Jobseeking

I need some guidance.

After selling the business, I'd like to get a job. But I'm having trouble.

My field before the business used to be IT, which I really enjoyed.

But I've been 8 years out of IT- and I'm 59, both of which go strongly against me.

I'm studying again- I'm doing a Diploma in Software Development, and have completed two levels of Java and working on the third and final level. I've separately picked up some php. And I've done a short training course in software testing.

(My previous experience included mainframe Adabas/Natural, VB6, C#, Oracle and VBA for Excel & Word).

I've applied for IT positions, but generally don't get any response back. Any experience more than two or three years old is of no use. Trainee positions want young people, and often require a lack of education past a certain level.

IT recruitment agencies are not interested.

I can't get any help from any non IT agencies either. I'm not eligible for the dole, so there's nothing in it for them. "Look in Seek".

I'm willing to do non IT work, but I really don't know where to start looking or what to look for. And I'm OK to work in Sydney or Canberra- other locations would be possible but not quite as convenient.

I would rather not however go back into hospitality, although I would stand a better chance of a position in that field. I'd rather do something I liked better.

If anybody has any ideas or leads, I would be most grateful.

Thanks!
 
A lot of the VBA and VB 6 jobs are shipped overseas.

There is massive competition for Java developers so that may explain the lack of response.

Regards

Shahin
 
Ive been in a similar position to you geoff.....except for being 58:D

do you need to go back to work immediately? If not then take your time, youve worked your butt off for all those years (was it 8 years), an extra 6 months off is only going to do you good (unless you are bored out of your brain)

Hospitality is a physical, and sometimes a mindless job, however I enjoy the customer interactions, if I won lotto and had nothing else to do, id probably do hospitality a few days per week for fun

Take your time and find what you really want to do, as for recruitment agencies, they treat everyone like that unless you are the only candidate for a placement or you possess some rare skills or the market is really bad, which its not. So you're not the only one who doesnt like recruitment agencies, most are no better then used carsalesman in western sydney selling rebirthed imported cars
 
I thought I'd have this problem after a long break from the workforce.

Turns out what I've been doing as a hobby is in extremely high demand at the moment and there's loads of work out there and it pays ludicrously well for what it is.

My problem is what to do with the youngest kid :(

You any use at bookkeeping or general business administration? There's a lot of small startups who are a total mess and NEED someone to clean their act up.

I work for one. Ugh.
 
Shahin- I haven't included the Java in applications yet. I don't know if 3 semesters of study (I'm aiming to complete the3 in les sthan 3 months) will count for much. I don't know the market.

Truly Exotic- Money is going to be tight this year, and I haven't been working for a few months already. And it appears as if the working partner might be outsourced overseas herself.

Dave- I'm not so good at sales. I'm happiest at a desk, with a keyboard. It took me a while to build up to asking customers if they wanted a drink or a cookie.

RumpledElf- my wife was the bookkeeper. I did a little on MYOB but not too much. (I did however develop some Excel VBA to export payroll data from Excel into MYOB, something which my then bookkeeper had told me wasn't possible). Would a Cert course in bookkeeping be of more value than one in IT do you think?
 
What about thinking along the process lines - both your IT roles and your business were heavily process driven. There would be a huge range of roles out there requiring adherence to process but also require ability to know when outside of standard procedure is required. Unfortunately mostly 5's and 6's with APS but it's a foot back in the door to then move onto other roles.
Would be looking at areas such as Defence, Finance, TAMS etc
 
To be honest Geoff, I think it's going to be get a job in java/C# or similar technologies. I work in the IT industry and it is extremely competitive. I would target your resume to mainframe positions. They're always looking for people in that area, and not many people who have come out of university in the past years know any of these technologies.

How about manager position? development manager, or even test manager. You don't need to know the ins and outs of technology, and you'll be able to guide teams. Resource allocation, scheduling and planning, etc. Keen on this?
 
Just some food for thought. The job market out there for "web developers" who can do javascript, php and html/css is HUGE.

But Richard, the applicants for these job positions are 2 * HUGE.

Geoff, you can also target small businesses. Anyone in the weekend market you work is in need of a website? if you're learning PHP, that'll be a good technology for websites that access databases. You can offer your services at a low cost to start off, and things may build up from there. This is another option.
 
Geoff - every Govt dept has a non-ongoing employment register. Put your name on all of them.

We are taking entry level people at the moment, however you'd need data entry skills.
 
My first piece of advice is:

- do not put your date of birth or age on your resume. Yes they'll be able to work it out based on your vast experience but it is no longer an item you need to have on there.

