Still alive:

[Big_John]

A couple suggestions....

Have a pro look over your resume and cover letters. Your cover letter needs to be able to be flexible for specific applications. Little things can make a huge difference. I had a stack of resumes that I went through when we were looking for a sales manager. A glance at the cover letter and resume and they went into two piles. One was the trash.. and that was the largest. The other was the "good" pile. The good pile then got read a little closer and separated again. Lesson there... Keep it simple and to the point because there isn't a lot of time spent on them.

Regarding interviews.... First, and this sounds really silly and stupid and nothing that I subscribed to myself... But is your hair gray? Get it back to whatever color it used to be... To illustrate this... I had a co-worker that lost his job. Great guy, worked hard etc. He went on interview after interview. He dyed his hair back to the black it used to be and scored on the next interview. Got a beard? Lose it. You want to not look old. Let it go once you have the job. Dress a step or two better for the job... But!! If you are looking for a blue collar job, don't overdress. Nice pants with a sharp polo shirt won't intimidate the guy in the shop like a three piece suit will. I always thought a nice sport jacket and slacks was a good compromise between dressing nice for the people in HR and the shop foreman.

Interviews are tough... The more you do, the better you get though. My oldest son changed jobs last year and he always took every interview (as I advised) and he said that it made the next interview easier. Some will go well and sometimes, they are a disaster. I actually knocked down a HR guy once. He pointed one way.. and I thought that was where we were headed and then he went the other direction... Him being a scrawny little *****, he kind of bounced off me and he got really annoyed. it went downhill from there.

It may be time to review your skills and maybe even go find something completely different. As they say "One door closes, another opens".

 

[tallhair]

sorry to hear Dave. good luck in your search

 

[cantflip]

Sorry for your job loss. 31 years is a long time.

A few ideas:
Costco. They were paying $20 an hour at a local one. The bottom pay was 13 for pushing shopping carts
Lowes & Home Depot are always hiring
Start your own business - easy gig is one that checks up on vacant homes for out of state owners and also feeds pets.
Another is to become a Boat inspector. The barrier to entry is a box of business cards from Vista print that cost about what a pizza does. This is actually a decent job. Most boats inspected are 30' or bigger. You charge by the foot. The boat owner needs the inspection for insurance or purchase. There is certification courses, but you don't have to have them to start.
Cut grass.
Handyman.
Gigolo. Haha.
Take this as chance to do something you always wanted to do.

I do enjoy mowing the lawn... I suppose that might open up possibilities in two of those jobs, cutting grass or gigolo...

 

[Fury440]

Two suggestions.
- Send your resume to all the local head hunters.
- Instead of presenting yourself as a prospective "grey beard" employee, consider being a consultant or contract worker. There are head hunters who specialize in placing consultants for short term contract work. Employers option like this because they don't pay any benefits, pensions, etc.. Project managers like it also because the payments get taken from different budget lines.

Head hunters are great, they "build" your resume using their templates and they do the door knocking and setup interviews where you have already partially sold the interviewer. Win win!
Keep at it, nothing is over until "the fat lady sings"

 

[Ripinator]

Two suggestions.
- Send your resume to all the local head hunters.
- Instead of presenting yourself as a prospective "grey beard" employee, consider being a consultant or contract worker. There are head hunters who specialize in placing consultants for short term contract work. Employers option like this because they don't pay any benefits, pensions, etc.. Project managers like it also because the payments get taken from different budget lines.

Head hunters are great, they "build" your resume using their templates and they do the door knocking and setup interviews where you have already partially sold the interviewer. Win win!
Keep at it, nothing is over until "the fat lady sings"

This is not a good idea. Many head hunters will send your resume to prospective employers all over town. This action establishes a "right of referral" which pretty much eliminates your ability to get hired directly or to be handled by a professional recruiter who doesn't have his head stuck up his ***. Carefully guard your resume, and provide it only when a prospective employer has a genuine position and is ready to set an appointment for an interview. Remember: If some potential employer or HR type says "send me a resume", it means NO.

