I just noticed that some companies use a “refer your LinkedIn contact” button on their job postings.
I forgot to mention your boss, but if you were on good terms, definitely ask him to join your network. If necessary, say you were disappointed at being let go, but are looking at other opportunities and would appreciate leads … I’d also limit discussions of whether you “need” work aka finances, except to good friends. I think women particularly feel they have to “need” the money … but it is really no one’s business and you may be a better choice than some needier people. And there is no harm in turning down either interviews or offers, just use normal etiquette.
And yes, all those people who have left in the last few years or even decade could be on LinkedIn, look them up and maybe they will know someone or maybe just be another nice lunch or coffee outing. Again, during the recession, a lot of people got displaced, some are likely in great new places, some may not be (And might be good for some commiserating, or maybe you can help them - help should be a 2 way street, ideally without costing anyone anything).
I was out of job last year and claimed unemployment. In my state, we couldn’t leave the state without telling the unemployment office or we would lose the unemployment. I was not aware of the stipulation when I left the country to take D2 for study abroad. I logged in to the state unemployment site, filled in my weekly information. They caught me for being out of the country through my IP address and really gave me a hard time.
It is not easy to find another job once you are over 50. If you have the option of not working or do part time, you should enjoy that option. If I were you, I would take on few clients and work for yourself. There are many small business that can’t afford a full time accountant. My sister just stopped working as a long time in house lawyer. She is taking few clients and playing a lot of tennis.
@conmama - am I confusing you with someone else or did your father die very recently? Assuming I have my facts straight - I would take some time to simply breathe. Regroup. Maybe see a therapist or life coach to figure out what you really want to do next. If you don’t need the money - take some time to discover what YOU want for the next chapter of your life.
I’m so sorry you are having a difficult time. You’re shocked, of course. I would volunteer sooner rather than later. Also, maybe find a way to structure your day, like work out at a certain time, or take lessons of some kind; take a class?
But it really sounds like you need to move on, look forward and look for another job. It just requires the very first step.
See if your library offers access to online classes like lynda.com - there might be something useful you can learn!
Hugs, conmama. It’s hard because you have had a loss and you are grieving. There is nothing wrong with being sad about a job loss. As a man I used to work for (actually he was my boss’s boss) once told me there can be a lot of satisfaction in having a job you like.
It might help to have a plan. By all means look for a job, but let yourself be picky. Hold out for something you really want. It might take awhile but people over 50 do get hired (I did - twice!). In the meantime schedule some things: workouts/walking will help lift your spirits, keep in touch with former coworkers, some projects around the house. If you really enjoy volunteering, go for it. Consider taking a retail job at the holidays to try it out (unless you have another job by then). If nothing turns up by the first of the year consider temping or consulting.
Most of all be good to yourself. Take care.
If you are collecting unemployment and you take a vacation or a temp job and are not eligible to collect for that week, you won’t get a check for that week but your eligibiliy is extended for that week.
If I was in your position, I’d network like crazy. I would seek PT work while trying to build your own business. In FL, we have so many older people who can’t handle their bills or paperwork for insurance. I know a few people who started with one client Ina senior community and built a client base. One person became a Guardian Ad Litem. I also think there are small firms that could need extra help over tax season. Working with the elderly is not for everyone.
Oh yeah, do the eye surgery.
^She said she doesn’t do taxes.
Just wanna say, retail is hard. People seem to think it would be “fun” and “low stress.” No. Your schedule will change every week. You might be on your feet for 8 hours a day. You could have long lines of everybody staring at you wondering what the problem is - the problem might be that the receipt printer is on the fritz for the 10th time that day. You might be hanging up a hundred garments, breathing fiber dust and getting the sizing chemicals all over your fingers. And it could be worse, depending on the particular sector.
Since you don’t need to work, maybe you should consider taking a class at your local community college. It might lead to a hobby. And you could certainly volunteer somewhere and work the hours you decide.
But you have plenty of suggestions. If you are sad despite exercising and visiting friends and having good familial relationships, and if this lasts more than 6 months, why not visit a therapist? It might be great to have that time dedicated to you and your feelings.
I second the suggestion to meet with a life coach. Someone not related to you that can look at your skills and life experiences more objectively. He/she may be able to suggest potential paths that you would never have thought of on your own.
Someone who worked with numbers for 30 years can certainly learn to do taxes, even if they just attend the HRBlock classes or buy a copy of Turbotax. And many seniors need help with 1040EZ or 1040A forms and their state forms, not to mention their checkbooks. You won’t sign as a tax preparer and may not earn any money at all, but you will feel like you are helping people.
