Oldies have tough job getting an interview

Amotley crew of middle-aged women got onto the topic of looking for work, and the tone turned tragic. None of them had been out of the workforce for years, they were all experienced, tech savvy, social media-wise and competent as ferk. Most had been running homes and families as well as doing outside jobs. The childer now grown, most have more time to devote to careers than ever before. But, for some reason they never get past the sending-your-CV stage of job application.

One crew member has a policy of applying for a job a week. These are jobs she is qualified for, not random astronaut jobs. Only once in nine months of the policy has she ever gotten a confirmation that her application was received. It takes a good bit of time and thought to prepare a CV, letter and samples of work. It takes less than a minute to type “Thanks,” or “No thanks” but so few potential employers do you that courtesy. My pathologically optimistic friend sees the upside as being that she can add “thick skin” to her resume.

You don’t put your date of birth on a CV but your education dates you. Even if you were a prodigy and got that Arts degree at the age of five, you’re still old enough to be the recruiter’s ma. And although age is not officially the problem, I think it might be. For men too. I’m used to my kids thinking I’m a dinosaur but you do fool yourself that other people see you as a contemporary. Ish. Then I had a conversation with someone who told me that she, unlike others, was very interested to hear what older writers had to say. I was thinking, “What? Like Samuel Beckett?” When I realised she meant me. Moi? On a good day I can get away with er . . . 46. She was max 10 years younger than me. When did old become such a dirty word?