Get Interviews-not job-Over 50

cuckoo nice to meet you too. Thank you for your kind words, I so appreciate the fellowship here at Dave's.

Defoecat, good to hear from you and I certainly do send "Thank You Notes" they are valuable, it shows who you are inside away from the resume.

I have an interview tomorrow, 8/16, with a company I applied with over a month ago. The person they did hire didn't work out. I am hoping also to have an interview this week due to networking. Will keep y'all posted on progress. God Bless you all.

Oh girl, hang in there. I'll be thinking of you and hoping your interview goes real well. Keep up a positive attitute. Let us know how it goes.

Hi Pebble, nice to meet you! To update y'all I had an unexpected interview yesterday, 8/15 I called a company in response to their ad and was invited to interview at 2 p.m. I really liked the interviewer (future boss) and the whole atmosphere of the company. Her last interview will be today 8/16 at 11 a.m. She said I should hear from her either way this afternoon. I will of course still interview today at 10:30, have to keep the flow going, but I'm excited about the possibilities, hoping of course the "age" thing can be overlooked. I will have more to tell this afternoon....stay tuned!

Hi Patti,
Hope you get positive news on your interview. I have been following your thread because I'm afraid I may end up in your situation at some point. I am 50, working for a company for 11 years now. All the manufacturing done here will be done in Mexico. We had 4 shifts of manufacturing employees, the plant ran 24 hours a day 7 days a week with 4 production lines. Right now we are down to one line running 40 hours a week, which will be phased out by the end of the month. We had over 300 employees, as of Sept 1st we will be down to 50 of us left in a building way too big for our needs. They keep promising they will keep R&D here, but they have R&D labs in the Boston area with a lot larger staff. I worry that it will just take one phone call and they will shut us down and do all development and testing out east. The thought of being out there looking for a job is scary. I'm trying to prepare myself mentally, and I'm keeping my resume current, but I'm just terrified of the idea of being without a job. Your good news is positive reinforcement for all of us.
Deb

momcat nice to meet you!! What you have on your side is the many years on your present job and I'm certain there's more to offer a new employer should the end come. I did not get the job from 8/15 interview. I asked, "What did the person chosen have or do that might relate better to what you were looking for that I didn't?" I was asking to help me in what employers want. She wasn't helpful only said she had 4 people to decide between and the person she chose was a "good fit." I can only be myself, I'll take my good skills somewhere else...LOL** NO I DIDN'T SAY THAT!!! The woman said she would keep my resume in the event another position became available. That was nice.

My interview today at 10:30 a.m. was interesting in that the woman interviewing me thought I would be better suited for two other departments. She said with my past experience I might get bored at what they were trying to fill now. She is going to pass my resume on to two other dept. mgrs and I should hear something soon.

Of course I was disappointed I didn't get the job I wanted, but then I know what I want isn't always what I get and sometimes for the better. I try to look at closing doors are just way to open new opportunities. Keep the faith momcat, now there's two of us to join hands with the others at DG. With all this support how can we go wrong??

You've got that right, Patti! Just catching up on threads - there's so many great ideas here.

Angelsong, have to say, thought your posts well thought out and helpful.

Patti, I responded to an ad in the Atlanta paper in 1985 when I moved there, and secured an interview. I didn't get the job although I thought the interview went well. I was 45.

Many weeks later, they called me back in for a second interview, and I landed the job (their new first postion in outside sales in architectural products with the company). Turns it it was a woman-owned company (mother and daughter) and dominated by women in inside sales. They (management) had the idea that a man would best fit the postition so they put me off, but in the long run I was the best qualified and they finally hired me. I had no idea that was their agenda, nor was it ever brought up in the interviews.

During the same time, I interviewed with Stanley (doors and other products) took battery after battery of tests... they narrowed it from 300 down to 10, more tests, and then offered me a job about the same time the first company came around.

I chose the smaller company, confident I could make a difference (I did) whereas with Stanley I would have been one of many nameless faces with a sales quota to meet. Actually, I turned Stanley down even before being offered the architectural sales job. Somehow, I knew Stanley wasn't right for me.

