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This essay is based on a conversation I had with communications advisor Jay Cadmus about being laid off at age 55. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I worked at IBM for 23 years in a variety of roles, starting out in Raleigh, North Carolina where I was responsible for internal communications, local and regional media relations, and speechwriting for general managers.
I worked in the Software Group, Technology and Web Content for IBM’s sponsorship of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and my last position was as Media Relations Manager for the Global Technology Services division.
I had hoped to continue working at IBM until the end of my career unless a new exciting opportunity presented itself.
I was laid off in September 2015, at age 55. I was surprised but not shocked when my boss told me about it. I had been laid off earlier in my career, and it was always a possibility.
I was fired in my 30s.
I was made redundant at age 31, just three months into my employment with the organization I was working for. With two kids and a mortgage, I was unprepared.
This experience changed my perspective and since then I have come to view every role as a bridge builder.
Over the years, I kept my network up to date, updated my resume at least twice a year, kept my LinkedIn profile up to date, and was always looking for other opportunities.
So when I heard I was being laid off from IBM in August, I was prepared: I had my resume updated and started applying for jobs on my way home.
I knew the second time would be much harder.
Time was not on my side. I thought it would take me several months, or even longer, to find another opportunity. I knew that as I got older, the opportunities would be fewer as salaries increased and there would be fewer roles where recruiters were looking for someone with that level of experience.
I was laid off at age 31, given 2 months notice in October, and had another job by February. I was younger then, was paid less, and I think the job market was a bit different.
I had kids at home and a mortgage.
After I was made redundant in 2015, I needed income to fill the gap until I could get a new job, so I looked for freelance consulting work. My third child was still living at home and I had bills and a mortgage to pay.
We had to make financial adjustments as a family. I figured it might take a year or so to find a new job. We paused investing in our children’s college expenses and our own retirement fund.
My wife increased her hours from part-time to full-time, so we were both able to sign up for her company’s health insurance.
I reached out to my business partner who owns a small marketing company. The company was growing and needed people to work for him. The following week, I started freelancing content writing for him. Some weeks I worked 30 hours on freelance projects, other weeks I worked 12 hours.
It wasn’t as much as I was making before, but it was a lot of money, and it gave me something to do and allowed me to not worry about money.
I networked to find a job.
I approached my job search the same way I approached getting a job: I applied to 60 jobs, spoke with about 20 recruiters, and had 8-12 interviews. I only applied to jobs that I knew I had a chance of getting.
Every time I found a job I wanted, I would find someone working in that role on LinkedIn and reach out to them. This increased the chances of my resume coming to the top of the list of applicants. The human element was key.
My greatest asset was the network I had built over the years. I reached out to people and they told me about job opportunities within their own networks.
I was very organized. I kept track of all the jobs I applied for, my interactions, and the contacts I had in my network so I knew when to follow up.
I Experienced Age Discrimination During My Search
There is a prejudice against older employees. During interviews, I saw their eyes disappear when they realized my age.
There was one job where I wasn’t hired, but the person who ended up being hired was much younger than me and had significantly less experience than I did, or than the experience required for the job.
Employers would never say it was because of my age, but it remained in the back of my mind.
I got a job six months later
I heard about the job from someone I know in my network. I applied for a job at her company but didn’t get it. When I talked to her afterwards, she told me that she had received a job offer from a recruiter last week. She didn’t want to take the job because she wasn’t looking to change jobs, but it seemed like a good fit for me.
She passed my name on to the recruiter, and I received the job offer three weeks later, in March of 2016. It was such a relief to get a paycheck and to start saving again for my son’s college fund and my 401(k) after a six-month hiatus.
The job I had was challenging but interesting. I worked in a consulting group for corporate restructuring and management practices. I’m still there today. I’m in charge of all sales communications for the company.
I had planned to retire in 2021, but I’m not retired yet. I may return to freelancing or consulting work one day. I enjoy this work and I’m good at it, so I’ll keep doing it.
If you are in your 50s or 60s and have been made redundant and would like to share your story, please email us. Email:.