Laid off at 50?
Save the hassle and humilation—go out on your own
So you’re in your late forties/early fifties and you just got laid off. You sir, belong to a select group of incredibility brillant people that posess a deep knowledge of lessons learned and bone crushing problem solving skills that can guide a company through any crisis or expansion. You sir, are unemployable in Corporate America. Age discrimination is the single largest problem in the American workforce and nothing can be done about. Everybody participates in it, but nobody wants to admit to it. It’s like the family secret that nobody wants to talk about. You can’t prove it in court,it gives American companies free reign to do whatever they please. It’s all about cost controland not effective problem solving—corporate sheep that don’t have a backbone to make a decision.
There is one group that will weather this storm better than others—-employees that are compensated on straight commission. Outside of some rudimentary training, these indivivduals are not percieved as putting a “drag” on profits. No matter what your age, you don’t make the quota, you’re out the door. It takes little for a company to keep the revolving door swinging around in the sales arena. As long as thetop dogs produce, nobody cares what happens.
In any other position—your compensation is looked at as a cost—whether you are a front end developer or a warehouse manager.It’s not about the experience or value added that you bring to the table. The “talent aquistion manager” can’t look past their blinders. God forbid they have some balls and pay for exceptional talent that will actually save their company money. If a company can pay somebody $10,000 less than you for the same position eventhough you can run circles around them, you my friend will lose. Remember also that they can pay less for an employee’s health insurance at 30 rather than 50 It’s “sink or swim” for the new puppy dog. If they don’t work out, they’ll just bring in another.
I learned this fact on three separate occasions before I was laid off on interviews that I went on. I had the skills to prove my worth— case studies from extremely complicated jobs, whole building layouts that I had created, etc. All of these coupled with fully detailed management plans and financials. In all three cases, I lost out to the younger candidate whom they could pay less to. I verified this through the back channels in all three instances
Now is not the time to whine, bitch, moan, or complain. You can come down off the cross now, they need the wood for another victim.
Do yourself a favor—stop trying to fool the phone interview monkeys or “talent aqusistion managers” as they liked to be called today. Stop “dumbing down “ your CV and your resume to compete with the younger puppy dogs that will do anything to “ people please” Stop reading all the bullshit from the recruiters on LinkedIn trying to appease your situation and make you feel good.You’re better than all of this, You sir, have dignity and integrity—and don’t you forget it. Most importantly, you have the skill set to go out on your own.
I planned going out on my own two years ago. I’ve been working for myself for the past six months since I was laid off. Pulled my whole client list from my old employer(never sign a noncompete)and I’ve been adding steadily to it ever since. Sure, it’s been fourteen hour days and a lot of sweat, but I’m solidly in the black and making money. I’m at my second stage now launching a new product line, respresenting another one that’s exploding , and creating several killer inbound marketing programs on Hubspot. I’m 100% focused on my my business servicing my clients, not begging for a job.
My AutoCAD , bookeeping,payroll, and digital media firms that I do business with— All the C levels areabove the age of 50. All my subcontractors and suppliers— all above the age of 50. Each one of started out the same way—-we were laid off. We had enough. We saw a better way.
Many companies don’t want to value experience. It’s all about costs.The revolving door is a permanent fixture in their world.
Clients have a different point of view—they want the lessons learned and problem solving on their side helping their business to succeed .I beat the younger puppy dog out every day in the real world arena. it gives me a reason to get up and out there everyday—to send them home with their tails between their legs.
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