Similarly lots of charities desperately need people to take care of the back office. Again, buying a copy of Quickbooks to replace the expensive software you likely used at work and learning it and using it maybe for your household will give you training opportunities and since you are not looking for full-time work, you can start small.
The functional resume idea I mentioned for LinkedIn is a good exercise. Break down what you did for your company into simple ideas, whether you did the books or time cards or software, there are a lot of basic skills which you can then reassemble into a different role at a different company. What is hard to do is to understand exactly what an administrative assistant really did…
Not sure what your field is but the good news is that you have time to do what you want now. My problem is that after working all these years I do not always know what I “like” to do. One of the things I have thought about is teaching a college class at the community college or teaching a class at the KIPP charter school for at-risk kids. You could become a CASA volunteer (we always need these)…its child advocates in the court system. Or, travel to some states you have not seen, go to the beach, clean out your closets (I have not done that in 50 years). These are all things I think about doing if I stop doing what I do. I also thought about attending a fun Bible study (those are always during the day with fun-looking ladies) or perhaps assisting a charity that reaches out to the elderly who need someone to drive them to chemo or just visit them once in awhile. I liked the post about Barnes and Noble.
Let’s see…
- turn 56 next month
- don’t have to work.
- We have good 401k’s
- kids college is funded,
Wow, you are in great shape! When I lost my job (through bank consolidation) at age 43 I remember crying after my last day. It was just sad that they disbanded the entire group I was in and I was dreading the job search. When my next job ended 10 years later at age 54 (Bank got out of the business) I saw it as a tremendous opportunity to do something different. My most fulfilling satisfying things over the past 8 years (since my last job ended) have been volunteer type activities. Just last night I signed up for a public school reading program. It is a commitment of ONE HOUR per week! I also deliver meals on wheels once per week (maybe a 2 hour commitment). Plenty of time left for golf (which I rarely play), music, exercise, working on my car, or other hobbies. I have worked as an extra in movies and TV shows. No skill required, but hard to do if you are working full time. I met a lot of very interesting people doing this.
Work ain’t what its cracked up to be! I was very fortunate that I was in good financial shape when my job unexpectedly ended, so I didn’t panic. We did however move from a very high cost area to a lower (housing) cost area. Moving is a big deal.
What caught my eye was this: “I am a great organizer, and a Type A personality.”
Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how much people pay to have someone else organize their home, their documents, their closets, garages and basements? If you don’t want to go back to bookkeeping or accounting, this is your lifeline! Get the word out to your neighbors and friends, and you have the start of a great business that runs on your own time!
I might reaching out on a limb here, but sometimes it’s when a job ends that we realize how “good” it was to us - and how hard that might be to replace.
If you have had a decent salary, abundant time off, good working hours, maybe low stress tasks - or whatever things make a job nice - when you are faced with trying to replace those things, you realize how “good” you had it!
You like to read, join a book group. One of the tricks someone clued me into was to find one of the more intellectual groups- not just “any” readers. You may both find new friends and the conversation can stray in stimulating ways.
Of course you’re at loose ends, this is a sea change. But it’s only in the beginning that all this seems so daunting. One step at a time. Don’t fall into self-critique. It sounds silly, but this really is a chance to look at the glass as half full.
And you don’t “have to” use your current skills and find new work along the same lines. You can call this a period of exploration.
About unemployment, you tell them if you were offered something. Or not. In some states, just looking counts. A class can count. Depends.
When I was laid off, my whole industry was shrinking. Little chance of going back to that sort of work or salary level. My home area had little opportunity and I had already been commuting quite a distance and was emotionally done with that. So any opps in the next big city were out. My kids were little, too.
It was the wild a** stuff I did that gave me new perspective on what I could do, what I liked doing, was good at and where I needed to draw lines. I didn’t earn much, had insurance through DH, but actually had some fun. Never did get back to my original industry, but have done more interesting/lower stress things since. You won’t know til you get there. Best wishes.
DH and I just completed new wills and estate planning. What a beating! But the peace of mind is tremendous.
I agree that de-cluttering is a major undertaking that also brings a huge sense of relief when finished.
As for retail, it’s not for everyone, but I enjoyed working retail part time. Other people would hate it. I wouldn’t enjoy working as a nurse anymore if it weren’t so part time. Going to PRN made a huge difference in my attitude about it. If the OP doesn’t need to work full time, she may really enjoy a part time accounting gig, leaving her plenty of time to do other things she enjoys.
When you register for unemployment, take advantage of whatever workshops they’ve got available. In some states attending one of those counts as a job contact. Find out if there are any specialized workshops just for professionals in your field or for people at your level. If you are in a region where there are a lot of federal jobs, ask about workshops on the federal hiring process.
If you think you might like your own business, check out workshops on that kind of thing offered through your local community college’s continuing ed. division.