Is anyone else having a hard time finding a job ?

[jaysunb]

(cross posting)

I'm wondering if there are other older people here ( 60+ ) w/40 or more years experience having trouble finding employment.
My friend lost her job when her fundie boss found she had copied a newspaper article on the company copier ( 2 pages. about toxins in sex toys)and she can't seem to get a new gig.
Is this a common problem ?

[BlueEyedSon]

1. im a bit younger, but yes

and employers all want entry level, OR are willing to pay for 20yrs experience an entry level salary.

[katty]

5. agree w/that assessment, i'm younger+working, however

some of my older friends/associates over the yrs are having a difficult time and they are very skilled in their work. I do a specialized and very time consuming/negotiating type of legal work-thus far it continues to be in demand for 'only experienced need apply'.

[high density]

16. In the software field, few companies are hiring entry level people

They want a few interns, yes, but most jobs advertised seem to require 5+ years experience.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

2. I'm not having trouble finding a job...

there are lots of jobs. Finding one that pays more than my unemployment however, is not going well.

I'm younger, 37 so I can just imagine what your friend is going through. :hug:

[sheelz]

3. Toxins in sex toys.....

:wtf:

Leave my sex toys alone!

[jaysunb]

8. Heh Heh !

I wish I had saved the article. It was pretty innocent, and had lots of info I wasn't aware of.

[sheelz]

12. I'm sure....my favorite toy takes batteries.

And batteries are toxic. I'm sure my brain is a little rattled too. Toxic or not, I'm still getting off. :-)

[jaysunb]

19. The bad stuff is in the plastic....

The writer of the piece wanted to force the manufactors to add a warning label.
I wouldn't worry too much though, they said a person would have to a very regular user to be at risk. LOL!

[sheelz]

22. Use glass, wink.

Glass Toys are Non-toxic, Hypoallergenic, and dishwasher safe.

[jaysunb]

24. Hey ! That's exactly what they suggested !

dishwasher safe. :rofl:

[sheelz]

26. LOL

Well you got to clean them.

[RandomKoolzip]

4. No, but that's because I work for peanuts.

I'm a professional cook, and in food service, there'll always be some schmuck who'll hire you....you just have to be willing to accept a wage you can't live on.

[justabob]

15. yep

I am a waitress, but it took 6 months of looking for a job before I got this one. Even with ten years of food service there were just too many people applying... hundreds of apps at every place I applied (whether restaurant or otherwise). I only got the job I have because an old friend works there and she told me to come in.

[DFW]

6. My heart goes out

to those looking without success.

My wife is a social worker whose job it is to try and place long-term unemployed back
into the workforce here in Germany, and with punishing German payroll taxes, it is a nearly
impossible task.

I was recruited for my outfit when I was 23, and that was 31 years ago. I would be terrified
at the prospect of having to start anew now at age 54.

[jaysunb]

32. I hope things work for you over there

we're catching hell on this side of the pond. :hi:

[bigwillq]

7. A few of my friends are

One of them is even moving to New Orleans hoping that jobs will be available there since not even half of that city's population returned after the hurricane.

[BlueEyedSon]

9. Lawsuit?

[jaysunb]

13. I thought she should have, but....

some people would rather not fight. sigh....
It took the bastard over a week to trace it ( copy) back to her, and then fired her a few days before Xmas.

I LOVE CHRISTIANS !

[MrSlayer]

10. Yes, and I'm in a union.

I finally got back to work yesterday after 4 months being laid off.

[patrice]

11. I'm 57 and was out of work for over 4 years.

Except for a couple of very short $8.00 an hour admin. jobs.

I got a a good job completely by accident a couple of months ago, not temporary, not a "contract to hire". I like my job Very much.

I did most of the stuff recommended in the books when I was actively looking for work, but it never seemed to matter what I did. I'm a teacher turned technical writer and my resume is impressive and true, but it never seemed to matter either. All of the bosses/interviewers were younger than I and I guess they thought I wouldn't fit in, or I was so nervous (and, hence, weird) that they didn't like me. Even though I don't really need the money, it was horribly depressing and disorienting. Many times I felt that the decisions were already made and the employers were just going through the motions to avoid law suits for discriminatory hiring practices. I came to the conclusion that most of the good jobs you see advertised aren't really there. They're just pretending to look for someone.

Stick by your friend; she is going to need the support.

[Poppyseedman]

25. Exactly correct.

Many times I felt that the decisions were already made and the employers were just going through the motions to avoid law suits for discriminatory hiring practices.

I was out of work in my field for a year and a half. I worked, but in a different field. (for much less pay)

In my search for a job, I found the vast majority of the ones posted in the internet sites simply are to avoid age and sex or race lawsuits.


Believe me it's not what you know, but who you know.

[jaysunb]

29. Bingo !

That used to be the mantra for Hollywood, but now I think it extends into all areas.

[NNN0LHI]

14. On the contrary

I am retired and like it. Yet I have people calling all the time trying to put me to work somewhere. I tell them to go scratch.

Don

[Warpy]

20. I just inherited enough to live on

at least until social security and my laughably low pension kick in, so I've taken myself off the market. I'd been out of work and very poor for 2 1/2 years. Now I'll leave my dream job out there to somebody who nees it more than I do, and they're very welcome to it.

[jaysunb]

21. Brother, could you spare a beer ?????

:rofl:

[bobja]

17. Yup

I'm 55 with 20 yrs experience in my field of graphic design, and most jobs offer half or less than what I was making, and THAT wasn't very much. Plus, they want you to be an EXPERT in half a dozen software programs,and be outastandingly creative! And have a degree! I fulfill most of the requirements, but haven't had an interview, and I've been laid off for 2 yrs now. I went to plenty of classes to keep up with the software treadmill, but nothing so far. Actually, I've given up lately on looking.

I've been working for that half pay for a temp agency, but my savings are slowly eroding. And I won't sell my graphics experience for half what I'm worth.

Sorry, I don't have an answer for your friend, but I think there's plenty of us in the same pickle.

[0007]

18. There are many jobs to be had. But careers are hard to find.

[TalkingDog]

23. As I posted couple days ago: They ain't hirin' ya, if you gots a Masters

They figure when the first decent job comes along I'd bolt...and they'd be correct. So they hire the person with the high school diploma who will work for nothing and take crap off the bosses because they are desperate for work.

#1 Luckily I can work part-time and we stay barely in the black. But there is no room for sickness, accidents or emergencies.
#2 I'm not going to lie about my qualifications for a minimum wage job.
#3 I've been looking for about 2 years.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

27. Yes

At least around here, jobs are hard to come by, and not just for older folks. We have a termite tech who wants another job that includes health benefits. He's in his early 30s and in good health, clean cut and a non-smoker, etc-in other words, no strikes against him in an employer's eyes. But he can't find anything, and has been working harder at his current job so the boss (who got wind of him applying for another job on company time)won't decide to fire him.

[Imalittleteapot]

28. A 54 yr. old friend has been out of work

a year and a half. Her company downsized then sold. She is an extremely talented award winning graphic designer. She has offered several companies to go in at an entry level salary. No one is biting. She believes that her age is a factor.

[jaysunb]

30. She's right ....

unfortunately. <sigh>

[area51]

31. "Is anyone else having a hard time finding a job?"

Yes. I'm younger than the OP, but I think it's hard for just about everyone to get a job in this economy. The unemployment rate is much higher than the republinazis are saying. The bad economy, coupled with offshoring & inshoring, can make it next to impossible to get a job.

Here's an interesting pdf of an interview w/an economist.