Please give me some encouragement that it is possible to find something better at my age and that I will finally be able to escape from here. My age is holding me back from finding a better job, while at the same time I'm worried that Walmart might say that I'm no longer needed here.
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Great post : @pwqm
I have zero affiliation with Walmart, in fact, I was furloughed from Union Pacific Railroad back in 2019. I'm just exploring this site (Layoff.com) and stumbled on this posting and it struck a chord with me.
At the time I was furloughed at Union Pacific, I was 49 and was a diesel electrician. Finding employment was frustrating because I thought it was due to my age. Previous jobs I held were in the telecom environment and before that, was an electronic technician troubleshooting to component level. I figured I had all the skills and knowledge I needed. Thing is, however, all the jobs I found were entry level industrial electrician type jobs which, not trying to sound like a snob here, were below my skill set. It didn't matter, every job was like that.
It finally dawned on me that it was the job market, not me. My skill set was outdated and didn't match today's job market. I had to make a decision, to either accept the jobs being offered to me and be happy with it or reinvent myself. I chose the latter. First step was to make the bold decision to go to school and get my degree. I chose Engineering as it always interested me. Fast forward to today, I am finishing up my BS in Engineering, obtained an internship last year and subsequently was hired on part time due to my school after my internship expired and I have a guaranteed engineering job once I graduate.
I am now 52 going on 53 and the future has never looked brighter for me. I have job security, my pay is better than what the railroad ever paid, and I am in an industry which is growing (no, not green energy stuff).
I can't speak for everywhere but where I work the older workers are preferred. They bring life experiences that the younger people don't possess, they don't party or consistently arrive to work late, they have a better work ethic, and they don't feel that the company owes them anything. Furthermore, I work in a town that is not a very desirable place as there is nothing in the way of entertainment. It is just a small town in middle America and the young people aren't interested in living in such a "boring" place.
Moral of the story, it's not your age so much as it is your skill set. You might have to reinvent yourself to move up. I know it is a difficult decision but life is difficult. What I knew is now obsolete. I had no choice but to either accept entry level type jobs or reinvent myself. I'm glad I chose the latter.
"Looking for a job at 45+"
I got hired temp ($15 per hour) at corporate less than 10 years ago at the ripe old age of 50. I had been out of work for almost 3 years. Got hired permanent and a few promotions too.
I feel it's less about age and more about what you can contribute.
There are jobs out there. Walmart was prepping me for the walk of shame just over 3 years ago despite years of great performance evaluations. The thing is, you have been networking. You know people. You have a reputation. Hold your head up and send out some feelers. Do so unapologetically. Do so with confidence. You have skills that people need and they are now on the market. You will attract offers from real employers who value their people. I was in my early 60's and found a job in less than a week. Even at that age, I was able to find work because of what I could bring to the table in the form of skills, attitude, and experience.. I was able to walk out the door on my own terms and deprived them of the time they needed to hire and train a suitable replacement.
I know you are feeling down right now, but whether or not you realize it, this is the beginning of a whole, new better life outside of the stress of the cesspool of the toxic culture of this wretched company.
It's out there, reach out and grab it.
God be with you!
I don’t know who in HR would give you any advice regarding your AGE!
Please have your resume professionally created for the roles you are looking for.Go back Hone your interviewing skills and have at it!
Prayers up for a great new job!
Ok, so if you’re really serious, then read on.
If you are at Home Office, your priority has to be to get out of that sesspool in Bentonville. Use services like Indeed or Monster and get your resume out there for positions away from the toxic NWA area. Create several versions of your resume relative to the positions you apply for. Prepare your house to sell. Start thinking about where your family will flourish. If they do well with a move, you will too. Find someone you like and trust and do mock interviews. Find a place in your home you can do Skype or online interviews. Make the background look sharp and presentable. Take all the interviews you get. Set up references ahead of time with others that know you and will give you a good reference.
If you’re at a store, don’t tell your coworkers you are looking. Of course, word will leak out and then that could cause problems. Make a decision if you want to relocate, and if so, start a process to find locations where you and your family will do well. Update your resume and create several versions you can quickly modify and send out. Use services like Monster and Indeed if you have a trade or skill you can use.
Basically, being 45 doesn’t put you in the danger zone. Typically the danger zone starts about 52-55. Any HR person will tell you 45 is a prime and reliable, stable employee.
My own experience doing layoffs and being laid off is that being laid off doesn’t have nearly the stigma you might think. The real impact comes with losing a regular salary especially if you don’t have savings to support you while you’re out of work. Walmart has a severance policy. Sniff around online to see if you can snag a copy. Over the years Walmart has tweaked the policy, so be sure you look at dates of documents. It’s out there.
Here’s a piece of advice I used to give people in second level and skip level interviews: if you’re in a job you don’t like, work hard to prepare yourself, your family and your home to find/start something new. Staying in a job you don’t like puts you on a slow burn to being unhappy. Then you get resentful and sloppy. Then you stop caring, then you can get fired or let go. I can’t tell you how many times I heard “I hate this job” while I was in Bentonville. Honestly, after a while, I hated it too. I worked for years at a large, multinational firm and it was wonderful. I should have stayed, but I left of my own accord, lured away by the promise of big money. The money was good, but the job and the people were horrible. I worked for Walmart at Home Office. The first few months were ok. After that, I began to see how messed up it really was. I was able to put a plan in place to get out of Bentonville and out of Walmart. It’s literally the best thing I ever did.
Good luck. There’s a ton of jobs out there. If you want a career and not just a job, take control of your situation and put your plan in place.
You could just move on. Start over somewhere else. Work hard show your worth and move up in a company that would appreciate you. Start looking for companies that would appreciate you. Also start a side hustle, maybe a couple. Hopefully the side hustle will evolve into your own business. Then you could hire some people that are in the same predicament you are in.
Make them displace you. Get that severance package. Then, move on. Tons of company’s hiring and looking for Walmart experience.