Never Give Up

Below is a reply I had to someone on LinkedIn today. It is easy to feel worthless and to give up when you have searched and no one is returning your calls and no one is offering a job. Even when you have always been a positive person like I was. I was drowning in self-pity because I knew my worth to a company and I couldn’t see how to get past the interview. Truthfully, even though I have a job now, I still sometimes feel like I could do better but I’m not getting the chance.

Then it dawned on me. I am not the man I used to be. I spent years giving my all to a company, missing out on family gatherings, holidays, and even vacations because the “company needed me”….until they didn’t.

(Person’s name), I have been in your shoes. I spent 26 years with the same company and one day was told the very same thing. I spent three months before I found a job at 2/3 my former pay. Like you, I had made bad financial decisions and was in a hard place. I finally took a job with Dollar General (national headquarters located in your area) as a DM. It wasn’t the life for me, but it got me going again. After 11 months, I left and took a job with another Franchise company as Regional Director of Operations. After a year, I was told the same thing again, “We’ve decided to go another way.”

At this point, I was devastated. I couldn’t find a job anywhere. I ended up doing Uber, Lyft, and Shipt (personal shopper) and was making decent money and set my own hours. After Covid, the market dried up and I found myself looking once again. I am now a Front End Manager at Walmart. Is it my dream job? No but, it pays the bills. In my spare time I help people like myself fight ageism in the workplace.

Here is the takeaway. It is easy to feel worthless when you can’t find a job or pay your bills. I lost all sense of direction for several years. I felt that ageism was just too strong to help me find a fulfilling career again.

I had convinced myself that no one would hire me after so many rejections. Interviews that I though were going well still left me baffled when I got the rejection letter. I still know ageism is real, but, I will fight it till I no longer can. In my darkest hour, my wife was my salvation because she never gave up on me and never made me feel less than who I am.

1. Surround yourself with people who build you up. Who believe in you.

2. Network with people like myself. I have contacts in Nashville area that may help.

3. Take any job available. It’s easier to find a job if you have one. Try Walmart or Dollar General. Both look for experienced management to bring onboard. DM me for contact info.

4. Get up every day and actively participate in the job search. I recommend job fairs where you meet companies actively looking for people and you get to wow them with your presence, which is way better than a resume. Getting in front of people is the key.

Good luck on the search and reach out to me if you want to talk more.