Man, when I worked at the hardware store a contact like you would have been a godsend for me and the customer when I had to recommend 'a guy' to (fill in the. blank - hang a door, sort out a window, patch a sidewalk, repair a fence, install an extra outlet, repair a lamp, assemble flat pack furniture)

An ambitious handyman with a card to pass out would have been busy every day that he wanted to work.

I had a neighbor who did handyman post-retirement who got all his contacts from his church, and he was as busy as a one handed wall-paper hanger in a windstorm.

It is.

I was offered a package during the darkest daze of '08 when my IT dept. was outsourced to a second rate outfit (imo) ... and it was my choice ... I could have continued with them. At 48, a heavyweight systems techie, top rate salary in my field (maxed out for years), I had had enough of corporate BS ... I was not alone ;).

But I knew it was my "last rodeo" if I "retired" .... considering the timeframe and economy back then.

NO REGERTS :)....

Saw it happen a lot during my career to folks that didn't control their own destiny... a LOT .... and it sucked.

Best of luck to all!

Will not go into the details of my history, but will agree on what others have already said. I'm another example that when you are in your late 40s and early 50s, getting a job offer is near to impossible. Apparently having a very successful past experience (international business development in the tech industry) is not something companies are interested in anymore, or they have presumptions that they are unwilling to truthfully share with you (headhunters included...).

Today a lot depends on being able to "bypass" the ATS (applicant tracking system), but difficult to do as some information is required. An example: dates in which you worked at X places or graduated from school/college which can then be used to estimate your age which is then used as a filter to discard you. I read somewhere that only 2-3% of applications online actually end up with an offer. I'd say it's a numbers game, but my numbers have shown me that the percentage of potential success is a lot less than claimed.

And to think that a major concern of managers/leadership (who are mostly in their 50s) is that the next generation lacks the work ethic/culture needed to keep the business growing into the future. In many cases, these "youngsters" are the gatekeepers to opportunities that we are definitely being left out.

Being forced (because nobody will give you an opportunity) to become an entrepreneur/retire increases on a daily basis, or so it seems, once you are past your mid/late 40s. Some in their late 40s/50s have had the luck to be hired for top positions, but those are the exception to the rule and many have had to wait years before getting such an offer. I know many who have gone through this process (waiting years before getting an offer).

That's a fact.

I've seen the church thing work well before. You might not believe this but joining AA in an affluent area works just as well. I know of a perfect example.

While I am outgoing and very friendly/helpful when called on, I'm not a joiner and I hate groups/meetings. As I said, 'PR' will get the job done but I'm cool with what happened to me. I'm pretty much done with people anyway.

And I'm really done with suppliers. The more corporate a lumber yard becomes, the worse it is in every respect. The HD and the like are a plague and I loathe having to go there. In fact I've been in a HD 2wice in the last year. I hate that place.

And let me bring this back around to the point at hand. HD let go all the talented guys that would work for peanuts after a career in the trades. They knew stuff and were helpful. Not any more. The replacement do nothing-know nothings just stand around BS'ing with each other. For someone that knows how to work, that pisses me off more than anything.

And then there's the "talent" standing in the parking lot. Eff that place.

The interesting thing is that the company that doesn't want to hire a 50-60 y/o employee has no problem hiring a 50-60 y/o consultant or vendor or contractor. Depending on your field and contacts, that may be something to consider.

Senior People leaving a company with Youngsters in charge is called Brain Drain and old skills and talent are lost.

Has to be. Corporations have been shedding senior employees since the 90's. But they hire many of them back on a contract. No benefits. Can you guess?

Ohhh, that sucks. We've been without a Home depot here in Charlottesville and are getting one this year. The thing I missed most was the tradesmen working the departments. Didn't know that wasn't still a thing.

Maybe try Ace.

In my experience Ace isn't much better - at least the one I can go to. The prices are higher, but it seems like the products are higher quality, at least in things where that difference can be noticed.

