The "work" of interviews![]() Continuing on Liz's journey in the Life Strategies series... Liz had made a few appointments and written a resume that had been tweaked twice ie for her ‘front-of-house’ restaurant and hotel appointments and for her entree into aged care. She mentioned that both lots of appointments had been difficult to make as she hadn’t had any requisite training. She had to talk fast to get her hospitality interviews and some of them were ‘loose’ regarding timing and actual interest. She had mentioned that she was happy to wait until her interviewers were ready to see her which apparently was the right response. She had dressed appropriately in classic attire so now was the day of reckoning. The aged care interviews were more forthcoming and many were happy to just talk over the phone. I asked her to contact me when she returned home for a debrief. I could tell when she called that she felt a little deflated. She was told to get a job in hospitality before even thinking of applying for ‘front-of-house’ positions. Liz felt that she was too old for waitressing as it was very hard work and not well paid for the effort you had to put in. I suggested she call TAFE and some colleges who offered hospitality training to get a better picture of what was on offer and her suitability. Her aged care interviews were a little more promising. There were many positions available. Many required a nursing background but some occasionally came up for recreational officers and Liz decided that she would enjoy this type of role. She had originally worked as a teacher’s aide, liked craft and organising activities. I suggested she contact one of the aged care facilities to see if they could put her in touch with somebody who was currently working in that role to examine the pro’s and con’s of such a position. Liz thought that was a good idea. As these could be coveted roles for others like herself I suggested that after she had spoken to her recreation contact that she ring me with her thoughts on moving forward. If she liked what she was told then we could plan a strategy for her to secure a position. Next week: what Liz learned from her contact and the NEXT step! If you missed the first parts of Liz's journey in my Life Strategy series, you can go back an have a read!
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Finding work when you are 50+![]() After my friend Liz mentioned she needed to find a P/T job, I asked her if she just wanted a ‘job’ or work at something she actually enjoyed? Like many third agers who need to bolster their income, she didn’t realise that it was an option. Like many of us she left school with absolutely no idea of what to do, what was on offer, what job titles meant...even what she could be suited to. Interviews with vocational guidance counsellors seemed to be unsatisfying and the range of employment fairly limited. Her parents took it upon themselves to enrol her in secretarial college , often the ‘fix it’ solution as they, too, were unaware of options as they had followed what their parents had suggested a generation earlier. Liz loathed secretarial college but persevered, thinking that the world would always need her shorthand/typing skills. I have heard this story many times before from other women and have even experienced it myself. I told Liz to forget the past and concentrate on her future. Together we looked at her current skills, personal attributes and what employment she thought she would be suited to. She said she liked helping people ie advising them but felt negative about her prospects, saying that her age was against her, jobs were more complicated these days and younger people would surely be preferred. I countered by saying that she had years of valuable experience and asked to see her resume. It needed some serious updating and certainly didn’t do her any favours. It read like a shopping list and didn’t highlight any of her people skills or other positive characteristics. In other words it was a marketing disaster! Next week: Liz and I work on her motivation and aspirations. We talk about the NOW of WOW (world of work) i.e. demystify roles, find some for her to apply for and discuss THAT resume!
Mother's Day is coming up in a few days, and I thought I would share some of the wonderful contributions from Feisty, Fabulous & 50+ that acknowledge the love and sacrifices of motherhood... Right from Day 1 in 1940 my family needed to make way for me into their home. My mother had married a widower with two children. And they had to move over for a baby girl, their step-mother’s only child, at a time when life was less than easy at the beginning of World War II. The relationship floundered, however, and it appeared to me that my career was getting in the way of the marriage, which had by now produced the real loves of my life, my two children. The kids were doing very well, with full lives and enjoying the extra benefits of attending good, but expensive schools. So I made an attempt to save the marriage by returning to university to study – yes, Words again: English and Philosophy. My logic for this was, if I had to make a choice – often demanded by my then husband – between being present at a business dinner and completing an assignment, only I would suffer if I skipped the assignment – something that does not apply when one has work commitments.
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July 2020
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