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I don't put my age, or DoB, on my CV, but when I suggest I have worked in an Operating Theatre since 1984, most employers are suspicions about my 17-25 railcard, most employees want to know who, and where you have worked for in the last 10 years (Minimum), and why you left. I have gone from teaching Doctors how to do CPR, to cleaning trains (Maybe), (Or just loading/Unloading vans) inside three years.

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9 minutes ago, Griff9of13 said:

I do have the advantage of being a mature student who graduated in 2004, at the age of 40. And all my relevant work experience is after then, so judging from my CV they'd probably assume I was in my late 30s/early 40s.

I have 56 years of life experience, but 2 O Levels, no A Levels, and a C&G Certificate, none of which are provable. The chance of a new training course around here, where they favour the U-25's to get them into work, rather than retrain old Pharts like me, are unlikely. Unless it's heavy manual, or farm work 0600-1900 for minimum wage, picking fruit & veg, and then they want Eastern Europeans first.

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22 minutes ago, Bleep1673 said:

I have 56 years of life experience, but 2 O Levels, no A Levels, and a C&G Certificate, none of which are provable. The chance of a new training course around here, where they favour the U-25's to get them into work, rather than retrain old Pharts like me, are unlikely. Unless it's heavy manual, or farm work 0600-1900 for minimum wage, picking fruit & veg, and then they want Eastern Europeans first.

Apply for a Chief Exec role in the NHS, as long as you're not Harold Shipman your background won't hinder you.  Even then, I'm sure he have managed to get a job as CE somewhere based on his "efficiencies" with the frail and elderly.

Seriously though, why not send a very well drafted letter to the CEO/COO of places you want to work. Stalk them on Twitter and find out the type of business person they are and their interests. Explain bluntly but very politely that your age and skills are hitting the wall of HR gatekeepers and you'd really love a chance to work for them, then give a brief summary of the type of roles you'd like to get.  Highlight that you've got 15 years of career left but can't get past those gatekeepers into using your skills in a mutually beneficial way.

You'll get no reply from most, a polite rejection from a couple more with a forward to HR and maybe some other hints but it's probably your best chance to get into the type of job you want rather than chasing the job adverts into a job you'll put up with.

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

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I got a job in September after eight months of unemployment and a total of six interviews.  But although I started my present job in September, there was a job I applied for (and was interviewed for) earlier in the year that I really wanted.

I found out last week that I have secured the job I really wanted and I start in January.

I am to be a civil servant.  Gosh, that sounds posh!

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1 minute ago, Saintslass said:

I got a job in September after eight months of unemployment and a total of six interviews.  But although I started my present job in September, there was a job I applied for (and was interviewed for) earlier in the year that I really wanted.

I found out last week that I have secured the job I really wanted and I start in January.

I am to be a civil servant.  Gosh, that sounds posh!

You know what they say about civil servants? They are rarely civil and rarely serve.

Joking aside, well done and good luck.

 

Rethymno Rugby League Appreciation Society

Founder (and, so far, only) member.

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38 minutes ago, Saintslass said:

I got a job in September after eight months of unemployment and a total of six interviews.  But although I started my present job in September, there was a job I applied for (and was interviewed for) earlier in the year that I really wanted.

I found out last week that I have secured the job I really wanted and I start in January.

I am to be a civil servant.  Gosh, that sounds posh!

Congratulations!

"When in deadly danger, when beset by doubt; run in little circles, wave your arms and shout"

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5 hours ago, Bleep1673 said:

I've almost given up on work, I'm 56, I'm struck off from a register that kept me occupied for 30 years, I have had two interviews in the last 5 years, I'm too old to be reoccupied because everyone is looking to the long game, 15 years until retirement is not long enough for most HR Secs, and once you have a 50+something dismissal on your CV, it tends to get binned straight away, those that aren't get DBS'ed then dismissed rather sharply, in favour of someone 35 years younger, who they can employ on less money per hour, Less hours per month, and on a weekly contract. Screw employers.

Don't give up.  I'm 54 and I've just landed what could be the best job I've ever had.  One good thing about the endless tests I had to complete for the civil service is that it was only at the very last minute, when they had to run a security check on me, that I was asked for my age and at no time did they ask for my qualifications.  They run endless competency based tests and their interviews are competency based.  Doing the competency gubbins takes a bit of getting used to - I applied for loads of jobs in the civil service before I finally struck lucky - but practice makes perfect and the range of jobs is massive.  Just saying.

PS: Try to apply to those places that don't seem to care about age.  They do exist.  Have you tried your local council?  While some of them appear to break the law (yes, I'm looking at you St Helens and Wigan councils) by forcing you to submit your date of birth before you can move on during the application process, they do offer a range of jobs, some of which may suit you, and contrary to popular belief, they are recruiting.

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Chatting to people at my new job, a large number of them all came through the same agency as I did, Atwood Tate, who specialise in a certain area of work. In their case, it is publishing and jobs that pertain to the publishing business. 

Finding a company or industry, then trying to discover who their go-to agency is, is something I should have done much sooner.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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If you do join a Local Authority from the private sector the first thing you have to do is engage second gear, even the most mundane of things take forever to reach a decision over, don't display initive, your superiors just think your after their job that they have spent years nest building, and for god's don't suggest or expect change, even in these modern times if a job has been done one way for the last fourty years that's how it should continue to be done no matter what advances in technology may have happened. Your biggest enemy will be frustration, accept it for what it is, laugh to yourself how things  work, keep your mind active elsewhere and see your time out.

