CAREER COACH
GO TO GREG
I was laid off in August 2019 at 62 years old, and still haven’t been able to find a job. COVID hasn’t helped. Many applications ask my age, or on Zoom, they can tell my age. I’m thinking that if I don’t get a job by June 2021, I’ll be 64, at which point should I just give up?
There’s no quitting in the job search! Let’s chalk 2020 up to stupid COVID — hopefully the job market will pick up in 2021. Does some age bias exist in the job market? We all know the answer to that is yes. Does that mean you can’t find a job? Absolutely not. You may have to revisit how you are presenting yourself. You may have to set your sights on a different path, perhaps consider a seasonal temporary job. It will lift your confidence to be back in the game and will be a better platform to continue your longer term job search. Older workers are highly desirable in the seasonal market because employers consider them to be more mature, responsible and dependable than some of these youngsters. Hey, take whatever edge you can get. Also. check out sites that are dedicated to older workers like Workforce50.com and RetirementJobs.com. And that old standby AARP (pun intended) has a career resources center on their Web site. Fish where the fish are — I’ve caught my biggest ones just when I was about to pack it in.
We are back in the office and one of my bosses believes COVID is the government’s way of trying to control people. That’s his business, but he doesn’t respect the company’s safety protocols. Is there anything I can do?
What you describe makes him a Covidiot who should be fired. It’s one thing to have personal beliefs, but quite another to flout company protocols and put lives in danger. Normally I would say bring workplace problems to the individual and try to resolve them before escalating, but there are exceptions — abusive, harassing behavior should be reported immediately — and this is every bit as unconscionable. Report him and know that you have the right to do so. Remove yourself from that situation without fear of retribution until the company deals with it, so that you and others are safe.