Redundant at 62!

[Erfolg]

I understand where you are coming from KC, with respect to networking. Particularly those aspects which can be seen as near to nepotism of social groups, be it those born with silver spoons, or those who are good union members.

Yet it can also be positive, in that, those who know your positive aspects, that map onto a good fit for a job, can avoid taking on some one unsuitable.

Many of us find it is something that we are uncomfortable with, and perhaps is something that we are not good at. Yet when seeking employment, even at an interview we are selling ourselves, in that we are saying I can do this job, and want to do the job, with enthusiasm.

At present finding a job will not be easy, yet many find a change of job or career as being very positive. Unfortunately the process of seeking work can be very stressful. Being aware that you and others around you will also probably be aware of the situation, can help you in managing this process.Avoid dwelling on what might have been, concentrate on the positives.

[FlyinBrian]

If you become "out of work" then if asked: you are now "Semi Retired" but available for projects of interest

Re Insurance - I have said I am Retired and this has been OK since I was 64. If I had regained full time or even part time employment I would have told the insurers but as my car insurance was and is Social and Domestic only it is not affected.

Get advice on what benefits you may be able to claim, I managed to get Pension Credits which entitles you to a number of other benefits should you need them.

Best of luck

[Trevor Crook]

Cliff, very sorry to hear your news, I went through redundancy a couple of times and it almost happened to me when I was 60, but managed to transfer to another part of the company and worked on for a couple more years until I retired at a time of my choosing.

I was fortunate enough to have accrued a decent pension pot, and I lived solely on drawdown from this (having converted it to a SIPP) until this year when my state pension kicked in. I took the 25% tax free lump sum to have some cash savings behind me, fortunately I was mortgage free otherwise I would have used that to pay it off.

If you have to go this route (and it doesn't sound as if you want to yet) it's vital to find a good independent financial advisor - they cost money but I've been very happy with the package my man guided me to. Of course, if you do start drawing a pension there is nothing to stop you working if something comes up.

The very best of luck in sorting something out, we will all be rooting for you.

[Ray Wood 4]

Hi Cliff,

Sorry I'm late to your bad news thread ! As I've worked in the construction industry for 45 years, we get hardened to redundancy and the companies going into administration ! Only 5 times for me so far, my best advice is sign on to a recruitment agency, get you CV up to date, and maybe if possible get in touch with the subcontractor who has taken over your job, as they won't have anybody who knows how to do your job as well as you do 😀

I just had 3 months furloughed and also realized how much money I waste ! I'm also mortgaged to 70 so I have to keep going 👍something I'm happy about by the way even model making 24/7 can be boring in a way!

Best of luck with your search, how's the York? Has she flown yet?

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 4 on 13/09/2020 08:23:19

[Mike Etheridge 1]

I got made redundant twice by the same Local Authority, so on the last occasion I became self employed and managed to find work for the following 10 years until I retired. Can you not offer your services Cliff to the Contract Companies, as I just noticed that Ray suggests ?

[Cliff Bastow]

Thanks all for the kind words, I cant go to the new contractor as they are already fully staffed and anyway its a 45 min drive each way which I do not really want on top of a 12 hour working day at my age.

No luck yet with any interviews but have a few weeks to go yet at old place so fingers crossed.

Ray the York has stalled a bit at the moment as it has knocked the wind out of my sails a bit but I will get back to it at some point.

Edited By Cliff Bastow on 14/09/2020 19:17:57

[Robin Colbourne]

Cliff, here are a few pointers based upon 25 years of contracting and having to find new ones pretty frequently.

