More non-profits to fight over fewer grant awards and individual donor contributions are down. More non-profit will lean toward those with fund development and grant writing experience. But their world ain't looking so hot right now either. There is no place to run.

nancy of NY 3:20PM February 12, 2009

Wow. As a woman 40+++ working in the HR field, the only advice I can give is attitude, Attitude, ATTITUDE.
My friend (40++ and in another State) has been looking for a job for many, many months. Each time she has an interview - she comments on her life being decided by a 12 year old. I try and remind her that that attitude shows through on the phone, and in the interview.
My Mother, who will be 71 yrs old here very soon, has felt the stockmarket crunch and lost most of her retirement. So she started looking for a job. She negotiated and was hired as an Accountant with a fast growing company which is owned by a 30+. She sold herself on reliability, commitment, and her great attitude. (her competition were close to 30-40 years her junior)
I know there are many horror stories out there about clueless interviewers and hiring managers. The candidates I see feel it necessary to describe their experiences in detail, repeatedly.
I don't know who said it - "You can train skills - but you can't train attitude."

Wendy of CA 7:49PM February 09, 2009

I, too, am faced with the very real possibility of becoming homeless and destitute in the next 30 days. After being a honest American Citizen, who obeyed the rules, earned my own way since the age of 15, never cheated on taxes and raised three children, I now find I am unhireable, undesirable, and just a total mess. Of course I did receive the offer to become my oldest daughter's maid and nanny to my grandchild. While I love my grandchild, it is not who I am. I cannot give up everything I love, sell my possessions or give them to some half-ass flea market vendor and become totally dependent for everything from medication (which by the way costs approximately $300 per month- no health insurance, and they have already told me they couldn't afford to pay for me),give my one paid for vehicle to my 18 year old because "I owe it to her" (who did it all while her no good father was in jail for 8 year?) and become nothing more than a taxi service with no tips who can't even buy a pair of shoes.
I don't understand it. I also have sent resumes by email as requested to numerous companies. After being in management for over 25 years I can't even get a job as a clerk at Walmart or a maid at a hotel. If I try to discuss it with friends (actually they probably shouldn't be considered friends) and family, the reply I tend to get is "Oh My God"...then the conversation turns to them. I have two brothers and a son who won't even return my emails so it isn't just employers who treat you as if you had the plague, it's family also. How sad. How heartbreaking.
HR Managers need to change their way of thinking. These young folks they hire will only be around maybe a year or two and they will change jobs for as little as a 10 cent per hour raise. Women in my situation won't leave. They will endure the harshest of situations, less money and still won't leave. Why? Because we know we aren't wanted in he workplace and valued very little no matter what our qualifications are. This country has become very, very, shameful.

C. C. Andrews of NC 11:06PM January 02, 2009

Not for women, not for anyone over 40. I have been out of work for 16 months. In January I get to tap into my IRA just to pay the mortgage and give a hefty sum (my penalty) to Uncle Sam. I also get to call my lender and attempt to arrange a short sale of my home. Having been frugal in personal spending, I was fortunate to create my own temporary parachute that lasted 16 months. Now, nearly penniless, I am down to consuming the equivalent of one 500 calorie meal per day. It's the only way I can try to stretch my nearly dry savings account. Interesting, we can cough up money for the banks and other big industries with hands outstretched, but there's no bailout for taxpayers. Seems the America of the last 8 years only cared for the rich and greedy who have managed to ruin the country and its economy. By April, I will be homeless and destitute. Masters degree and outstanding work records mean absolutely nothing. 500 resumes and 6 interviews later, I feel I can write a book about the experience. If the hiring manager is closer to 50, they act interested, but that's it; they can't wait to slam the door shut. If the hiring manager is younger, they act as if they would prefer to stick needles in their eyes than to interview an "old" person; they are visibly uncomfortable trying to interview a candidate as old as mom and dad. Plain and simple, not one Gen X-er/Gen Y-er wants to work with someone who reminds them of the parental units (And yes, believe it or not, extremely young hiring managers do exist; my 21 year old neighbor is a hiring manager with not one college class on her resume, nor any serious job experience, and a very shallow attitude, but hey, she's perfected the art of kissing up and batting her big doe eyes, so she's all set with a big hefty paycheck and job security!) Unless my masters degree and I land a job cleaning offices within the next 30 days, I am headed for skid row. Sorry to say this, but ... seems many Boomers have raised a generation of spoiled-rotten, greedy, and inconsiderate brats, and the trend is destined to continue.
Signed, jobless, penniless, and headed for homelessness in SoCal.

