Okay - here goes.

20 Comments

1. AnonymousJuly 26,2022 at 8:59PM UTC

   Have you tried teaching online courses at universities? Many people who hold masters degrees can teach online without having to teach in a classroom. Why not apply and see if that interests you. Many people I work with are part time. But I am sure you can apply to both part time and full time. You don't have to be in a specific state to teach an online course for a university based in a different state. Another option you can try is to work in customer service call centers for insurance companies. If you only plan to work for the next 3-5 years, it is an easy job to do with steady income that you can do while you sort things out. Or if you prefer to just do it until retirement. Claims rep for insurance companies is also another option to consider. Try looking up major carriers like Aetna, Statefarm, etc and start applying to many. Dont wait for your company to hire you into a different position.

2. Becca A.July 26,2022 at 10:28PM UTC

   You have so much accrued adminsitrative experience under your belt. The possibilities are endless! You can transition into the education sector and become an executive assistant as they tend to prefer candidates on the older side due to traditional culture cultivated there.

   Perhaps, starting with sprucing up your resume so you can review all the skills you have cultivated thus far as a result of the responsibilities currently held at your job and see how they would transfer to other role titles that pique your interest, skim through the responsibilities that they would hold and compare them to what you have done thus far to gauge your familiarity with them or whether you would be able to quickly meet the demand.

   Please dont lose hope, you will get through this so keep your head up, look up videos on youtube surrounding career, and spruce up your resume to get an understanding on how your skills stack up in the current market.

3. JYJJuly 27,2022 at 12:06AM UTC

   I was thinking the same thing! She's a prime candidate to be a top admin in the education field.

4. Yichen ZhangJuly 26,2022 at 10:41PM UTC

   Agreed with Bex. It may also be helpful to look into job search/professional services support with your local library. There are often free workshops, support groups, mentors, etc.

5. Cyndi RosenblattJuly 26,2022 at 10:53PM UTC

   My husband switched careers in his mid-60s. His MS is not related to his current job and his background wasn't especially relevant either. He did take a pay cut, but it was worth it for the lower stress. He's gotten a couple of promotions since then. Best of luck!

6. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 27,2022 at 1:36AM UTC

   So my first suggestion is to find out if there is a Talent Acquisition/Recruiting group at your workplace - if so, work to develop a relationship with them, not HR.
   If not, do this with HR:

   Second, you can't just sit there and wait for them to contact you if you've only received one call on 23 applications. Work to find out either who the recruiter is that is responsible for filling that requisition or find out who the hiring manager is and follow up with them. Or both. Tell them you've applied, you're very interested in being considered for the position, how you fit the position and that you're following up to schedule an interview.

   Squeaky wheel gets the grease. Those next three months are going to go by fast.

   Regarding looking for an outside job? Are you computer literate? Most of the job boards are fairly self explanatory. Go to Monster, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Careerbuilder, etc. and create a profile with your resume. That's how companies can reach out to you about positions they're looking to fill. Then you can run searches for positions on those same sites and apply.

   Do you have a LinkedIn profile? If not, you need to create one. You can basically copy and paste your resume into your profile. They also have a job board where you can search for positions. And recruiters can find you by your profile.

   There are two "open to work" notifications that you can activate to signal you're looking for a new position - the green circle banner around your profile picture and the "open to work" notification within your profile that recruiters with a LinkedIn Recruiter license can see.

   If you're not computer literate, I highly suggest you get yourself up to speed or find someone to help you. Job searches are conducted primarily on-line these days.

   I would also reach out to your union and your company to see if they offer any outplacement services - help with your resume, job search help, mock interviews, etc.

   Please let me know if you have any questions. GOOD LUCK!

7. AnonymousJuly 28,2022 at 1:26PM UTC

   This is exactly the issue I mentioned -- boomers are presumed not to be computer savvy, but we have been using computers since before millennials were potty trained.

   Why on earth would you suggest that someone who is using the internet to post here would not be computer literate?

   This post proves my point that we boomers have an uphill battle and face ageism when looking for work over 60. Someone who has been working an admin position and has a master's degree is probably not less computer savvy than a "digital native." But we have to prove it, whereas it's just assumed in someone under 40.

8. Alicia PiconeJuly 28,2022 at 2:17PM UTC

   This is an excellent point.

   The fact that I have been with my organization 17 years as an administrator (which I stated in my original post) should imply that I have adapted with whatever technology has been adapted since then.

   I do not agree, however, that the reasons are entirely that we are not considered computer savvy.

   You can teach someone how to use a computer. You can't teach them how to think outside the box, and that seems to be an obstacle a lot of boomers can't work around.

   Many companies are now looking for people who can foster diversity and inclusion, and that sometimes means learning how to address things differently.

   Recently, my company asked me to compile data on managers - including their pronouns. The pushback I'm getting is astounding.

   There is a lot of "black and white" among boomers.

   We have a very specific idea (pressed into us by our parents) of what people "should" and "should not" do. Kind of like the old message of "girls don't call boys."

   We are the ones who insist that taking Aunt Jemima off syrup bottles is "coddling" and that people are "too sensitive."

   We grew up watching people like Don Rickles, and now we're being told that those jokes, that we all sat around the TV and laughed at, are inappropriate.

   We believed boys wore pants and girls wore dresses, and now we're being told boys are not necessarily boys and people can wear whatever they want.

   We have very linear and literal thinking, and other generations legitimately find it frustrating.

   When the world was coming back to work, it was younger generations that took up the gauntlet of "wait a minute - we've been working successfully from home for 2 years - why do we have to come back 5x a week"?

   Most boomers just "sucked it up" and went back to work.