I'm lucky then. Yes, Ace is a bit more, but the ones in LB have at least one really knowledgeable person on the floor. They are all on the other side of the city so it's a min of a 20 minute drive.

In 10 minutes I can get to 3 HD's and one Lowe's. I've said this many times before, I live in a city of 460,000 people and not one lumberyard in the city. 30 minutes to 2, maybe 3 if I head towards L.A.

But that is usually a mistake traffic wise.

I am so happy and fortunate that my wife and I retired on our own terms vs being forced out . It is sad to see brain drain unfold :( . Good luck to anyone in that situation .

Play their game if your game isn't working

Where there is chaos, there is cash, there is a lot of chaos out there

If I was looking for an employee role in my industry at my age I think I would find it tough landing a job but as freelance contractor/consultant I would have more job offers than I'd know what to do with

At your age, I'm hoping you're not living one pay check to another, the luxury of this will allow you time to chase and land all sorts of interesting jobs

Timely.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/03/28/americans-forced-retire-early-layoffs-health/72897910007/

<iframe width="928" height="523" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/taWgYEEAwyI" title="The Company Men clip: &quot;Ethical Scrutiny&quot;" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

From the movie "the company men" with Ben Affleck
I love that movie.
BTDT


Older employees usually have more years with
the company, and make a lot more money than
some snot-nosed brown-noser recently recruited
straight from Rice university.
A company can save a great deal of payroll by replacing
a 25 year manager with that newbie.


And since most high level executives
are only interested in the three year plan where they
slash costs despite the long-term detriment to the company
in order for their own short-term career advancement,
well the pieces all fall into place...

The sweet smell karma waifs by when you end up
doing very well,
but the a-hole executive gets canned a several years
later and tries to use you as a reference.

Guess he forgot what he had done and to who.
He won't make that mistake again. :D

↑ this

Another good point here. I see that you're already working as a consultant...maybe just keep at it. I did this for many years in the engineering business and, quite often, an offer for direct employment would be extended once the contract ran out.
In that field, consultants didn't receive benefits or perks, but the pay was substantially higher than for direct employees and contracts could sometimes extend for a year or more. I've even seen consultants at some companies running entire departments.
There are also agencies that specialize in placing consultants, contractors and temporary employees. Age didn't seem to be a barrier to placement either, as long as you had the right skill set and could produce.

Me too...

Self-employed has some benefits. Lot more stuff can be expensed (written off), for one thing.

The other thing is, starting a consulting biz prevents a “gap” from forming on the CV, and you can talk in some future interview about setting and implementing best practices at different companies blah blah.

My industry is ageist, when my company shut down in 2015 I was 52 y/o and many doors were closed as a result, I went to a different part of the industry for five years then opened my own shop, am happier than I’ve ever been. Money is fine, I work my own way, don’t deal with workplace b.s. or bosses or bosses’ bosses, take Tuesdays to ski, make it up working Sundays, go to Europe for a month if I want to, etc.

I’m sorry you’re going through this but do be open to landing in a different and better place. Use your contacts, sound them out about the consulting / contract idea, what would make it sell to people like them, etc. Absent special regulatory or licensing issues, might cost you $3K for LLC, landing page website, basic insurance. Work from home office, expense everything arguable. For sure explore the agency thing, headhunter thing, alternative parts of the industry, etc.

Another piece of advice is, you can only look for a new job so many hours a day, and guessing if you go the consulting route your gigs will be more by word of mouth and referrals and recommendations (I could be wrong) rather than beating the street all day. Which means you may have free time. Use it! If there’s professional credentials to get and networking to do, do that, but otherwise enjoy yourself. I’ve twice had significant (many month) periods of unemployment - the first time I fretted the whole time, the second time I used my free time well and now look back at that period fondly.

Oh, apply for unemployment benefits if you can - it’s free money after all.

And - sorry for droning on with advice - if you’re fat or saggy or look/dress like a schlub, change that. First impressions etc.