Anyone over 50 looking for work? It is hopeless!
Posted by SuperbSwordfish7017@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 60 comments
I have been recently made redundant and it is impossible to find the jobs even with lots of experience.
We do not fit in corporate world any longer, the companies looking for younger cheaper worker in UK or offshoring jobs. Only jobs left is social work/care or freelancing? How are you over 50 year unemployed doing? What are your plans?
ukbot-nicolabot@reddit
Your post from /r/AskUK has been removed by a human moderator.
While your question has been removed, it would probably be allowed with a bit of tweaking.
Repost ensuring you've not asked;
As well as being interesting and unique, questions must -
Have a genuine, clear, and concise question in their title - including a question mark.
Ensure you can say your question title to someone at a bus stop and have them understand what you mean. So for example, no "Overseas Territories?", instead it should be "What Overseas Territories have you been to?".
Enough information in the body of your post to allow users to give good answers. Specifically, don't just repeat the question in the body. Provide an elucidation, example, or explanation.
If this still confuses you, contact modmail, and we will try to help!
If you believe this post should not have been removed, first read our rules before messaging the moderators. See our guide on common issues with posts and how to overcome them!
DragonflyDefiant9594@reddit
The GOV : we need to import skilled workers to build the economy
Skilled workers in the Uk : I cant find a job anywhere
Narrow_Maximum7@reddit
What's your industry?
thatintelligentbloke@reddit
My suggestions:
Start getting clever with your CV.
Leave dates off everything. You graduated from X, great. Don't tell them when. Only quote your most recent experience (that's all recruiters care about anyway), so that you don't seem to go back decades (difficult if you've achieved a lot but needs must).
Remember: you don't have to reveal your age, and it's a protected characteristic under discrimination law. So they can't ask for it, either, and if they do then they're wide open to litigation (they can ask if they employ you, of course, but not during the recruitment process).
As a side note, STUFF your CV full of keywords relating to your job. Most applications go through AI and are rejected based solely on keywords. I'd even add loads in white text to the bottom so they're invisible (but not to an AI).
Recruitment is no longer honest. It's dirty and messy, and you have to roll up your sleeves and get dirty and messy, too.
No-Calligrapher5472@reddit
I love the fantasy world you live in where disabled people find it easier to gain employment.
thatintelligentbloke@reddit
Nope. I didn't say that. It guarantees just an interview.
thefragile-@reddit
Not necessarily. You still have to meet the relevant criteria. Meaning your application can still be rejected. It doesn't really change the game I'm afraid.
SuperSquanch93@reddit
Why would you be applying to a job if you didn't meet their essential criteria anyway?
Flowers330@reddit
A guaranteed interview can help especially places that have good practices, the interviewer doesn't have to be told that the interviewee is disabled and had a guaranteed interview
notouttolunch@reddit
I would ignore an incomplete CV.
thatintelligentbloke@reddit
Are you a recruiter? OK so you might be somebody who hires people. But that first line is the recruiter, and the line before them is AI filtering.
notouttolunch@reddit
No. I’m an employer!
Larks_be_here@reddit
I’m a recruiter - I’d also ignore it
lookitskris@reddit
This is great advice. Your CV is marketing document, not a life history
thatintelligentbloke@reddit
Funny but actually, it is: curriculum vitae, early 20th century: Latin, ‘course of life’.
McLeod3577@reddit
It's also common to focus on "Achievements" instead of "Duties and Responsibilities". If you worked in retail for example, it's pretty much a given that you did stock takes and cash handling. Boring. You need to come up with "wins and achievements" to out you ahead of other people.
redrabbit1984@reddit
Yea that's a really good tip. I see that a lot - particularly in my last role when I used to interview people and do boards for jobs.
Imagine it was a mechanic - I'd have applications and people interviewing saying: "I fix cars". and "I can change oil".
That kind of rubbish which is uninspiring and obvious. Everyone applying can do that.
Draculaaaaaaaaaaahhh@reddit
Us disabled people hardly get through the application stage, let alone an interview. I lost my job when I became disabled. A few years later, I went to a special local charity that helped disabled people find work and did the back to work courses for the disabled run by the job centre. I got nowhere. Yes, I had good qualifications and years of experience in three fields. That was years ago, and it's worse now with AI.
Since then, I have gained more qualifications but also have another disability, no longer drive, and have my age against me (I'm well over 50). I would never find normal work now. I know because I tried after the lockdown.
I got fed up with being made to feel worthless by abled bodied recruitmers, so I started my own business, now I'm my own boss.
BowiesFixedPupil@reddit
Shit, it's hard for us oldies in the job market these days right?
Don't worry, employers hate this one simple trick which perfectly aligns with people like us...
W51976@reddit
It was difficult when I was 19, and that was back in 1995. It’s never been easy.
ChrisRR@reddit
Is it really an age thing? I think a hell of a lot of workplaces don't care about age as long as you've got the experience
It's not even like you're that "just before retirement" age that companies could potentially avoid
PrimeWolf101@reddit
Markets tough all round.