• Get a CV together and set yourself a goal of getting it in 100 places. Job Search engines first (Indeed, Jobsite, etc.), then big recruitment agencies, then the smaller agencies, then individual companies.
• Get yourself on Linkedin. Employers check to see what you've put there to confirm that it matches what is on the CV you send them. You are unlikely to write complete BS where your mates can see it and take the mick! Get people you respect and who respect you to add recommendations on your profile.
• When applying for a specific position, have a heading 'Relevant Experience' on the front page and aim to have something that answers every requirement and as many of the 'desirable experience' items as possible. The person selecting CVs to interview shouldn't have to go past the first page to see that you need to be interviewed.
• Don't be put off by items in 'desirable experience' that you don't have. Its only a wish list, and often the only person who could tick all the items is the person you are replacing.
• Regard every contact by an agency and every interview as practice. Even if a job is too far away, or not quite what you want, the interview experience is worth it. You can always say, that you would need £X, to take the job, with £X being a figure some way above what they want to pay!
• Consider contract positions further afield, and get digs for the nights you stay away. Easyroommate and spareroom.co.uk are the places to find these. Make sure the contract pays sufficiently well to cover the cost of accommodation. I always aimed to be in cycling distance from my digs to workplace.
• Speak to your suppliers and customers from your present and any previous companies. Let them know you are looking for work. Ask if they will be recruiting or know anyone who is.
• As well as reading anything you can find on CV writing and interview technique, bearing in mind that your first task is to sell yourself to an employer, I recommend reading the following:
• How to Master the Art of Selling - Tom Hopkins
  How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
  The Power of Positive Thinking - Norman Vincent Peale
  The Magic of Thinking Big - David J Schwartz
• Don't be put off by the fact that sometimes the jobs that have specs that appear to be written for you, you don't hear back from, whilst the ones that appear way outside your field of experience, the agency and employer are falling over themselves to get you.
• If an employer likes you, they may be willing to create a position for you, if you don't exactly match the one advertised.
• You are in engineering. Fortunately that is one field in which age equals experience, so your age can be to your advantage.
• Be open to jobs outside your immediate field of expertise. Once you are in the job you will find your past experience lets you see the issues from a different angle and you may be able to come up with solutions the others wouldn't have considered.
• Speak to any self-employed friends to see if they need assistance on odd days. I've helped painter/decorators, fencers and tree surgeons to earn a crust.
• If you do find yourself with time on your hands, go through the house and get any surplus stuff on Ebay/Gumtree/Facebook marketplace. If you have broken appliances, tools etc. break them down and sell the bits for spares, it all helps to pay the mortgage!
• Be positive. Getting a job is a numbers game. Count each rejection as practice and one step closer to an interview, and each interview as one step closer to a job.

Good luck!

Robin

Edited By Robin Colbourne on 14/09/2020 22:34:36

[Ray Wood 4]

Wow !!

That was comprehensive 😀 can we ask what your current job is ?? I apologise if you already told us

Regards Ray

[Stephen Jones]

Wow, indeed Robin.

I`ll keep this for future reference.

You never know when you may need to read it.

Steve

[Mike Etheridge 1]

Some very good advice given above. Initially when I became self employed as an Electrical Engineer I had a long drive from South Croydon to an Office close to Folkestone racecourse. However eventually I was offered work closer to home and could work at home much the same as people are doing now due to the Corona virus. To make my salary payments I registered for VAT on a voluntary basis. I never did reach the salary threshold whereby VAT registration was essential but it enable me to organise a home office at a lower cost as I could claim the VAT back on specific equipment and furniture. I could also claim for travel costs to the work schemes. I did employ an accountancy firm to calculate my tax each year but was able to calculate my VAT payments very easily. Being self employed meant I was working on schemes all over the place, one of the last schemes I worked on was at the Manston airport site.

Edited By Mike Etheridge 1 on 15/09/2020 14:06:56

[Ray Wood 4]

Hi Robin,

Sorry I didn't make it clear, I was asking what Line of work Cliff is in ? Although your career looks to have been very interesting 😀 as a construction planner I have been blessed with many positions over the last 45 years 👍

Regards Ray

[Cliff Bastow]

Hi Ray,

I am a maintenance engineer so not really something I could do self employed. I could maybe work through an agency but not something I am keen on.