 

[CanCritter]

hang in there...

 

[65sporty]

Sorry to here about your job, I don't have a whole lot of anything else to add that hasn't been said. Sounds like the guy's have given some good advice

 

[live4theking]

Man that stinks.

 

[68NewportSportVert]

Dave, just saw this thread, and I hope things have changed for the better for you. Based on your screen name are you a vet? I am at the VA in West Palm so I would suggest checking for jobs on USAjobs.gov. Good luck!
P.S. I'm gonna go to Autogeek’s Cars & Coffee in Stuart on Sat. maybe I'll see you there if you get over that way

 

[69CoronetRT]

From someone that hires, here are some tips....

Completely fill out any application. DO NOT be lazy and use “see resume”. Today’s HR people will toss your application immediately. Why? An application is a legal document. A resume is not. You can lie on a resume and, most likely, the employer won’t be able to do much about it. I’d you lie on an application, you can be terminated with a stronger case for the employer. Employers want a complete application to protect themselves. Fill it out. “See resume” = “see ya”.

Most employers don’t really look at a resume because they know people pad it. If you apply for a job, and use a resume, keep it short. Tell me what you did that relates to my opening. “Managed crew of installers.” “Responsible for AR.” “Took calls on multi line system and routed to appropriate person.” If I need an installer, I don’t care you were an art gallery appraiser. What have you done that applies to MY opening? If you haven’t done anything that is close to what I need, why are you applying?

I don’t care that you are looking for a life change, new direction, shorter commute, more time with your family, or better health insurance. I need someone that can, and will, do the job I need done. The other issues are yours, not mine.

I have 20 minutes to go through 50 applications. Get to the point and don’t bore me. I know fluff.

Do not include when you graduated from high school or anything that tells me your age. I don’t want to know because if I don’t know, I can’t be charged with age discrimination. This applies to most protected classes. If I don’t ask, don’t offer. If you went to Our Blessed St. Margaret Mary’s Sacrament Covenent of the Church High School and nunnery....put it down. That shouldn’t be a factor.

Write legibly or type it. Do not have someone else fill it out for you. Self explanatory. If I can’t read your application, I won’t be able to ready anything else you give me when hired. If you can’t even have the gumption to fill out your own application, how will I ever get you to do anything worthwhile?

Tell me if you are an honorably discharged vet. You probably have a sense of team, of honor, of mission, of loyalty and leadership. You probably have desirable soft skills.

 

[commando1]

Completely fill out any application.

Yes. I can see you being anal about documentation...

 

[bluefury361]

Sorry to hear about your situation. After 31 years I see two things...... 1, your to old to hire. 2, your over qualified for most jobs today.
My job was "eliminated" in 2008 and at 60 years old no one wanted to even talk.

You might need to consider a self employment opportunity. Much more gratifying.
I have a locker full of Mopar stuff i'll sell cheap...... And space at Carlisle to set it up.....

Good luck.

 

[69CoronetRT]

Yes. I can see you being anal about documentation...

Actually, this one is not on me. HR screens them before I even see them. If the application isn’t filled out properly, I probably don’t see it.

But thanks for the compliment.

 

[bulldogchesty]

Thanks all. I am still at it. I have been to many interviews and hear nothing after. Can't even send an email to say I didn't get the job.

 

[Duncan]

I was in your position a few years ago - I immediately went to some Temp Agencies. When I got home I already had calls from all four agencies I had applied at and was able to choose which job I wanted. That gave me a foot in the door. Once they saw what I could do the interviews were just a formality. It at least provided a paycheck while I was looking and eventually led to the job that I held for the next 15 years (which I absolutely loved) until I retired last year.

 

[cantflip]

Thanks all. I am still at it. I have been to many interviews and hear nothing after. Can't even send an email to say I didn't get the job.

That really sucks, I don't have the patience to wait for them... I always ask "When can I call back, if I don't hear from you." or warn them that they will hear from me again in about a week, if I haven't heard from them.

