Job hunting over 50

[Anonymous]

DH is a government contractor and may lose his job this summer. He is obviously depressed at having to be back on the job market at this stage in his career and as a result isn't getting into action. Two colleagues at other companies have his resume, and he seems to be waiting on one of those to come through, but otherwise is unwilling to cold call or apply elsewhere feeling as if no one will want a guy with less than a decade until retirement.

We had kids late so still have two kids to get through school and college. I work but we aren't in a position to magically become a one income family for the long term. I'm looking for advice or support. Is he right, there's no point in someone job searching at his age? If you or a spouse have been in this situation, how did you snap out of it?

[Anonymous]

My 50+ yo husband just got a new job. Didn't take long. He does cybersecurity.

[Anonymous]

PP again. He plans to retire at 60? That seems young nowadays.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP again. He plans to retire at 60? That seems young nowadays.

Over 50 forum. He is late 50s which is what worries him.

[Anonymous]

My DH is also 50 and looking for work.... he doesn’t seemed concerned but I always worry about ageism.

[Anonymous]

FWIW. I think DC is one of the better areas to be in to search for a job when you are older - especially government contracting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DH is also 50 and looking for work.... he doesn’t seemed concerned but I always worry about ageism.

You should. Unfortunately perception is reality when it comes to older workers. Young(ish) managers don't want older workers reporting to them - they may feel intimidated or believe that the older worker won't work as hard/be trainable.

While someone 50+ looking for a job might be inclined to hold their tongue or be deferential during an interview, I know of one guy who did the exact opposite. He was interviewing with a 35-year old manager looking to hire someone with 5-10 years of experience. My former colleague had a little more than 30 years. Sounds like he was interviewing someone 50+ to tick the no-ageism box when he ended up hiring a younger worker.

My former colleague looked the hiring manager straight in the eye and told him: (1) he appreciated the opportunity to interview for the job; (2) he had the skills and experience to do the job; and (3) he explained - very politely - how someone like him could help the manager achieve his goals and be successful in the organization. In other words, he appealed to the hiring manager's self-interest in climbing the corporate ladder, while also making it clear that he wasn't interested in doing the same (except perhaps as the manager's right hand). He ended up getting the job primarily because of #3. There were plenty of other (younger) candidates who had ## 1 & 2, but none of them apparently told the hiring manager that they would subsume their ambitions to his.

[Anonymous]

There is a free job club in DC called "Forty Plus". Your dh should go there to get in a regular habit of job searching and meeting people (I hate the word "networking").

Make sure his Linkedin is fully updated. Have him reach out to people he's worked with. There are jobs out there...it will just take some time. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

You sound like you would like your DH to be more proactive because you still need a second income. That is reasonable. Your DH sounds like he may be depressed and is at that midlife crisis age. Hang in there!

When we have had similar situations, my husband becomes more proactive if I encourage him and give him words of affirmation, rather than giving him advice, which he views as nagging him. Our small group is studying Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages, of which words of affirmation is one. Have you ever read it? It might be worth getting because of your situation. I have learned it is best when my DH and I are trying to work as a team and trying to love each other well. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sound like you would like your DH to be more proactive because you still need a second income. That is reasonable. Your DH sounds like he may be depressed and is at that midlife crisis age. Hang in there!

When we have had similar situations, my husband becomes more proactive if I encourage him and give him words of affirmation, rather than giving him advice, which he views as nagging him.[b] Our small group is studying Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages, of which words of affirmation is one. Have you ever read it? It might be worth getting because of your situation. I have learned it is best when my DH and I are trying to work as a team and trying to love each other well. Hope this helps!

Agree. Also, don't share how well you're doing at your job. It will only make him more depressed. Tell him that you'll support him in his efforts. Perhaps you should go with him to some networking events?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Our small group is studying Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages, of which words of affirmation is one.

Can you tell me what the other four are so I don't have to read the book?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound like you would like your DH to be more proactive because you still need a second income. That is reasonable. Your DH sounds like he may be depressed and is at that midlife crisis age. Hang in there!

When we have had similar situations, my husband becomes more proactive if I encourage him and give him words of affirmation, rather than giving him advice, which he views as nagging him.[b] Our small group is studying Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages, of which words of affirmation is one. Have you ever read it? It might be worth getting because of your situation. I have learned it is best when my DH and I are trying to work as a team and trying to love each other well. Hope this helps!

Agree. Also, don't share how well you're doing at your job. It will only make him more depressed. Tell him that you'll support him in his efforts. Perhaps you should go with him to some networking events?

Good luck. Educated elites encourage aegism by enabling companies to replace workers with cheap pliable h1bs. But they let happen and encourage it. Hillary wanted to triple h1bs. Obama creates h4 visas by executive order

It would be better to stop this.

I’ve mentioned, for instance, the Web site of immigration attorney David Swaim, who explicitly urges employers to hire foreign students instead of Americans. Swaim was the architect of Texas Instruments’ immigration policy before going on to private practice. A number of lawyers have made similar pitches to employers to bypass the American applicants.

http://hiref-1students.com

[Anonymous]

I think he's making excuses. It might be harder, sure, but he's making excuses. A 50 year old worker still has 15 years to work if he retires at 65. That's a lot of time.

[Anonymous]

The good news is that the economy is strong enough and unemployment is so low that the job market for 50+ is far more robust than ten years ago during the recession. Right now using the "I'm too old" card is a weak excuse. Companies are desperate for capable people.

[Anonymous]

don't know what field he's in but I continue to get offers, from feds and private industry the closer I get to 50 (I'm 48), maybe because accounting/finance never gets old - pun intended - but I'm as desirable of an employee as I was in my 20s and my network is much larger!