Cliff

[Ray Wood 4]

Thanks Cliff,

The recruitment agency's have worked well for me in the past for permanent positions, they will work hard on your behalf as they are on 10% commission of your annual salary for placing you, and they all have mortgages to pay, worth having a ring round to see what they think maybe in your area?

All the best Ray

[philip pember]

cliff, i was made redundant after 33 years at 63, company taken over and run by idiots who put us all out of work even with full order books, i went to Citizens advice to see what options i had , they gave me phone No`s and web sites to make enquiries, Pention credt via DWP was my life line as i was lucky?? in that i got redundancy pay, only half of what i should have got but was enough to live on for the two years untill retired officially, i ended up with nearly a grand a month which i double checked was right as it was the first time i had claimed for anything as have been fully employed since leaving school and obviosly was enough to pay bills etc and not use up all my redundancy money, defo worth a look, filled form in online so no hassle with letters, phone calls etc. Good luck and hope it all works out for you, Phil

[Robin Colbourne]

Cliff,

A lot of companies now use agencies to do their permanent recruiting. Taking people on on contract and then making them permanent is also a common way of seeing if an individual fits before making any long term commitment. From your point of view it means once the agency has your CV, you could be considered for positions that come up in discussion between the employer and the agency which never make it as far as a job advert that you would see.

I would strongly advise exploring all options. From my experience there is always quite a lag between getting your CV out and getting invitations to interviews, so do it now, rather than waiting until the mortgage payment is due and you're staring at an empty bank account.

I had a quick google for 'maintenance engineer' for your area, (or at least where I think it is), and this is the list that came up: Maintenance Engineer Jobs

[Cliff Bastow]

Work has informed me yesterday that there could possibly be a job for me at one of our other factories! More details to follow next week so fingers crossed.

Its a 50 min drive each way on top of a 12 hour shift so not ideal but at least its a job.

[Keith Berriman]

Hi Cliff as you have said its a job for now with monies coming in and something else may turn up closer to home

All the best

[Ray Wood 4]

Hi Cliff,

Any port in a storm is one of my motto's, good luck 👍

Regards Ray

[Cliff Bastow]

Yes Ray that is what I think. At least it will take the immediate pressure off.

I suspect that the three of us will have to compete for the 2 jobs that seem to have come available so hopefully my experience will tell.

[BackinBlack]

Hi Cliff,

I'm pleased to hear that there is a good chance of continued employment albeit a little further from home.

I hope it all works out well. Best Wishes for a brighter future.

Ian

[Cliff Bastow]

Well I have been offered one of the jobs but not to keen to be honest.

The shifts are 6.30 am till 7 pm one shift and 9 am to 9 pm the other with the possibility of some nights in the future and for the same money I am on now, although I know the engineers there are on quite a bit more!

They are going to pay mileage for the first year so that is something I guess. I drove it today to see and it is 40 mins each way. Its going to make for a long day!

Also if I accept it, from next week when my shifts are weekdays they want me to travel to the new site but when my shifts fall at the weekend they want me to keep coming here to cover this factory.

I feel they are jerking my chain to be honest.

[Denis Watkins]

During " hard times " Cliff, this happens

And employers do seek out " superhuman " to do the work of more than one employee.

Only you can decide, but follow your instincts.

Edited By Denis Watkins on 05/10/2020 17:55:13

[Peter Miller]

Ye Gods!! In the past (1968-72) I have worked in one or two places that on ocasion wanted blood sweat and tears and working right through the day and then most of the night on repairs

However that is asking for flesh as well!!

[Ray Wood 4]

Hi Cliff,

That is good news, think how the third candidate is feeling if he didn't get an offer ?

Go for it, and keep looking for something else is my advice.

Any progress with the York ??

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 4 on 05/10/2020 19:11:24

[Erfolg]

I agree with Ray, a job creates a breathing space, plus any potential employer is not seeing some one desperate for a job. He is looking at a guy who wants to work for them, if the right package is offered.

Well done.