All being said above, the bottom line is that jobs feel "right" or they don't. I can be hungry a bit longer...

darius, I too can be hungry a bit longer. They say hindsight is 20/20 I'm just glad I can accept rejection as it's for a purpose. It's like buying an outfit, really looks cute on the hanger, but once it's on the fit or the color just isn't right....LOL**

Gardenwife, I'm so thankful for everyone's input here. I will admit I reacted wrongly to Angelsong, she does seem to have the right approach "for her" albeit, her suggestions are worthy as is everyone's here. janiejoy's suggestion to the website of Dave Ramsey was also beneficial.

One thing I'm confident of, we Baby Boomers are a good investment to a company, if they would only get it. Well, back to the want ads!!!

I think many of her suggestions cross all barriers: age, race, marital status, etc. They're excellent all-around suggestions about taking your particular situation and making it a good fit with what the employer seeks. I know it's definitely easier to find work when you are employed, very true.

Let me clarify all the typing I did up above....
I found my job here in TX while UMEMPLOYED in SC after a bitter departure from my SC job. So don't think I spoke from "talking on a soapbox of having a job and wanting a better one". I had four interviews in about 2 weeks, and actually had the pleasure of calling one (additional) interview off. I spent two months without work, only getting a few half-interested phone calls, and then even took on a part-time job waitressing to pay my bills. It was right after I took work waiting tables that I got all of my interviews. Employers found it good (and said so) that I "had found something to fill the gaps between chemical industry jobs".
That information I put up there was all stuff I found online, searching 8-10 hours a day for a job. I talked to headhunters, temp recruiters, drove to temp agencies, networked with church people, and spent HOURS on my knees, begging God to help me find the right job. I took information I found online, in libraries, and by talking to people in recruiting, and used it. That's how I found my job I have now - So all I did was list specific things I read about that worked for me.
If I hadn't just last year gone from "at least it's a job" to "no way to pay the bills", clear to "great job and blessed beyond measure", I would have not posted at all. I learned a whole lot about myself (and the rest of the world) working 10 hour days carrying food and drink to strangers. Now, I network and talk to people much better than I used to. "20-something Gen-X college education" didn't teach me that - having that crummy waitressing job for 4 weeks did. I felt bad leaving them at the restaurant, but made sure the owners/managers knew how much they taught me about myself.
Now maybe my suggestions won't seem so "high & mighty" and unrelated .....

Angelsong...I'll be the first to say I privately offered an apology to you, now I'll do it publicly.

I don't have the college education you have, I don't have the specialty training you do, I'm 30 something years older than you are. I can't stand or walk for hours in waiting tables, I can't lift any weight over 10 pounds. You are blessed with the fortitude, energy of your youth and being quite tenacious.

I have read much of the same suggestions from websites you have. I have also researched information to help have a good interview. I have no control over hiring managers or how they think. My skills are what I have developed thru company training or the grace of someone who was willing to teach me.

I do spend time with God in prayer and in my Bible. No one said your suggestions were high & mighty or unrelated. I did ask my last interviewer, as stated above, if there was anything I could have said or done differently and she blew me off. She said she had 4 to pick from and chose the best "fit." She would go no further, osmosis wasn't an option for me.

I will not use this forum to defend myself.

I appreciate the fellowship and the suggestions given. I'm not looking for sympathy, I haven't blamed anyone for my circumstance, there are many out of work or soon to be. I want to work and be an asset. Is that too much to ask?


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For anyone wanting more information for themselves, to prepare themselves for lay-offs, general employment search tips, networking, etc. I have found an invaluable site, go to
www.careerbounceback.com

I saw this on PBS but not about to pay $250.00 for the package to support PBS. I did a search for Career Bounce-Back and voila, the individual items can be purchased at a reasonable cost. I'm thinking about the workbook. I think this would be beneficial for so many reasons.

Later....Patti