I truly feel for your situation, IDK where I'd land if I was without my current job... and I'm in no shape to start over. I hope something comes through soon, Dave.

 

[shooter65]

That really sucks, I don't have the patience to wait for them... I always ask "When can I call back, if I don't hear from you." or warn them that they will hear from me again in about a week, if I haven't heard from them.

I truly feel for your situation, IDK where I'd land if I was without my current job... and I'm in no shape to start over. I hope something comes through soon, Dave.

The problem is that they don't answer your calls any more. Legal has gotten involved and as Dave said, most times, if they're not going to continue to talk to you everything simply goes dark. You don't hear anything, regardless of what you ask. Especially if you're over 50, they're so afraid of getting sued for age discrimination, they simply won't talk to you because legal has told them not to.

All you can do is try to keep trying, I have been for 10 months, I feel your pain brother.

 

[rapidtrans]

As bluefury suggests I had to go the self-employed route and take contract work for a couple years when everything went to hell here in Michigan. Company closed our whole department and sent the work back to the EU. Thought I would retire from that company. Oh well.

 

[PontiacJim]

In today's world, age is a big factor. By the time you hit 50, you want to be in a career that will take you to retirement - better yet you want to be debt free so as to protect yourself & family when they do dump you. Much of it is about health costs that may be incurred by the employer. As we age, you become a much higher risk to a host of physical problems that can crop up, more so when you were younger. So you are a medical liability.

Second is salary or wages. Most companies want to hire the lesser experienced so they can start them at much lower entry level pays - already saving them costs out of their "bottom dollar" profits. Vacation time, profit sharing, and any other perks given as you accrue the years are slashed and put back into their greedy and selfish pockets.

Third, a company does not want YOUR experience. They want fresh blood or someone they can mold who doesn't have much input - ie a fresh slate to train THEIR way to think, do, say, and follow their policies. It used to be experience was valued. Not anymore, it is a hindrance and can create problems as the "new guy" brings to the working environment a comparison of what his former company was like and the problems he sees with the "new" company - not to mention trying to inject his former ways of doing things. Depending on the business or department, today's companies want an employee well versed in IT and have usable computer program skills.

You may not find employment in the same field as you were working. You may have to re-create yourself in using some of your skills applicable to a job that can use them or get into a completely different field of work just to distance you from your past employment position - entering as a newbie like anyone else. Figure on taking a much smaller paycheck & benefits.

The good-ole-days of walking in to fill out an employment app is long gone. Everything is through the local un-employment agencies, temp service, or job postings online. Yep, you never get a response unless they truly want you, so don't waste valuable time HOPING. If they tell you they like what thy see or we will be getting back to you, don't take it at face value that you have the job - its often their way of politely blowing you off without being direct so you can't come back at them for any form of discrimination. So don't waste valuable time ASSUMING.

I was out of work for 5 months. Each day was a day I put in as my job looking for a job. Filling out online apps, making phone calls where applicable, going to interviews when allowed. Finally landed a job, but the pay was nowhere as good as I had been receiving by a long shot. The work environment was a bit tough and still is, but I know I have job security in what I do and we have this understanding, "They aren't going to fire me because they could not replace me with all the stress & crap I have to endure and I'm not going to give in and quit" LOL - although I have come pretty close. I'm no spring chicken at 59 and know the reality that my age is indeed a form of discrimination unspoken.

So it can be very discouraging when you lose a job you have put long service into. Jobs are simply commodities and you are just an employee number. Many of the manufacturers I used to be employed by are no longer in business. Many of the other companies I have been employed by are also gone. There are no loyalties anymore. Each and every company is up for sale, share holders demand profits and don't care who they have to take out or eliminate in company restructuring. Its simply not your father's generation where a job position could be held for life and you retired with a good pension.

Welcome to the New World Order.

 

[Buster Hyman]

Keep your chin up! Sounds like you have a bunch of folks pulling for you. The last sentence of the last post is the best advice I could give, look at it as a opportunity.