Community Chat

[Burnsite]

Lots of people hold jobs in their sixties and beyond.  You are not correct about this. @kivah.  An older applicant has to be careful about appearance and preparation, but so does a younger applicant.  Middle-aged people may be the default, but age discrimination is   1) against the law  and 2) against common sense, because many employers find older people are more dependable and more likely to be proactive and reliable.

[dimin]

I didn't say the type of govt but I guess I gave it away. It's GS-11 non supervisory. I supervise now at grade 9 but we lost so many people I supervise only one person! It's kind of ackward but I don't want to supervise anymore.  

Today I got my hair cut to chin length and got my brows done for the first time, and a manicure which is my second time. It's probably been at least 20 years. All these women were coming in the the nail place and I was thinking there's a whole other world of beauty out there. Then I told my DD who is off at college starting this month and she said why, mid life crisis? I said  it's becuase you're not here to tell me not to. I don't have to hear her say I'm too old for a change. 

[dimin]

Most of the time the govt interviews over the phone. They can tell my age by the resume and they can see I was in the military in the '70's. I think young people are smart and they impress me but I still have lots of budget and accounting experience you don't learn at school. In my opinion I need to act young by showing I have some energy and pep in my step which is why I'm doing the "makeover". It's too boost my confidence and hopefully project that to them. I don't want to act entitled though. . They gave me a test that was emailed to me and I guessed I passed that part because they called me. I had an hour to do the test. I think my verbal skills are the worst part of me. I'm going back to you tube for more advide. 

[dimin]

The interview is Wednesday. I put it out there so now I'm accountable. If I get it I will let you guys know, and if I don't I will probably keep quiet and keep applying elsewhere lol.

I live by an outlet mall so I'm headed there next. Everyone likes my hair and says I look younger. It's chin length and shorter in the back with some layers ar the bottom. I adked the hairdresser and she suggested it and said are you ready? I said go for it!  Since my nails are so short I picked a neutral color. It's a light color to match my fingers. When they did my eyebrows it hurt because I never did it before and I have thick brows, just not at the ends where they are disappearing. 

[Burnsite]

Dimin,  Just a piece of advice from a worker-bee:  it's best not to wear brand new clothes at an interview. 

If you find something at the mall, wear it around the house, outfit, shoes and all,  and be sure there isn't some problem. 

Best of luck on Wed!  I have my fingers crossed--

[dimin]

Thank you! I'll try not to drool and drop food on my shirt. (just kidding).

[straykatz]

You will mainly want to look polished and not dated.  If you look around the internet there are some great websites with how to dress for an interview.  My last interview I wore black tailored ankle pants, a blazer, pale rose colored top, and heels (about a 2 - 2 1/2 in heel).  Minimal jewelry - nothing bold.  I also had my hair cut the week before so it wouldn't look stringy or unkempt.  

Good luck with the interview!

[Autumn Shimmers]

Wishing you the best of luck and hope you get the job! 

[Bridgegal]

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@kivah wrote:

You're in ur 60's and ur applying for a job in an office environment!!!!! Hate to be negative - but companies don't want to hire people over 40. Maybe it's different working for the government - so let us know.

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I can't say how untrue this is.   

I was hired at 55 for a Branch Mgr position in a bank and at 60 for an HR Manager's position and at 64 for a position in education.  This was also after not having worked for 7 years.   My two closest friends also easily found positions after age 60.   Many companies not only don't care about age but actually welcome it for many reasons.  

[3blackdogs]

I was hired at 54 after a decade of being at home with my kids. The one thing I found was employers seemed to value the volunteer work I did weekly. So if you have that, be sure to include that! I didn’t think I would get interviews as quickly as I did so I had to opt for black pants, cardigan, flats and a white blouse (the waiter look). For 2nd interviews I changed to a twin set. I received 3 offers the first week and worked with people young enough to be my kids. I loved it and retired after 10 yrs. good luck!!!!