Alarmed by today's trends of CA 12:24AM December 08, 2008

Why doesn't somebody talk about the real experience of being unemployed, single and over 50- female. even with great skills.
It is horrifying- shocking and much like Texas describes. totally unwanted. a sense of actually being despised- spit on somehow- not considered. i know these are hard words, but i cant think of how else to say it.
I agree it can feel like they want you to go away. period. die.
why don't you spend some ink on this subject- when will this change?
What will happen to us? We blame ourselves. it is just horrible.

aafdf of 11:59AM November 29, 2008

Hey, what planet are you on? I want to go ASAP.
I'm 55. just downsized from a nonprofit. PLEASE NOTE, they are being hit hard by the recession. People can't give, nonprofits suffer.
AND, it is totally hit and miss, like in corporations, about how they receive older workers.
Don't kid yourself. survey smurvey. they should make some researches apply and interview as an older person. MURDER
It can be devastating emotionally and financially. Mostly if you are interviewed by someone near your age, they are nice and actually consider you- maybe.
Others, the 30 yo HR people treat at least me like yesterday's lunch- or worse. much worse.

dds of MD 11:53AM November 29, 2008

I totally agree with everything Anonymous in Texas says about the workplace for older women. There is definitely job discrimination and we are really just cast aside because of our age and gray hair. We can't even be allowed to "look our age", without ageist comments. I have quit coloring my hair and worrying about how I compare to younger women. I WANT to be comfortable of who I am in the workplace and not feel the need to compete with younger women; I want to be a mentor to the young women & men coming into the workplace.
I love working, have done so since I was 16 years old, (I'm 60 ow), and have acquired such a variety of so many marketable skills. The young people coming out of college have had to concentrate so much on education and working a lot of menial jobs to pay for that education, that us older workers should be allowed to mentor these younger workers....that's the way it was when I entered the workplace so very long ago, and I valued those relationships. This is such a sad commentary for the American workplace. Any company that hires me is lucky to have someone with a great work ethic, computer knowledge and programming from day one of computers in the workplace and a plethora of varying job careers, most of which were promotions and head-hunters calling me.
I'm so very proud of my working career and the role model I became for my children. What a shame that companies have lost that need for experienced and senior employees, in exchange for the inexperienced and cheap!

Agnes of AR 5:48PM November 06, 2008

I was a newspaper reporter for many years. I could do everything except run the press on a newspaper..and THEN CAME THE INTERNET!
I found out that not too many people want an older person working for them.
Faced with destitution and being homeless and the prospect of getting beat up by hardcore homeless people who WANT to be that way, I became so poor,I qualified for the Pell Grant and I went back to school to try and update my work skills so I would be able to get another job that pays a living wage instead of the backbreaking, menial labor josb I had before the undocumented workers flooded the employment market and I am unemployed again.
Nowadays, the employers only want e-mail resumes..
It is hard to fill the gap where I did not work for two years because I was broadsided by the bad e-economy collapse and had a series of disastrous, short-term "jobs" with exploitative employers who figured that if I was desperate enough for a job I would not report the horrible way they disregarded having the required Workman's Comp insurance, did not pay overtime if at all and every day at work became an endurance contest to see what hell would be placed before you next.
For some reason, if you are over 45, and you are a woman and you don't have a family or independent means -- you face the DOUBLE WHAMMY of AGE and GENDER discrimination!
The same sort of thing you faced when you first started working only now, it is the opposite end of the same poison and I am SICK AND TIRED OF IT!
I e-mail 10 -12 resumes a day not mentioning age as I was told to do but IF I EVEN GET A REPLY, it is usually an auto-response mechanically notifying me that I have not been selected for the position and good luck trying to find work elsewhere. Sometimes these auto-mailers are more polite but that it what it means.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A JOB YOU CAN'T PAY THE BILLS!
THe last job interview I had--- and it has been a while, I was told "Why don't you just apply for Social Security." I have about 15 years before I am even elgible to apply or even consider it!
So what happens if I DO NOT WORK and DO NOT GET A JOB?
THIS is WHAT I am looking at.
Many women in my generation did not have children and never married. Our family passed away without a thought of providing for us an inheritance because they believed the old-fashioned aw that we would be able to marry well and our husbands would provide for us.
There were so many of us Baby Boomers that the job market was almost overflowing and not all of us had the opportunity to interview for the Golden Parachute jobs. I have never had a job that offered me health insurance or any other kind of insurance IN MY LIFE!
I had to call the Social Security Administration to make sure that the employers I was working for were actually paying into the Social Security fund that was supposedly being put aside for me in my so-called golden years.
I want to work but no one wants to talk to me.
I am making a good showing here in the Gladiator of Academia competing with the 18-12 year olds for the Grade Points which won't matter anyway since I have seen more than my share of PhDs sweeping floors and Masters Degree people driving cabs.
When I finish school, I wonder what sort of job I will be able to get.
The Auto-Mail rejections continue to pile higher and higher and I feel like withdrawing from society and only coming out at night. I guess that is what is expected of me. Like, WHY DON'T OLD WOMEN JUST GO AWAY AND DIE!
It is an interesting feeling.
Rejected and discriminated against for being a woman in the first place and unable to pursue the jobs I would have excelled in and now, after all of the rich life experiences I have had, all the things I have faced, to find that I am still reject4ed and discriminated against because I have become an OLD WOMAN, it's almost too much to bear.
I was seriously considering law or being a paralegal but am still looking for that law office where wisdom,discretion,courtesy, work ethic and ability will be judged by performance instead of being an Ali McBeal clone lookalike!
I am ANGRY that this society seems to have learned so little and I am also somewhat sad and afraid of what will happen to me and the thousands of other women like me who are at least able to contribute something of worth only to be told that we need to be in coffins or nursing homes instead of bring a solid work ethic, the unfailing ability to do a wide variety of things very,very well (But ,NOW as THEN, will probably never get the opportunity to show what we CAN do!)
I am glad that we can finally run a Black MAN for President but we can't find a woman candidate to run for President.
I am sadly contemplating my options and wondering what to do next...