Laid Off Baby Boomers Seek Entry-Level Jobs

Longtime breadwinner laid off-54 yr old homemaker job hunting

How does 54 yr old homemaker get a job with a bachelors degree oh so many years ago

Merekat of SD @ Oct 31, 2009 11:15:01 AM

LAID OFF AT 60

Recently laid off at 60

i was in the tchnical field service

field with more expierence than all

but one of my fellow workers. One sunday

i was called about 4 pm and told due to the

economic climate i will be terminated along

with 13 others most of them were over 50'

the bad thing was that they could have made us all

independent contractors with no obligations to the company.

I think that they wanted to purge the company of us old folk.

forget about applying for a new job

i have tried thousands of applications

and i was only laid off in march.Its tough out there. i guess this is the age of the young and inexperienced

junior edey of TX @ Aug 31, 2009 13:29:55 PM

No viable upper-management positions anymore

I was laid off this spring after a brand new baby boss of 32 with limited actual work experience but a shiny new MBA degree was hired. She took one look at my 58 year old self and just about expired with dismay. All of a sudden the rules of my job were changed; every task that was demanded of me became completely unrealistic and no one of any age could have done them. No one else in the department was expected to do these things and on top of that, the vp was not capable of doing them either. Until that time all my reviews were exemplary and I had brought in an impressive amount in donations. Everyone in the office knew that these new demands were to give them a reason to fire me. Well it worked for them and I was let go with the reason given that I was an at-will employee and could be let go at any time. The remaining over 50 employees were slowly transitioned from front line positions to administrative support jobs. When I contacted an attorney about age discrimination issues, he told me that it was not egregious enough for him to even bother to take the case.

In normal times, the search firm that had placed me in this last position would have been able to find another positon for me but not now in this economy. They themselves hadn't had any contracts for over 12 months. So since I was now on my own, I immediately started looking and applying for positions.

In comparison with other friends, I have been called on a number of interviews. Whereas before one went into an interview it was pretty straight forward with questions and answers, now the questions were different. Over and over again I noticed in the interviews, the nonprofits changed the job description in the interview. I would explain that yes I can do that and it would lead to another interview. Then they would repost the position again online seemingly never to fill it. In the past I worked at one nonprofit that did this frequently to make "a show" that they were looking to fill the position but in reality they wanted to keep the funds in the budget for another time. If the position in the budget was slashed, they never would be able to add it back in the future. The other trick is you interview but they don't decide for 2 or 3 months.

The search firm told me to never ever apply for any job lower than my present title or salary level because I would never get them again even if the economy ever recovers. So what is my choice? My husband has been ill for many years, we have already lost our home to forclosure and declared bankruptcy. There are very few truly qualified job openings at my level so I am applying for lower level jobs and I am being called. Generally the hiring managers after seeing my resume are incredulous that I would ever apply for these jobs. So far the pay is SO low that I have not accepted any of these jobs but I think I will be forced to do so soon.

The only people I have heard of getting new jobs got them ONLY due to family connections.

Charlotte of CA @ Aug 22, 2009 14:06:03 PM

laid off and heading toward fifty

i was laid off in 2005 and then again in 2007. it is tough attempting to get a job when you're near fifty. i did end up taking a job that paid much less but i am working on my master's to improve my job chances. the market does lean toward a younger workforce. what happened to experience and knowledge? youth prevails it seems..

bonnie of MS @ Aug 11, 2009 20:31:41 PM

Nothing in Construction.

I was a journeyman carpenter at age 24,, Worked hard, and worked circles around the older guys. One of them told me to slow down or I would kill the job. I mentioned it to the foreman, and he told me that is why they hire young guys. He said that most construction companies would not hire anyone over age 40. Today I am 64 and well aware of the statements made years ago, I Took what little savings I had at 43 and started investing in student rentals.. Today I am set pretty well off, Unfortunately the men that worked with me for years are mostly scraping by on SS or working at entry level for Wall-mart. Which keeps them busy. One person mentioned teachers. All our lives we heard that teachers were under paid. Well in Illinois, I know that upon 30 year retirement they get 75% of their last 5 year salary.. Have a relative that was a girls PE teacher, and retired at 58 with $5,500 a month tax free (from state of Illinois) retirement. and a 3% raise each year built in...by the time she is 72 she will be drawing over $100k a year for doing nothing.. Maybe we should all have worked for some government service..

Wayne of IL @ Aug 10, 2009 18:10:58 PM

Nothing in Construction.

I was a journeyman carpenter at age 24,, Worked hard, and worked circles around the older guys. One of them told me to slow down or I would kill the job. I mentioned it to the foreman, and he told me that is why they hire young guys. He said that most construction companies would not hire anyone over age 40. Today I am 64 and well aware of the statements made years ago, I Took what little savings I had at 43 and started investing in student rentals.. Today I am set pretty well off, Unfortunately the men that worked with me for years are mostly scraping by on SS or working at entry level for Wall-mart. Which keeps them busy. One person mentioned teachers. All our lives we heard that teachers were under paid. Well in Illinois, I know that upon 30 year retirement they get 75% of their last 5 year salary.. Have a relative that was a girls PE teacher, and retired at 58 with $,500 a month tax free (from state of Illinois) retirement. and a 3% raise each year built in...by the time she is 72 she will be drawing over $100k a year for doing nothing.. Maybe we should all have worked for some government service..

Wayne of IL @ Aug 10, 2009 18:08:39 PM

LAID OFF AT 61

I WAS LAID OFF TWO MONTHS AGO. MY WIFE WILL BE LET GO FROM HER JOB SOON.. HER JOB WILL BE DONE IN INDIA FOR 75%LESS.HER WONDERFUL COMPANY HAS SENT HUNDREDS OF JOBS THERE.

WE ARE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO SPENDING OUR SAVINGS ON MEDICAL BENEFITS. I HAVE DECIDED THE BEST WAY TO LOOK FOR A JOB IS TO GO OUT TO THE CURB AND LOOK UP AND DOWN THE STREET.

ED BANKOS of NC @ Aug 01, 2009 08:12:57 AM

Boomers Were Cut Short at Both Ends of the Stick

My husband and I are both unemployed, he since May and I've been battling the "over-qualified" syndrome since about 2000, finding only low-paying jobs with no benefits, and treated very poorly, very similar to what others are writing here. Our society has done a virtual flip-flop, for when we graduated from college, many of us had to wait tables and do other minimum-wage jobs because companies were protecting their senior, experienced employees and we were "green around the ears", even being hired at two-tiered wage levels (we weren't the top tier). People at that time were considered at the top of their careers and in their maximum-earning capacity in their 50's and 60's. Now, people in their 50's can't even get a job that pays the bills, let alone benefits, and forget finding anything interesting or challenging. I'll add my voice to the questions already asked: If we can't make a living, what happens when we deplete our savings, retirement funds, and lose our homes? Meanwhile, our governor is announcing that he will use stimulus funds to create jobs for YOUNG people!

Deb Holley of IA @ Jul 30, 2009 20:55:51 PM