- look into business analysts, trainers,

- find a company that you think you could be a good fit at and offer yourself for free for a month. It will be hard yakka and possible to be ripped off but if you can prove yourself for a month then possibly the 'work experience kid' should get a job
 
Mooze- that's not even a role I've heard of before. I'd need to learn a bit more about what it does before I could apply for a job. I'll try to learn up.

Edmond- mainframe would be fine if I had a look in. My Adabas/Natural is about 12 years old, Cobol older. My resumes for A/N haven't got anywhere. Management could be good.

Web development would be good. The gap between my knowledge and requirements is big- but Westminster's advice about starting for free is worth a try. Obviously it would be a non government role.

As for targeting small businesses- people were doing that when I started HTML 16 years ago. I'd suspect that would be a non starter.

Nemo's employment register sounds hopeful. Do they take on people even for clerical roles from that register? It doesn't have to be IT, that's just what my experience has been. (The closest I've come to a job was one half computer work (not programming), half office man Friday. That would have been good).

I'd need to have more real life experience in web development to go elance I think. I'd really like to get into some larger scale web sites with some reasonable development standards before I felt I could go lone- otherwise I could be continually reinventing the wheel.

I haven't put my age on a resume. Anything older fades into the fog. Education does not have dates.

Thanks for all the ideas so far.
 
The goivernment would be a great place to start, begin at the bottom and work your way up! Also, being close to Canberra is obviously a big plus for you.

To be honest I don't think it's such great idea offering your services to businesses for free. I had a guy once offering to work for free for a few weeks and I really didn't like it for a number of reasons, firstly because I thought this guy must be really incompetent if he's so desperate that he has to resort to offering to work for free, and secondly, it goes against my values to have someone working for me for nothing.

I would also suggest that if an employer is prepared to take you on and not pay you a cent, then they are probably not the type of people you want to be working for.
 
.

Truly Exotic- Money is going to be tight this year, and I haven't been working for a few months already. And it appears as if the working partner might be outsourced overseas herself.

Geoff,
I assume this means your wife is going to mexico for awhile?

Not quite what your looking for, but I'm assuming you have a 3-4 bedroom house?

To ease money concerns, would you consider offering a B & B or a guestroom for short term travellers?

I've mentioned before, we stayed 2 weeks at a private home in Victoria in 2008. They answered an ad we put on Gumtree.
They provided basic breakfast supplies so we could make our own, and kitchen privledges for other times.We happily paid them $600 cash for these 2 weeks.

The bedroom had 2 single beds (we pushed together) and a dresser. No TV or internet was included.

There was a common loungeroom with a tv and lots of dvds.
We weren't given a key, as the doors were always unlocked.
 
Don't look for job.

Just start up a business.

My young people would like to start up their own business, in hospitality ( buying franchise, selling franchies....)

You can be a good guidance for them what to be aware, how to increase profit.

Also use your IT experience to build a system or something to help their start-up.

Maybe start with charge fee for your service by % of profit/sale increase, once their business success, your name will be out, people come and look for you.

A start-up business may not have much money, but most people have eager and hungry mind and willing to work super hard, no fee no charge, get them on to the right track, your experience will be valuable for them.

Good luck
Taylor
 
Geoff,
I assume this means your wife is going to mexico for awhile?
Not this time actually. She has been in Mexico for six months out of the last 15 looking after her mother. She passed away in March.

Her job in a call centre for a very small office is likely to go to the Philipines.

Not quite what your looking for, but I'm assuming you have a 3-4 bedroom house?

To ease money concerns, would you consider offering a B & B or a guestroom for short term travellers?
We're building a granny flat- that's about as far as her comfort zone takes her.
 
Have you considered doing some training in GIS software like Mapinfo?

A lot of demand for it it government offices and allows some flexibility in contracts etc?
 
Don't look for job.

Just start up a business.

My young people would like to start up their own business, in hospitality ( buying franchise, selling franchies....)

You can be a good guidance for them what to be aware, how to increase profit.

Also use your IT experience to build a system or something to help their start-up.

Maybe start with charge fee for your service by % of profit/sale increase, once their business success, your name will be out, people come and look for you.

A start-up business may not have much money, but most people have eager and hungry mind and willing to work super hard, no fee no charge, get them on to the right track, your experience will be valuable for them.

Good luck
Taylor
Taylor

After 8 years in a business, working 52 weeks a year and seven days a week, I'd be quite happy to have a regular pay, with weekends and holidays off. I'm not even looking for a big pay.

The business did OK for me in the end, and it was worth doing, but I don't really want to go back into that sort of thing.

But thanks.
 
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