How hard is it? I'm thinking about leaving Ford, but the idea of jumping into the job market at my age is freaking me out. It's been a long time since I last interviewed for a job, and I'm not exactly thrilled about going through that whole process again. Do any companies still hire without caring about how old you are?
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It's rough. I can see why guys try to make it all the way to the end.
You are only as good as your network. So make sure that is solid because you never know when someone can help out. Accept all recruiter requests from LinkedIn (use your judgement) because you never know who may be able to help you out.
I’m right there with you, but I’m pushing 60 now. Lots of anxiety. As not d earlier, a lot of the jobs I see require an hefty commute and I’m not picking up my tent and to BFE for a contract job.
I've known recent new hires (not at Ford) in their 60s! They are out there just keep looking.
Leaving this sh-t hole ford was your first victory.
Keep looking you will land in the right one soon
Here is my take, if you have a good relationship and network with your suppliers...you will be ahead of the game. In the past year I have had numerous coworkers and even LL6 level bail Ford (or get canned) and show right back up at a supplier. And with a better deal.
To note though, none of these were FnF as that means nothing to the supply base.
I been out of a job over a year now. Hear all the stories, you have an impressive resume, good experience, but they wont hire me. Your asking for to much money, your overqualified, were only looking for entry level people. Then like someone else said here, there's the drive. A LOT of the job openings are one hour or more drive away. Had recruiter call me yesterday for job that was 2 hour drive away. Then there's there places that want to interview you, then change there mind because there supposedly combining jobs.
Been trying to get out of automotive, but no luck so far. Plus it dont help now that all automotive is flooding the job market with people over 50 looking for a job. Stellantis laid off 50% of there people. Ford been firing people since 2022. Suppliers doing the same or there on hiring freeze.
It's all about how well you interview and your experience.
It is probably more about what your experience is in. If you have been developing new designs, integrating new technology or keeping the wheels on with sustaining engineering stuff. The contractor route is for sure going to get you something, but right back into the car business and maybe with a long commute. Consider talking to a head hunter in person to quietly explore what kind of work is out there. They also pipeline good folks into tier 1 and 2 suppliers as direct hires - so head hunters could know about the perfect job for you. Your contacts, inside knowledge and experience are valuable, but there has to be a need for what you do to make it work. Good luck, you're not alone!
I think leaving automotive in general is a move lots of people should be considering right now. 50+ employees are experienced and can leverage contract positions if they can handle 6-12 month runs of employment with gaps in between.
Either way leaving Ford is a good strategy to be thinking about as long as you have a cash buffer. It's not as doom and gloom as everyone thinks, unless you haven't been good with your money.