   It's not all of us - it may even not be most of us - but it definitely is the loudest of us.

9. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 28,2022 at 2:44PM UTC

   Why? Because when someone says:

   "I have NO IDEA how to look for job outside."

   AND

   "How do I find jobs? I'm on all these websites, but I'm not sure how to navigate them."

   AND

   "I don't even know where to begin. HELP!"

   I take them at their word. If someone says they "don't even know where to begin" - I start at the beginning. If someone says "I'm on all these websites, but I'm not sure how to navigate them." - I'm going to try to help them navigate those websites.

   It might be surprising to me that someone doesn't know how to navigate Indeed or Monster - they seem pretty self explanatory to me - but if they say they don't, I'll try to explain it so they can. Isn't that what this site is for?

   I wasn't assuming someone of ANY AGE didn't know these things - THE ORIGINAL POSTER SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEM.

10. Alicia PiconeJuly 28,2022 at 7:47PM UTC

    To be honest, what I said was that I didn't know how to navigate the job seeker websites. I also said that because I had been in my position 17 years, I had no idea how to look for a position outside my organization. Both of which you answered by telling me to 1) get a LinkedIn profile (already had one) and how to navigate the websites.

    However, I also said I had years of administrative experience and a recent Masters Degree in Education would pretty much validate my ability to navigate a keyboard.

    I assumed that your questions and instructions were based on your experience in talent acquisition and trying to find out exactly where someone is in their skill level, so I did not personally take offense, but I could see how someone might find the "are you computer literate" when I'm sitting here ON a computer rather unnecessary.

    That being said, I also think the replies about this are really more internal angst at being considered obsolete at our age - which is a significant issue everywhere.

11. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 29,2022 at 1:33AM UTC

    I'm glad you didn't take offense because none was meant. Like I said when someone says they have no idea how to navigate the websites, I take them at their word. It had nothing to do with age.

    It actually looks like you have two LinkedIn profiles - neither of which has any information that is going to help recruiters looking to fill positions find you.

12. Alicia PiconeJuly 29,2022 at 6:20PM UTC

    This is the link to my active profile. To my knowledge I only have one. If there are two, I'll definitely have to delete one.

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-picone-edm/

13. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 29,2022 at 8:27PM UTC

    These are both you, correct?

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-picone-edm/

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-picone-b7a77958/

    Looks like neither one is filled out.

14. Crystal HowellJuly 27,2022 at 11:41AM UTC

    Research here for a recruiter they are free, they look for jobs for you with your criteria, the employer pays them.

    Linkedin search for employers and recruiters.

    Contact school districts with your degree, they are desperate for good workers, and may have a position.

    Good Luck

15. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJuly 27,2022 at 12:26PM UTC

    As a general rule, recruiters do not find jobs for people - they find people for jobs.

16. AnonymousJuly 27,2022 at 1:30PM UTC

    Being here is a great first step.
    The companies who post their jobs here are telling you that they value your unique transferrable skills. Don't worry about your age - they will only see your experience!

17. AnonymousJuly 28,2022 at 1:21PM UTC

    I wish that was true, but it's not. Ageism is rampant.

18. AnonymousJuly 28,2022 at 1:20PM UTC

    (Assuming you're in the U.S. here)

    I was laid off at 63, and finally found a new job 11 months later, but the pay is 20% less than I used to get. Check out some job descriptions in educational institutions, and if you have outdated skills, take some online courses or get certification to prove you are up to date.

    It's a tough world out there, and being laid off when old enough for partial social security but too young for Medicare totally sucks. I have COBRA, which is my old employer's health plan, which I have to pay full price for. Check out what health care coverage they will offer you just in case.

    Also, if you do take early social security, you will be able to earn up to a certain amount without penalty. Go to the social security page on .gov and set up a phone call with them. The person I spoke to was very helpful, giving me the details on what I could earn, what would happen if I earn more than that, etc.

    The average age of retirement is 63, and we were all told to plan to work until 70 for full benefits. We are being pushed out of the workforce, and the anti-boomer sentiment of millennials is doubtless part of the problem. We have been adapting to one technological change after another for decades, and yet we're thought to be luddites who can't learn a new skill.

    Argh. Don't get me started!

19. Alicia PiconeJuly 28,2022 at 2:07PM UTC

    I definitely agree with you. I started my career on a typewriter with carbon paper, and I have regularly learned and adapted to new systems and technologies, even in my own company.

    Unfortunately, the "anti-boomer" sentiment is one that is, at least partly, deserved. Working with other boomers, I find that i am the exception to the rule - willing to adapt to new ways of doing things, solving problems using different methods, thinking outside the box, etc.

    It sometimes takes me forever to get someone my age to move from the "we've always done it this way, and it's always worked" or "it was good enough for me when I was your age, it should be good enough for you."

    There are even people I've worked with who say "I had no work/life balance and I turned out fine."

    Did you, though?

    The idea of being malleable and changing quickly and easily is one that is very foreign to a lot of people in our generation. So it's hard to convince hiring managers I'm not one of "those" boomers - especially if I can't even get in to see them.

20. AnonymousAugust 6,2022 at 1:01AM UTC

    Since you appear to have the option, take the downgraded job at your current workplace and then keep looking for another job after.

    Be prepared to learn yet more new skills to get a job.

    Make sure you have your LinkedIn profile up to date and if you're not very familiar with it consider paying someone to help with it. It may be best to have someone professionally write your resume as well.

    You're fortunate that you have the union and therefore some options.

    You may also be able to find a better job at your organization after the dust settles and not have to stay in the downgraded job forever.

    Best of luck to you.