Older and job hunting ?...tips for older job hunters

 

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We are supposed to be in the age of equal opportunities. The age at which we can claim our retirement pension is being increased and no applicant for a job or employee can be discriminated against on the grounds of age....not knowingly that is....

The reality is quite different, with employers getting around the law by advertising their companies as 'A young and funky environment', or choosing to advertise an apprenticeship rather than a job. Even to get an interview the older job applicant needs to resort to some deception.

Try not to date yourself on your CV, once you get a foot in the door with an interview, you can prove yourself wrong to the doubters ,but you need to secure an interview .In my case and for most older job hunters our school qualifications are a give away, O Levels rather than GCSE's. Just list your subject sand passes rather than saying O levels. List your degree but not the date of graduation

Rather than making a list of every job you ever had, which in many cases is a work history beginning in the 70's, just detail the past ten or maybe fifteen years.

Unfortunately for older people the CV being fired off to hundreds of vacancies can still be a turn off and receive very little, and frequently no response. A better way for older people to look for jobs is to network and let everyone you know and your online contacts vis LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter know that you are looking for a job. Don't be afraid of social media and say its not for you, not your thing, you really do need to get yourself known out there and network. Join forums and groups etc. that relate to your interests and chat and communicate, as you build up contacts you then let people know that you are job hunting.

Another way to network is to get job hunting help at Job clubs, which can often be found at community centres and local libraries, or government job seekers schemes such as the Work Programme. It isn't just the staff who will help you, At such job clubs and projects you are in good company with lots of people in the same position as yourself. Its moral support, and what often happens is that someone else will spot an opening they know meets your skills set, which you may not be aware of e.g., it is in a different local edition of a newspaper , or a paper you don't read, or online job board you are not aware of.