Posted on 11/29/2016 8:01:44 AM PST by SeekAndFind
I highly recommend the movie, “Company Men” to get a perspective on what is going on out there.
Where I work it’s about 90%! Truly sad that they don’t want American full time workers and would rather revolving door these folks year after year.
Re: myth #1. It means nothing that older workers are getting jobs that are better than previous generations. That is a meaningless nonspecific statement.
As usual the WSJ lives in the ivory tower of Robert Erich and the left
A Trump presidency is creating a deal of hope. I can feel it. I haven’t felt it since the Reagan years. I recently spoke with a friend who is a business owner in the construction field. He said the same thing and that other business owners he has spoken with have concurred. There is genuine excitement that our economy will improve.
I’ve seen snowflakes on the job and us old guys are far less maintenance.
If you took, say, 20 years off to fully raise kids, even with advanced degrees, you won’t get SH**. You could send out 3000 resumes with extremely well written cover letters, to as many different types of job openings you can find, and not get a single one. You will be the bottom of the pile on every job application and never get an interview.
Kind of sad, because older people aren’t sneaking out to party in the alley, hitting on all the clients, exhausted from being out all night, etc. People over 40 are more stable and care more about keeping their job.
Too much arrogance, demands, and lack of people skills, manners, experience, and knowledge at their jobs
This is true. Companies no longer believe that young people are the only people who know technology. Everyone knows it these days. Everyone has a computer.
There is also a cost benefit if you have a pension. Hiring someone at 55 means they only have 10 years vested at 65. That’s a cheaper payout.
Knowing if you are going to be homeless or able to feed your family the next month makes a huge difference in your attitude...: )
“Could be employers don’t want to hire as much from the “participation award” snowflake generation.”
Recently, there was a fatal accident in front of a house I own. A massive truck blew a tire, left its lane and hit a small truck head on. The driver of the truck was 78. (I don’t think his age played a factor in the accident.)
I was discussing this with the former vice president of a steel company. On the driver’s age he said, “it’s almost impossible to hire a young person as a driver. They can’t get a CDL because they can’t pass the drug test. If you do manage to hire a young person they generally aren’t reliable. Then there’s risk. Hiring somebody who is young (for various drug related reasons) is much higher. Look at the semi’s and see who is driving them. It’s white hair or no hair.”
I regularly see contractor’s trucks loaded with youngsters on their way to jobs. Generally, the driver is very much senior. (Another issue to hiring people is an unbelievable number don’t have regular driver’s licenses because of DUI’s or they got taken because of debts owed to the state for fines. I employ a couple of those and must pick them up and drop them off.)
my brother is 59 yo and a petroleum engineer. he was laid off by his [now bankrupt] employer, a well services company, in June. He had temporarily relocated to PA from Houston at their behest, but luckily did not sell the house in TX. He returned to Houston and was hired by a company in Houston and started at the end of October. I attribute it to the power of prayer; because of his age, I was concerned about him getting a new job.
That and I don’t think as many Mexicans do drugs..
We see Mexicans driving trucks, and then there is construction. My son works as Ops manager for good size construction company who uses contractors...he’s 46...he says it’s hard to find reliable workers and they compete against Govt bennies...ie ebt, welfare, etc
I fit into this category. I had consulted for the government, biotech, tech both large and small, healthcare and tech startups and other business for about a decade.
At the young age of 54, I decided to reenter the work force due to various factors (e.g. clients slow to pay). I scoured the job boards, applied to 8 companies, got 6 phone screens, 5 on sites with 5 offers. I accepted an IT Director position at a 20 person startup. I was easily the oldest person at the company by 20 years. I hated being called “Sir.” We had a successful exit - sale of the company in 2015. During my tenure at the company, it allowed me to extend my personal network - mentor companies. Currently, I am a co-founder of a company hoping to release an integral product for Enterprises which will address a decades old computational issue.
I think the key is having a resume which fits the job description, be open to learning new stuff.
I work because I like to work, I do have hobbies. But, I’ve this huge desire to keep doing more.
There’s a large ski resort ten miles from us near the Canadian border. The only way they can get the numbers of employees required during the winter is to send out vehicles to pick them up/take them home, as most of the younger people can’t drive for exactly the reasons you stated.
Maybe in your neck of the woods, but not here in Silicon Valley. The business boom going on right now is as big as any I’ve experienced here.
I got laid off a month ago at age 65 from a high tech firm. Landed a new job in three weeks and am enjoying this week off before starting. Nothing like a good work ethic, a great track record, up-to-date skills, and a healthy network of colleagues to make one attractive to employers.
“That and I don’t think as many Mexicans do drugs..”
Liberals in charge of the education system, movies extolling drug use by stars, Hip Hop, peer pressure, social media, the need to be cool, all combine to make drug use acceptable. The Obama presidency has accelerated cultural and moral decline as well. It’s as if the powers of evil* are exerting purposeful damage.
*Liberals, the anti-church anti-God crowd, BLM, Democrats, Hollywood, etc. (I’m sure a left a few out.)
Those older adults collecting Medicare are a plus to small businesses, since you don’t have to provide health insurance because they already get healthcare via the state.
“Nothing like a good work ethic, a great track record, up-to-date skills, and a healthy network of colleagues to make one attractive to employers.”
Exactly. This is critical either for Silicon Valley (where I am too) but facets of this apply to other geo areas too.
I’ve been working primarily in the startup realm, and it’s been a kick. But, keeping your skill set up to date and having that Linkedin network going is key.
Still working full time at 75. Doing a job (radiographer) they don’t teach young folks anymore. The snowflakes don’t take STEM courses anymore.
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