What I'm doing wrong that I can't get a job? :( :( :(

[IGBT]

..try public employment i.e. transportation. Lots of good jobs in heavy rail transit these days. NY Transit Authority..Atlanta..Chicago..Bay Area (BART).

 

[Eltano1]

I'm trying to convince my sweet hart to move to NC, but she works for an International bank (and makes good money, thanks God) that does not have a office over there.

Eltano

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: BCYL
To put it bluntly:
There are plenty of people who has a college degree, same or more experience than you, and way younger than you... You have to ask yourself: what do I bring to the table these other people can't?

Maturity, good teamwork skills, and a good understanding of how things get done that he's developed over 50 years. That's what I'd do...turn your apparent liability (age) into an asset.

 

[Eltano1]

IGBT, today I was looking at the goverment jobs, and for TSA screener jobs, they paid 26.300 per year, that really sucks. The goverment does not have many good openings here in South Florida.

Eltano

 

[Eltano1]

Jagec, you just hit the nail in the head. That is what I need to do, emphasized my assets, age, maturity and experience

Thanks, I feel much better now (the wine is helping also :wine:

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Eltano1
Jagec, you just hit the nail in the head. That is what I need to do, emphasized my assets, age, maturity and experience

Thanks, I feel much better now (the wine is helping also :wine:

It always does:wine:

Good luck in your search!

 

[Praxis1452]

heh sry. But exactly turn your weaknesses into strength. Good luck!

 

[XZeroII]

Definitely highlight your strengths.

It's tough, but make a list of EVERY weakness or possible reason why you might not get hired. Everything. Be brutally honest with yourself. Now take that list and turn every item into at least one positive. Read that list every day and try to expand on it.

Another option is to lower your starting salary. I know that going lower than $40k isn't desirable, but if you can negotiate a raise after 6 months to get up to $40k by working hard and doing a great job, then it would be worth it.

Good luck

 

[Savarak]

i dunno, imo 40k for a 50 yr/o isn't all that decent... but why the it field in the first place? what did you do for the first 30ish years of your working age?

 

[UNCjigga]

I told those high-falutin' Google execs the exact same thing and they just laughed in my face! But they did let me shine their shoes and one even put a whole dollar into my cup!

 

[Svnla]

OP, have you try your local government such as city, county, and federal entities? The government entities are more forgiven about age. Don't forget your local university/college career websites.

One more thing, keep your head up and be confident but not cocky. Employers don't like desperate people. Best wishes.

 

[Eltano1]

XZeroII, will do that (the list) and also will lower my salary expectations, that would probably land me a job (I had a couple of offers to work for $12.00 per hr) and I said no thanks.

Svla, in my University, they have an openning for a Help Desk/Desktop Support, for $12.00/$13.00 per Hr. I also applied for seven (7) positions at University of Miami (I qualified for most of them) and the only thing that I received was an email telling me "thank you for applying, the position was filled, keep trying".
I already applied for three differents cities around here, but still nothing.

Eltano

 

[BCYL]

Here's another thought:

Some managers do not like to hire people who are older to work for them, because some older people have problems taking orders from 'young, inexperienced hot-shots'... I am in no way saying you are like that, but it wouldn't hurt if you make that clear during the interview if this comes up...

 

[phantom309]

Two months is not a very long time to look for a decent paying job - the rule of thumb is to assume it'll take you 1 month searching for every 10k/yr position you seek. In an average market it should take you at least four months to find that sweet 40k/year job we all dream of. So don't get out the chair & rope just yet.

As others have said, at your age, you really need to be looking for management/administrative type positions - for two reasons. First, as you age it becomes more difficult to keep up with the changes in technology network/IT techs have to deal with. It's a fact of life. Second, management - even project management - is the area where you can really apply the skills you've learned in life: motivating people to get a job done, ability to make a solid plan and stick to it, dealing with difficult people, predicting future trends, etc. Those are the things that 25-year-olds typically don't understand, no matter how good they are at configuring routers. That's where your age starts becoming an asset. Remember, most men our age (I'm 45) have barely mastered AOL's home page, let alone understand how a network works, what is required to maintain it, and how to go about making additions and upgrades.

