Job Hunting for over 50 year olds

[markbdevil]

Any tips, leads, words of advice for finding a new job after being employed for the past 33 years as a state employee? Experience in the IT field, but open to doing anything, would like to help people or animals. Would work in RTP area.
Thanks.

[fuse]

Any tips, leads, words of advice for finding a new job after being employed for the past 33 years as a state employee? Experience in the IT field, but open to doing anything, would like to help people or animals. Would work in RTP area.
Thanks.

What specifically in IT is your area of expertise?

[OZZIE4DUKE]

It's not what you know but who you know.

[duke74]

It's not what you know but who you know.

Ozzie is spot on. While there are jobs through the internet and recruiters, after many years in the workforce, often it is the network one has built and maintained that is the most fruitful sourcing. It is also a terribly manually-intensive process; you have to get over pretty quickly being hesitant to tell friends, colleagues, even acquaintances that you are looking and what you are looking for.

How do I know this? Well, I have 16 days left as a partner in my firm because of mandatory "retirement," after almost 38 years there - the only real job I have ever had. I am in no way ready to retire, so I view it as an opportunity (albeit forced) to begin my "encore career." This may be not the norm and I recognize that. I have been judicious with my spending and saving (not cheap though), so that I have enough to never have to work again. I want to continue my teaching at St. John's University here in Queens where I have been an adjunct prof for about 4.5 years - and will probably/hopefully come on board as a full time faculty member. I want to finish (actually start) my dissertation for my doctorate, and lastly I want to obtain board (eg audit committee) positions for pubic and/or private companies - something I have firsthand experience with as an audit partner and as president and chair of my local professional symphony orchestra.

The latter is difficult these days as demand significantly exceeds supply for board positions. Not many turn over, and for those that do, the nominating committees are looking for ex-CEOs with an overlay of minority representation. No complaints here, just recognition of reality for an older white guy...and...most positions are filled not by a retained search firm, but rather by someone who is already known to the board or members thereof. Despite skills being required, it is still a team - and members size you up as to whether they can see you being part of it. So you need to uptick the networking, including social media (I make significant use of LinkedIn for developing new and maintaining old contacts) and industry or other affinity groups (eg, the NACD for board director contacts). There have to be IT user groups or forums that would be relevant for this.

We bring things to the table that a youngster cannot have at this stage of their lives - wisdom and experiences. We've seen situations and have addressed the related issues and risks. That has to become our emphasis in meetings and interviews.

And most of all, just keep at it, don't get discouraged...and be organized. Track your contacts and whose you have called, emailed, etc. Things pop unexpectedly if the ground work is laid.

[markbdevil]

What specifically in IT is your area of expertise?

I started as a data entry operator in the early 80's, then supported Windows PCs and IBM mainframes. In the 90's I was hired to assist networking our school system, then servers, wireless, and IP telephony started. I am currently system admin for our business systems (Financial, instructional, and Voice over IP).

[markbdevil]

It's not what you know but who you know.

So true. Trying to reach out to everyone I know and many I don't.

[markbdevil]

Ozzie is spot on. While there are jobs through the internet and recruiters, after many years in the workforce, often it is the network one has built and maintained that is the most fruitful sourcing. It is also a terribly manually-intensive process; you have to get over pretty quickly being hesitant to tell friends, colleagues, even acquaintances that you are looking and what you are looking for.

How do I know this? Well, I have 16 days left as a partner in my firm because of mandatory "retirement," after almost 38 years there - the only real job I have ever had. I am in no way ready to retire, so I view it as an opportunity (albeit forced) to begin my "encore career." This may be not the norm and I recognize that. I have been judicious with my spending and saving (not cheap though), so that I have enough to never have to work again. I want to continue my teaching at St. John's University here in Queens where I have been an adjunct prof for about 4.5 years - and will probably/hopefully come on board as a full time faculty member. I want to finish (actually start) my dissertation for my doctorate, and lastly I want to obtain board (eg audit committee) positions for pubic and/or private companies - something I have firsthand experience with as an audit partner and as president and chair of my local professional symphony orchestra.

