The tongue lashing part was meant as a somewhat preemptive approach to how I expected some people would feel about my socialist and atheist postings. My approach to blogging has morphed over the last few years and I’m really trying to reach the point where I can find something to write about every day. Then again, maybe just writing – not necessarily posting – every day will be enough. I do want to get a book or two out of me. Just wish I wasn’t so damned scatterbrained.

Thanks for stopping by. See you in the aether.

Take care, Andrea

Let me cut to the chase. I have absolutely no intention of keeping my thoughts private. I did that for far too long. I have things I wish to say and I will be saying them, possibly far more forcefully as time goes by. Fact is, I no longer want a job. One of the reasons I was looking during the time I refer to in this post, is because I was collecting unemployment compensation and I had no choice. I was also a bit unnerved by the whole early retirement thing, but I was 64 years old at the time all this took place, so it wasn’t exactly strange territory.

I just read a great piece by Steve Denning on Forbes (I may have mentioned it to you on HuffPo; not sure. if not, here’s the link) that has pretty much solidified my decision to continue building the business/practice I’ve been working on for a while. I’ll make it work or I’ll . . . well, Social Security and my modest pension will keep me from starving and we’ve got savings enough to get the kids out of High School. I’ll make it work.

PS – I’ve never colored my hair. I have a very full, thick head of salt and pepper. I’ve worked hard for it. I earned it. I’m keeping it just the way it is. I’m told it’s quite attractive.

PPS – Thank you for taking the time to comment. I really don’t disagree with you. We all have to handle our situations in the manner that works best for us. Working in a very conservative industry like aerospace and being a very (that’s VERY) progressive kind of a guy always required a lot of silence on my part. That’s one of the reasons I’m determined to speak my mind for the remainder of my life. It was painful and not a little soul killing. I have to make amends. Thanks again. I really do appreciate your thoughts.

OK…I am one of those evil HR folks…but I am not an evil person. And I have advocated for candidates with the right experience and not because of age, gender, race…or whatever. Unfortunately, age factors in because of some unfortunate stereotypes:
- A lot of experience equals higher wages (in my book, if a candidate is willing to work for a fair and prevailing wage, WE should not exclude them.
- Coatailed with the above, older workers will accept a lower paying job and jump ship as soon as the right paying job comes around. Maybe, but the younger folks do this as well.
- There are companies out there, mainly small ones that value experience and hence…age.

So, how do we get past the age dilemma without needing plastic surgery or hair coloring? Not easy, but it is about attitude and understanding what you can control. Can you control the asshole hire managers? No…but you can control how you react to them. I can hold evil thoughts or I can be like a good salesman…next…and then next again, and again, and again.

I am over 50…I get it. But if you want my honest opinion, networks, people you know, are a better way to search for those jobs that rarely make it to the public domain. LinkedIn is a public domain and when you use LinkedIn, you have plenty of competition. Combined with LinkedIn and Monster…networking has proved to be the ticket for me. I have landed the last 3 times thanks to people out there who were on my side.

As for HR, we all remember the snail mail days…with the advent of so much technology, I am now doing more resume reading than ever before…but my brain capacity has remained the same…the volume is a killer and when I used to get snail mail I know within seconds get bombarded…it is overwhelming. Is this an excuse not to have some kind of reply sent out to candidates? Not really, but I do understand the challenge. The new alternative is to have these Applicant Tracking Systems automatically send out a very lame…”thank you for your resume, we will get back to you if there is a match” sucky letters. Quite frankly…not getting anything felt better that that.

Let’s go back to attitude. You have to approach the job search with high energy…hit is hard like a 30 year old!. You have to reach out to networks often and I was hitting at least 10 per day. I would leave a voice message and then call again…catching somebody live is better. A former boss called me a networking slut! I was not offended.

The network needs to be with a familiar connection. Friends, colleagues, universities, military experience, sports…if your message to a prospective network says that John Doe,”a former Marine partner of yours”…THAT is a connection…so, figure out the connections and use them. It will give you a few extra minutes.

I hate networking…but recognize the value. If you don’t mind, I sense a high level of frustration in what you have written. And this information is in the public domain…my suggestion would be to keep your feelings private. Anything in the public space will not help the cause.

Best of luck. Listen, am I done with the rat race? Absolutely! Unfortunately, I have bills to pay. Working is over rated and I would much rather be at my condo in Florida, enjoying the grandkids…but my financial reality is that I need to work. My new attitude…”I love my job!”