Even interviews are eluding me - I'm yet to get a call. Is this just the problem of my relatively small job market or is it this bad for fifty-somethings everywhere?
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Remember HR thinks thinning or bald hair equals old. A few extra pounds equals old, Sorry folks being white equals old, a (just a fact, do not mean to be rude) and HR cannot hire you as you are not diverse, and they cannot check the appropriate boxes on their form. Ageism, all prejudices,and HR stupidity are against you. This is real world stuff. Keep trying, stay positive, do not lose your faith. Be prepared a lot of us will not be able to work again. Living this way now, since RIF, also the folks that took VSP are experiencing this now too.
“Only list the last 15 years of employment.”
While I do agree tou shouldn’t list really old stuff for many who were at Verizon that could mean just listing Verizon. If you only list Verizon for 15 years they will figure you are old. If you don’t put dates and dates are available to enter you are old. Most things you do to hide your age show you are hiding your age. Unless you can copy someone’s resume on their late twenties who had a few jobs from different companies they put you on the bottom of the pile from what I’m told.
Of course if you have a very difficult to find skill or experience in something no one want to work on then the pile will be short. There are about three companies I can get a job for if I were willing to do part of my job 100% of the time and take a pay cut because no one wants to do it. Otherwise I’m bottom of a deep pile with my 15+ years at Verizon.
@1bdt - The recruiters are not a roadblock, but the industry as a whole. Corporate America has made it fairly clear they are looking for employees between 22-48. A friend from Lucent was unemployed for a few years before he decided to obtain a teaching certificate. No fear of layoffs and amazing benefits.
yea, that AWS certification I studied so hard for (and that VZ paid for) sure didn't keep my job from getting outsourced.
I can definitely relate. I'm 57 and have my resume posted on LinkedIn, Indeed.com, Glassdoor.com, USA Jobs, etc. All I have heard from so far are these young kids (recruiters) with absolutely ZERO technical experience interviewing someone with 30 years experience in highly technical fields. It's a fing joke and irritating as Hell. These aholes are a roadblock to all of us trying to land a job. It's really infuriating.
Part of me is thinking I should have stayed. It would have been Hell but at least I'd have a job right now. I have no doubt my age is working against me and it's hard to mask my age when I put my past three jobs down (Verizon and the two before that). I'm studying to be AWS certified now, but I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time doing so. Who's going to hire a 57 years old that's new to AWS????
Guess I'll go buy some lotto tickets now lol
Yes at 48 for me it was a challenge and frustrating experience looking for a job. Interviewing people 20 years younger. I applied for over 40 jobs, interviewed for 5. Some offers were just not worth it. I was defeated, I eventually took a job as a contractor I hopes I can make an impression on them to hire me as a full time employee..hang in there
I’m noticing that the Vz posts “we’re” hiring on Linked In end up being the Jobs already posted 30 days earlier.
Job hunting is definitely not for the weak, especially for those of us at 50+.
Wait six - 9 months. Relax. Take a sabbatical. Then come back to VZ. I hear that the money will be right but that you give up vacation.
Left 12/28 under VSP. Mid 40s. IT. 20+ years experience. Waited 2 months to apply for anything. Used the time to relax and watch for local jobs in my small market (not on either coast). Applied for two jobs online found via Indeed... one in my field of work, the other a complete departure from what I know. Waited a month and didnt hear a thing. Within 72 hours of each other both places called to setup interviews. Did the interviews, and ended up with offers from both. One offering 75% of what I was receiving before leaving VZ, the other at 90%. The one at 75% offering more vacation time from the onset and likely more stable long term. Weighing the options of both.
The message... dont give up. Be patient. Stick to your guns and dont compromise. Your resume and experience is valued by someone out there. It's just a matter of connecting with them.
Applied for, on two separate occasions, positions with a local company (a regulated entity). Despite multiple degrees, and skill sets commensurate with both postings, I heard crickets (I'm over 50). A relative applied to this same company (an IT position). Despite no college degree, was called in/had an interview. This relative's age was high 30's. I'd like to believe there is no correlation - my BS detector says otherwise. Friends in similar situations are finding the same thing - as another poster noted, ageism is rampant and systemic. I factored this when running the numbers for the VSP and now glad that I did.
I am also over 50 and finding it hard to find a job. I have been looking for a while and have received positive feedback on my resume and job experience. I still have not received an offer and am feeling defeated right now. I know it takes time but it gets frustrating after a while.
Verizon screwed us over! They knew exactly what they were doing
I know of a few people that were laid off at the end of 2015 after breaking the 55 threshold
None of them were able to find anything despite boasting killer resumes and experience.
Almost all of them were rehired by the company.
There is ageism running wild out there, they want under forty years olds. LinkedIn has opportunitires, but you will see the same posting over and over again every 30 to 90 days, or recruiting companies looking for bodies, for part time or permanent temporary positions...usually to fill a listing for their commission. Also, HR people outside of our industry do not have a clue about VZ job descriptions, and will not give you a chance, as they only want people that worked in their company's business line. Also, a lot of companies just interview to pick your brains to solve their internal problems, and then pick an internal candidate. Also watch for every code word they use to say you are old, or the tricks they use to determine you age. Lots of RIF and VSP still out of work, with no prospects.
So far the job seeking process has s---ed. I have had dozens of interviews, most of the jobs were filled internally but I do have a funny story from yesterday. I was interviewing for a sales job at a small cable company very close to my home ( thats why it was attractive). This was my second interview this time with the hiring manager. The HM basically ran down his own company but I would have taken the job while I look for something better. In closing he said to me your interview was terrific, your experience and resume were excellent but I cannot hire you. I need young sales people who are poor. I need people who if they dont make quota they wont eat this week. You have a VSP package and you're rich so you could never be hungry enough. LOL its freakin weird out here. For me a job will be secured via networking the LINKEDIN etc websites are a waste
Keep Trying. There are jobs out there. Network and make sure that you don't give your age away in any reference on your resume. Only list the last 15 years of employment. you can find a job. There is life after VERIZON.