Older job seekers face challengesArticle By: Jayne MacAulay
After 38 years, it was all over. Jim Rowatt got in his car and left the parking lot for the last time, worried, upset and, for the first time in his life, unemployed. The small machine shop where he'd spent almost four decades had folded unexpectedly when a major longtime customer ran into difficulty and stopped buying. The company's owner made the decision to wind up the 55-year-old business and pay off creditors rather than struggle to modernize and face almost certain bankruptcy.
"I didn't see it coming," says Rowatt, who handled much of the purchasing for the firm. "I figured I'd be there until I retired. Unfortunately, I'm not ready for that. Financially, I have to go back to work."
With the same company for virtually the whole of his working life, he admits he hasn't a clue what jobs are available.
"I've been sheltered," he says, "but I'm willing to learn, and I'll try hard and do the best I can." With the many contacts he's developed within his industry, he plans on focusing his job search on a position as a buyer.
Use your network
When her services as an executive assistant at a financial institution were no longer required, she received a generous severance and office support as she sought another job. It was a bit like intensive care for unemployed people, she says, for people who were still in denial. And it had its downside.
"I didn't hit the sidewalk or use my network," she says. "It wasn't until I got frightened about money that I actually sat down with someone and worked out how much time I had to find a job before I ended up in financial peril. That gave me a sense of reality and a schedule to work to."
Older job hunters
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