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Lets say you are in your 40s, 50s or 60s and job hunting. You used to be a manager, or a director, or even a Vice President. But for one reason or another, you are not being selected for jobs at your previous level. Has anyone been hired for a significant step down in your career? (An Indian role when you used to be a chief!)
Lets say you were Director of XX (making $100K) and you were laid off or fired, and there was a job opening for a $45K mid level job in your career field. Is there a chance in the world a middle aged person would even be strongly considered for this opening? Or would they only consider younger up and coming workers who would understand the junior position is a step on their career latter?
Please tell us your experiences applying and interviewing for jobs you are overqualified for. Thanks.
After I lost my legal assistant position four years ago, I applied to every law firm in the area. The only response I got was for a "receptionist/secretariy" opening which turned out to be double duty (legal secretary PLUS answering the phones and handling front desk), which paid $7.25 an hour. Have the benefit of my skills and ten years' experience as a legal assistant and pay me a receptionist's wage:? No thanks.
I was then advised by the Career Center to apply at the nearest city, over an hour's drive away. Legal assistant positions there paid in the range of $9.00 to $10.00 an hour. Not worth it, in my mind, for the long commute, gas expense, and wear and tear on my car (which is paid off, and I'd like to keep as long as possible).
A friend told me about an opening in the local high school cafeteria as a prep/server. I'd had some food service experience in the past, so I thought it might be something good to do while I continued looking. I was hired practically on the spot. A year later an opening for cook came available, and I was given the opportunity to train for it. I love it.
It is a large step back on the career scale - it is manual labor - and I do not make nearly as much as I did at the law firm, but I live only 2 miles from the school (saving wear and tear on my car), I wear scrubs (no need for dressy clothes), I get free meals, I take home leftovers on weekends, and I get Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter vacations when the school is closed - and the WHOLE SUMMER OFF. I don't have to work weekends or put in any overtime. I start early in the morning and am home to enjoy the afternoon. The only "technology" involved is using an oven and steamer, so I don't have to look at the unwanted prospect of going to school to update my computer skills. Plus, the atmosphere isn't stuffy and professional - we laugh and have fun. The only job stress is feeding the hungry kids kids on time. And the kids are one of the BEST parts of the job. I enjoy them.
I'm lucky in that my house and car are paid off and I don't have any real debts, so I don't need to earn as much money as I did when I was younger. Money, career, and prestige just aren't that important to me.
Edit: I have a three day weekend - I'm off today due to teacher in-service. I would have had a FOUR-day weekend (for MLK Day), but Monday is a make-up snow day.
Last edited by Mrs. Skeffington; 01-17-2014 at 10:15 AM..
Lets say you are in your 40s, 50s or 60s and job hunting. You used to be a manager, or a director, or even a Vice President. But for one reason or another, you are not being selected for jobs at your previous level. Has anyone been hired for a significant step down in your career? (An Indian role when you used to be a chief!)
Lets say you were Director of XX (making $100K) and you were laid off or fired, and there was a job opening for a $45K mid level job in your career field. Is there a chance in the world a middle aged person would even be strongly considered for this opening? Or would they only consider younger up and coming workers who would understand the junior position is a step on their career latter?
Please tell us your experiences applying and interviewing for jobs you are overqualified for. Thanks.
If I was in your shoes at the time as a director making good money, I would start working my way to convert from a salary worker to an investor and freelance. There's no chance these days a company would take a chance and hire somebody middle aged to run a dept and command a competitive salary unless you're well connected.
Right now I'm in my prime earning age and I'm working on deferred income and slowly switch to become a full time investor and freelancer.
There are no loyalty any more and I'm surprised people think they can work at their jobs until retirement, in most cases workers will be replaced before they come even close to retirement.
If this were to happened to me, I would not accept a rate 1/2 of what I was making and probably 2-3x more work than previous. This happens too often that a middle age person is making 1/2 of what I'm making shows up at a job and tries to run things or participate and is often a liability than an asset.
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