I'm in my early 30s and have 2 Oxbridge friends working in customer service because they can't get jobs in their fields (law, engineering).
Got other friends that were unemployed for over a year before managing to find something, and these aren't fresh faced grads, these are people with years of experience, solid degree, likable personality. For the grads just entering the market it's awful, no one wants to invest and train people anymore. We've got entry level positions filled by people with 7 years experience at our place.
doomdoggie@reddit
You need to lean into what you're really good at and how it's relevant/solves problems now.
You have experience that young people do not - you just need to show how valuable that is.
Build your confidence, believe you are a better candidate (you probably are).
Don't believe your age is an issue, it may be one of the reasons not to hire you but if the positives outweigh the negatives nobody cares.
At the end of the day, young people job hop so it's not like hiring one of them means a work for 40 years either.
Important_Crew8890@reddit
Changed jobs last year. Turns out being over 50 and in tech makes you invisible...
Wouldn't write off free lancing though. Once they realise they can't work without you you're golden
SemtaCert@reddit
Over 50 and just had a nice redundancy payout sounds like a good time to consider early retirement.
mumwifealcoholic@reddit
A lot of us couldn't buy property, so either we just bought or we are renting. That is the future for very many folks in this country.
SemtaCert@reddit
If someone in their 50's didn't buy a property when they had the advantage of low property prices then that's completely their fault.
mumwifealcoholic@reddit
Wonderful emphatic attitude. Makes it easier to not feel guilty when you'll be paying my rent:)
Intelligent-Half-141@reddit
People who earn a lot, have a lot of savings and can get a big redundancy to retire on - do not get redundant.
SemtaCert@reddit
Of course they do. This happens to plenty of people.
TheoTheodor@reddit
Sure if you can afford to. Many people don't have that luxury.
wales-bloke@reddit
I'm 48 next month, and I can completely understand why some corporations wouldn't hire me: my tolerance for corporate bullshit is non-existent; and I will absolutely call out any nonsense directly with my management.
I've lost count of the number of times I haven't been listened to & been subsequently and spectacularly vindicated. 25 years into my career I really am the software testing equivalent of Quint from Jaws.
lubbockin@reddit
I run my own small business, not had a great year. one of my customers was saying about p/t work she does and I got her to ask for me and I was taken on..
networking is as usual I find one of the best ways.
Cultural_Joke2025@reddit
It seems to get more difficult nowadays.
I used to run my own business, but due to a number of setbacks, I've been unemployed for nearly a year. I no longer have transport and live in a rural area where there is no public transport (apart from a single bus service once a week).
I've been asked by the Job Centre to attend a 50 Plus Choices meeting, so unsure what to make of that! Probably useless, but who knows?
Traditional-Treat613@reddit
All is not lost so just keep trying and dont get too despondent.
I have several friends who are early 50s and were made redundant earlier this year. Despite a lot of closed doors they have all found something decent or are in the final stages of doing so.
There is no doubt it is harder and dependent upon which industry you are in the job market isn't great. For context I was made redundant at 47 and it took me over 2 years to find another job, but I eventually found one that was better than the one I'd left, paid more and the people / culture are fantastic.
Wide-Affect-1616@reddit
I lost my job in May, 2 weeks before my 50th birthday. It's a nightmare. I've applied for around 30 positions, had 2 interviews, none that have gone any further. I'm fully expecting to be a long term unemployed statistic. I work in AI and SaaS but my colleagues tend to be younger.
PrimaryCarpenter1070@reddit
My dad was 56 when he got a new job with the council he walked out his warehouse job that he had been there for 30 plus years.
double-happiness@reddit
I'm 53, got made redundant after 2.5 years as a SWE. It is a nightmare. My confidence, self-esteem, outlook on life, and all the rest of it, are near rock-bottom. I feel I pretty much suck at coding (as much as I would like to be good at it) but have no other options on the table at this point. I have fallen way behind my peers in all sorts of ways, and am now being bested by people half my age, who honestly probably deserve to succeed much more than I do, and likely come from far better and much more supportive home environments in most cases.
GrayFernMcC@reddit
Work your contacts
Grand-Owl4072@reddit
Do you want part time but with possibility of more hours?
If you have a driving licence, look at Reed Driving Test Theory Staff.
Pay not brilliant but if you pick up shifts at other sites as well, you’ll get petrol/travel paid for etc.
TehDragonGuy@reddit
My mum is 60 and is having no luck getting a job. She was unemployed for almost a year, got a job then failed her probation, and is back job-searching again. UC isn't even close to enough to live on when you only get the jobseekers component, and she has no savings. She's relying on me to survive, and I don't know what she'd do without my income, or what she'll do when she retires. She's too old to fit into the corporate world, and too unfit to work retail anymore unless she can find somewhere where she can sit down all day, which is hard to come by.
Low-Captain1721@reddit
60 and been out of work a year she's going to have problems finding something tbh.
50 and been out of work a month probably not however may start to become a negative with other factors.