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2 hours ago, Clogiron said:

If you do join a Local Authority from the private sector the first thing you have to do is engage second gear, even the most mundane of things take forever to reach a decision over, don't display initive, your superiors just think your after their job that they have spent years nest building, and for god's don't suggest or expect change, even in these modern times if a job has been done one way for the last fourty years that's how it should continue to be done no matter what advances in technology may have happened. Your biggest enemy will be frustration, accept it for what it is, laugh to yourself how things  work, keep your mind active elsewhere and see your time out.

I’m not disagreeing but that’s a terrible situation 

"Freedom without socialism is privilege and injustice, socialism without freedom is slavery and brutality" - Mikhail Bakunin

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40 minutes ago, Phil said:

I’m not disagreeing but that’s a terrible situation 

 

39 minutes ago, Saintslass said:

It's pretty accurate!  (I've worked for four different local authorities over the years including very recently … nothing changes!)

I'm afraid it fits in with my experience as well. I've worked with government agencies at local, regional and national level and they've all been the same. IMO it's why government IT projects tend to be late, over budget and poor quality; no one ever wants to take responsibility for making decisions. Simple things that in the private sector get authorised by fairly junior to mid manager level staff in a day or so tales weeks of chasing via committees and up to senior management in the civil service. Like has been said above, it can be very frustrating.

"it is a well known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it."

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On 12/22/2018 at 9:07 AM, Saintslass said:

I got a job in September after eight months of unemployment and a total of six interviews.  But although I started my present job in September, there was a job I applied for (and was interviewed for) earlier in the year that I really wanted.

I found out last week that I have secured the job I really wanted and I start in January.

I am to be a civil servant.  Gosh, that sounds posh!

What wonderful news!  Congratulations!

"You clearly have never met Bob8 then, he's like a veritable Bryan Ferry of RL." - Johnoco 19 Jul 2014

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1st day back today. All of my functions are now run out of India; i've signed off everything with compliance and legal so i'm now  responsible for absolutely 0 until the 25th Jan. This is nice.

I'm 'working' from home and I've only sent 1 email today and its 15:45. It was not work related.

 

 

Running the Rob Burrow marathon to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie foundation:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ben-dyas

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In this current job & employment situation, I think anyone having a job should put any kind of industrial action on hold, either that, or strikers should be made to man a Picket Line, rather than go off shopping, or having an (unpaid) day off, there were too many, last minute "Industrial Actions" at a weekend, on the railways, in the lead up to Christmas, very suspicious. The general public need to do our Christmas shopping as well, as well as New Years Sales stuff. Give us a chance to reignight the local economy you lazy BSTRDS

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57 minutes ago, Bleep1673 said:

In this current job & employment situation, I think anyone having a job should put any kind of industrial action on hold, either that, or strikers should be made to man a Picket Line, rather than go off shopping, or having an (unpaid) day off, there were too many, last minute "Industrial Actions" at a weekend, on the railways, in the lead up to Christmas, very suspicious. The general public need to do our Christmas shopping as well, as well as New Years Sales stuff. Give us a chance to reignight the local economy you lazy BSTRDS

Yeah because people choose to lose a days pay for no other reason than just to have a day off and inconvenience you. People are entitled to strike and are entitled to do it at a time when it is going to have most impact.

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4 minutes ago, Damien said:

Yeah because people choose to lose a days pay for no other reason than just to have a day off and inconvenience you. People are entitled to strike and are entitled to do it at a time when it is going to have most impact.

I agree, as a socialist, but how many of those strikers man the picket line? From what I have seen, very few. & I temporarily worked for Southern Rail, and I never saw any of those whose jobs were on the line, on the  picket line, more like on the shopping line.

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1 minute ago, Bleep1673 said:

I agree, as a socialist, but how many of those strikers man the picket line?

Well these days the number of pickets on a picket line is strictly limited by law and has been tightened at various points since the 80s. The Code of Practice on picketing says usually there should be no more than 6 people outside an entrance to a workplace for instance or people will be arrested.

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2 hours ago, Bleep1673 said:

In this current job & employment situation, I think anyone having a job should put any kind of industrial action on hold, either that, or strikers should be made to man a Picket Line, rather than go off shopping, or having an (unpaid) day off, there were too many, last minute "Industrial Actions" at a weekend, on the railways, in the lead up to Christmas, very suspicious. The general public need to do our Christmas shopping as well, as well as New Years Sales stuff. Give us a chance to reignight the local economy you lazy BSTRDS

In this current job and employment situation.

I take it you are referring to the current high levels of employment and the current low levels of unemployment.

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I left my job in April after 19 years and 25 years of continuous employment.

I thought I'd take a few months to decompose (sorry decompress) but that turned into 8 months as I thought I would wait till the new year and I had a 12 months non compete agreement anyway.

What a summer it was looking after my 5 Year old daughter and enjoying a lot of Super League and NRL!!

Now it's back to LinkedIn to see what I can stir up... having not applied for a job since 1994 it does feel a bit weird.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

I left my job in April after 19 years and 25 years of continuous employment.

I thought I'd take a few months to decompose (sorry decompress) but that turned into 8 months as I thought I would wait till the new year and I had a 12 months non compete agreement anyway.

What a summer it was looking after my 5 Year old daughter and enjoying a lot of Super League and NRL!!

Now it's back to LinkedIn to see what I can stir up... having not applied for a job since 1994 it does feel a bit weird.

Good luck!

Do your research - things change massively over 25 years. What constitutes a good CV in your field these days? What questions might they ask at interview? There is lots of advice online, check it out. I repeat, Good luck!

 

Rethymno Rugby League Appreciation Society

Founder (and, so far, only) member.

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15 minutes ago, tonyXIII said:

Good luck!

Do your research - things change massively over 25 years. What constitutes a good CV in your field these days? What questions might they ask at interview? There is lots of advice online, check it out. I repeat, Good luck!

 

Thanks, I appreciate it.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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