Your ability to speak Spanish is also a real plus. BUT, if you're going to go in the administrative direction, you need to improve your English skills. You may speak it fluently, but you write very poorly. Being a good communicator is incredibly important - and I hope you're getting somebody to proofread your resumes and cover letters before you send them out.

Anyway, best of luck. Like the others, I think you should finish your degree with as much focus on management as you can cram into that last year. A business or tech writing course would do you a lot of good as well.

 

[Eltano1]

phantom, you are correct and I know that my writing is not the best. I have dedicated my college courses to more technical stuff than to improve my grammar. That is my constant battle with myself and my wife (she is a translator and her english is impecable), but working full time (I was) and going to college full time as well, it does not give you more time to improve or take grammar courses (I know, I know I should have but I did not). I went the long way hoping that the more technical and certifications classes I took the better. Unfortunally, at my age is getting harder and harder to improve it, even though I try to do so. Again, I always though that IT is more working on PCs and hardware, and helping users than writing, but it seems that I'm wrong.

Regards

Eltano

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: KMurphy
In reality, it's your age. According to law, it's "there were more qualified applicants".

You're 50 and only 10 years experience?

QFT.

Sorry OP, but it may be time to do something else.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: Eltano1
phantom, you are correct and I now that my writing is not the best. I have dedicated my college courses to more technical stuff than to improve my grammar. That is my constant battle with myself and my wife (she is a translator and her english is impecable), but working full time (I was) and going to college full time as well, it does not give you more time to improve or take grammar courses (I know, I know I should have but I did not). I went the long way hoping that the more technical and certifications classes I took the better. Unfortunally, at my age is getting harder and harder to improve it, even though I try to do so. Again, I always though that IT is more working on PCs and hardware, and helping users than writing, but it seems that I'm wrong.

Regards

Eltano

Like so many other things, it starts out being about machines, but it always ends up being about people.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: KMurphy
In reality, it's your age. According to law, it's "there were more qualified applicants".

You're 50 and only 10 years experience?

QFT.

Sorry OP, but it may be time to do something else.

Then he'll be 50 and have 0 years experience. Besides, IT changes so fast that the field was almost unrecognizable 10 years ago. Going back further than that is pretty much moot - I really don't think most employers care how good you were in DOS 3.2 running Banyan Vines anymore.

 

[Eltano1]

True phantom, I was thinking the same when KMurphy posted that I have only 10 years of experience. I made a mistake, because I started before WIN95 showed up (what year was it?). So if I start working in another field would put me in a total disavantage.

Eltano

 

[electrosoccertux]

Originally posted by: yllus
You don't have a degree, and at your age it's a hard sell for a company to invest in you for the long term.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: SampSon
You're too old for entry level tech positions.

Also many people who hire for IT want fresh young men with the ability to adapt quickly, endless amounts of energy/time, young and impressionable in business, generally accepted longer life span, cheaper to insure.

meme

 

[WENEEDLIGHT]

Originally posted by: SampSon
You're too old for entry level tech positions.

Also many people who hire for IT want fresh young men with the ability to adapt quickly, endless amounts of energy/time, young and impressionable in business, generally accepted longer life span, cheaper to insure.

Yes I agree.

 

[phantom309]

Originally posted by: Eltano1
True phantom, I was thinking the same when KMurphy posted that I have only 10 years of experience. I made a mistake, because I started before WIN95 showed up (what year was it?). So if I start working in another field would put me in a total disavantage.

Eltano

Yes it would, and it would be a waste. Remember, we're all talking in generalizations here. Saying that "employers only hire young men fresh out of college" is like saying "men only marry blue-eyed blondes with big boobs". That may be the ideal, but what they can actually get and keep is often another thing.

I gather that you're in Florida. I would think there'd be a big demand for IT support for primary Spanish speakers - or entire companies where the language is predominantly Spanish. The fact that you're bilingual can really help set you apart - and therefore eliminate a lot of the competition for certain jobs.

 

[Saint Nick]

I think that an important part of getting a good job is all about who you know. Like someone said, get your name out there. Know someone in HR of a company? Know someone who knows someone in HR of a company? Ask them to pass your name on. Or, write a letter to the HR person of a company telling them about why you are interested in the company and what you have to offer them. That never hurts.

Good luck!

 

[shortylickens]

Two words that can help you where so many others have failed:

Placement Agency.