Severus_1987@reddit
Have you tried contracting? Age doesn’t matter if you’re delivering shorter term outcomes. You can sign up with an intermediary to help find work for you
Acceptable-You-4813@reddit
Yes I’ve been looking for over a year even got down to a second interview 3 times but they gave them to someone else
Low-Captain1721@reddit
I'm not far off the big 50 and not noticed a significant difference to my chances of being hired.
If a company was putting money into training you, the job was manual labour or heavily tech dependent it may be different story.
I know someone who basically walked into another full time job at 56, granted she was already employed however if you think negative you will get negative.
Sure some companies prefer younger however a some companies wouldn't mind older and a few would even prefer older.
In terms of advice from someone who's done plenty of hiring, don't leave age indicators like exam dates off CV. Apart from anything your age is going to be pretty obvious if you get an interview.
UsagiBlondeBimbo@reddit
I'm not sure what your experience is but have you tried the local authority? They're in desperate need of good workers and you'll find it is quite easy to rebrand your skills to the job descriptions.
dmmjrb@reddit
What type of work are you looking for?
Lots-o-bots@reddit
I guess it depends what you are looking for. Dad retired from his corperate job of 37 years but ended up getting bored. He went back to work doing hands on engineering (instead of the engineering management he was doing) to fill time and doesnt seem to have a problem finding another engineering role when he wants to move on.
One company were so desperate to keep him they offered him a 3 day work week on full pay! He still goes back there occasionally when they need him to consult.
SoYorkish@reddit
Have you considered the Public Sector? Councils, Universities, Hospitals etc all follow UK employment laws very strictly and have stringent rules in place to ensure they're not discriminating against older applicants. They don't always offer similar salaries to private sector, but pensions are usually very good, they often offer discounted travel and plenty of annual leave and flexible working. The NHS often try to match public sector wages on some roles to try and attract and retain good candidates.
Outside_Tell_5239@reddit
Unless you're in a role which requires a specific skillset, no employer needs someone with 30 years exp. 10 years exp is usually enough. I am in my mid 40s, and I fear being made redundant. My boss's boss's boss's is 33 - 34.
thatintelligentbloke@reddit
Even 10 years is way more than most employers think matters, unless you're going for a very senior position. 2-3 years does it most times.
Smart_Record_7989@reddit
Not intending to be mean (and obviously I don’t know your circumstances), but I think this is also a symptom of the current UK middle aged generation’s (myself included), actual “employability”.
In most countries you start as a generalist, pick a specialty, become an expert and then end up taking (less) very high paid work, as you age, naturally tapering off.
The issue I think my generation has is we seem to be largely a collection of generalists, born from a school system that prioritised influence and people skills as a skill set and never really became experts at any particular marketable service/ability.
So many cvs I see from my age group may have endless generalist experience… but they don’t really specialise in ANYTHING and don’t have a particular expertise.
I essentially get no tangible benefit over employing a 30 year old, other than imminent retirement and (potentially) less energy and acceptance of innovation/change.
If however they have in there working life become an expert in something, employment isn’t usually a problem, but it is harder as a 50 year old to get a job that simply needs you to be a competent human as someone younger (or potentially AI) can do that.
DevilishlyHandsome63@reddit
What worked for me (I'm 62 now and got my current job at 54), was scanning the local paper for smaller firms, who seem to be more accommodating regarding age, and actually prefer older workers.
Good_Lettuce_2690@reddit
When I was unemployed at 35 it felt hopeless. It seems only people with lifelong careers and a professional network can walk into jobs now.
Rough-Sprinkles2343@reddit
Old people need to get adapt and learn new ways but a lot of them are stuck in their old ways or don’t want to learn hence consider ill health retirement early/retirement/claiming UC forever more.
Yes there’s discrimination but plenty of old people can still get jobs with the years of experience. I know a 64 year old colleague who’s got a new job recently at the council.
Foxrockmafia@reddit
Similar in Ireland.
1HappyChappy1968@reddit
I gave up trying after losing my own business and prior to that 30 years as an employee paying my taxes. I've acclimatised myself to a simple life on UC now and, actually, I prefer it. I don't need/want all that stress about money and being a success anymore. If there's food in the fridge and my bills are paid, I'm content with that !
BowiesFixedPupil@reddit
That sounds kind of scary but I guess it depends on your skills etc right?
There aren't any 25 year olds with my skills and experience, things which are important for the roles I apply for.
But I'm not quite 50 and I appreciate that things can change quickly.
If you're competing for entry level jobs against people with more energy and more enthusiasm, it might be a tough sell.
Perhaps that is how the market will go, 50-70 year olds doing care work. We're probably just as well suited as 18-21 year olds, just so long as someone will do the nightshifts for us.
Daniel_Jessea@reddit
Founder POV: If you’re over 50, stop chasing jobs.
Start selling your expertise.
freelance, consult, teach.
You’re not out, you’re just mispositioned.
AutoModerator@reddit
Please help keep AskUK welcoming!
When replying to submission/post please make genuine efforts to answer the question given. Please no jokes, judgements, etc.
Don't be a dick to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on.
This is a strictly no-politics subreddit!
Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.