The latter is difficult these days as demand significantly exceeds supply for board positions. Not many turn over, and for those that do, the nominating committees are looking for ex-CEOs with an overlay of minority representation. No complaints here, just recognition of reality for an older white guy...and...most positions are filled not by a retained search firm, but rather by someone who is already known to the board or members thereof. Despite skills being required, it is still a team - and members size you up as to whether they can see you being part of it. So you need to uptick the networking, including social media (I make significant use of LinkedIn for developing new and maintaining old contacts) and industry or other affinity groups (eg, the NACD for board director contacts). There have to be IT user groups or forums that would be relevant for this.

We bring things to the table that a youngster cannot have at this stage of their lives - wisdom and experiences. We've seen situations and have addressed the related issues and risks. That has to become our emphasis in meetings and interviews.

And most of all, just keep at it, don't get discouraged...and be organized. Track your contacts and whose you have called, emailed, etc. Things pop unexpectedly if the ground work is laid.

Thanks for your advice and time. Good luck to you too!

[Jarhead]

Not knowing what your qualifications are may I suggest that you explore the requirements to sit for the Certified Information Systems Auditor (http://www.isaca.org/certification/cisa-certified-information-systems-auditor/pages/default.aspx) certificate. Having the certificate can help you find a new career that is based on the skills you may already have.

[fuse]

I started as a data entry operator in the early 80's, then supported Windows PCs and IBM mainframes. In the 90's I was hired to assist networking our school system, then servers, wireless, and IP telephony started. I am currently system admin for our business systems (Financial, instructional, and Voice over IP).

VOIP might get you a look at a Cisco TAC role in RTP.

There are a lot of startup / small companies on the American Tobacco campus that are looking for people with your skills. There are periodic job fairs like Big Top (which I think just happened a couple weeks ago) in the area.

Checkout the meetups app/ website- a good way to network locally.

[Turk]

I started as a data entry operator in the early 80's, then supported Windows PCs and IBM mainframes. In the 90's I was hired to assist networking our school system, then servers, wireless, and IP telephony started. I am currently system admin for our business systems (Financial, instructional, and Voice over IP).

One way to get reacquainted with the job market after such a long run at your previous employer is to consider contract work. With your IT networks / sys admin background, you should be able to walk right into a number of environments and be effective right away. Talk to a few of the companies that do contract placement / recruiting, and you should be able to get a sense of how they treat their clients and their contractors.

Pluses: You're building your network of contacts, experiencing different corporate cultures, often with the chance to convert to FTE status if it's a match for both you and the employer. If you can work with a reputable company that has strong local relationships, there should be good choices about where to work in RTP. If you get stuck in a place that's straight out of Dilbert, you can finish the assignment and simply walk away with a clear conscience and lots of stories to tell.

Minuses: The big sticking point for most people is the question of benefits. In exchange for a higher hourly rate than a salaried person, you need to take care of your own insurance, retirement, and vacation; some of the better / more established contract firms may offer such programs. They usually give the option of being a W-2 (taxes withheld) or 1099 (you're on your own) employee. But in either case, you need to do the math on what your minimum rate and minimum contract length needs to be, regardless of renewal options. If your resume is online, you might also need to set your filters so that you don't get peppered with offers for 3 month or 6 month contracts in Camden, NJ or Nowheresville, Iowa. (not that there's anything wrong with that...)

Lastly, work the online job boards hard. They will also give you a sense of what the market looks like (both permanent and contract). I liked Dice and CareerBuilder better than Monster, but that was a few years ago. Once your resume is up, you will get plenty of contacts from headhunters and HR types. And when you do reply to online job posts, tailor your resume so that it lines up with the opportunity. You will probably need at least two or three base versions depending on the type of IT network or system admin role you want to pursue.

[roywhite]

FWIW, according to this article posted on Yahoo, Revealed: The no. 1 city to find a job (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/revealed-no-1-city-job-110500616.html), Raleigh is a good place to look.

Disclaimers -- some of these "best" lists are very subjective, and this may pertain more to entry level positions, but perhaps good news.

[Jeffrey]

Any tips, leads, words of advice for finding a new job after being employed for the past 33 years as a state employee? Experience in the IT field, but open to doing anything, would like to help people or animals. Would work in RTP area.
Thanks.

Hi,

What are your thoughts about teaching (community college or high school)? Your knowledge, skills, and experience should be greatly valued and it's a great way to give back.