Help me find my mama a job!
May 3, 2011 9:59 AM   Subscribe

My mom worked in a bank for 20 years as a teller/loan specialist until they laid her off at Christmas. She's 63, has been looking to no avail for a "job" - not a "career". She's in a recession-hit south suburb of Chicago. Any advice on types of jobs to look for or how to boost her attitude?

She has applied for a few banking jobs - but those are few, but I've been advising her to go for retail and customer service. She is pretty negative about the whole thing - particularly that no one is going to hire her due to age-ism.

I would love your ideas!!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
posted by ashtabula to opelika to Work & Money (13 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
how is her mobility? if it's good, she should try mall portrait studios. they're out of the grind of retail, but keep mall hours. they're also almost always looking for at least part time. i found that it's a job that favors working moms or grandmas. it's not an easy job, but it can be very rewarding.
posted by nadawi at 10:04 AM on May 3, 2011


She might benefit from the Workforce50 job board. It's specifically where employers who are older-worker-friendly post jobs.
posted by juniperesque at 10:07 AM on May 3, 2011


Has she tried temp agencies? It might be a good way to bypass the usual interview process and get hired based more on demonstrable skills than presentation. And temporary work does eliminate the most obvious rationale for age discrimination (health benefits).
posted by asperity at 10:09 AM on May 3, 2011


Would she consider doing temp work? I have a love-hate relationship with temp agencies, as they make quite a lot of money off you, but they may also be able to find a few short or medium term positions she would like. For instance, if a bank employee takes maternity leave, that bank might need someone for a few months until the employee returns.

And then once you do a good job for the agency, it seems they work a little harder on getting your next position. The benefits are crap but it might not hurt to go in and take their tests, and see what they offer. Your mom can set the minimum amount she is willing to take, and would not be obligated to take any particular offer.

I found Robert Half to be pretty professional (they do Accountemps and Office Team - or at least they did - it's been a few years.)
posted by Glinn at 10:11 AM on May 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


Arrgh, asperity! ;)
posted by Glinn at 10:12 AM on May 3, 2011


How does she feel about kids? Schools often prefer grandmotherly people for teacher aides, lunch ladies, playground supervisors, office help, etc. Even as we approach the end of the schoolyear, there might be summer programs that need similar help.
posted by SamanthaK at 10:14 AM on May 3, 2011


My mother in law retired in her late 50's, but then Enron happened and my father in law lost most of his 401k so she went back to work. She worked retail at major dept stores, then she worked as a lunch lady at her local school district, and is now working retail again. (She switches around so much because she wants to, not because she is being let go due to, say , age). She says she did encounter some instances of ageism but they definitely haven't kept her from finding employment. So I'd say checking into retail/customer service and into local school districts would be a good start. These jobs do require quite a bit of mobility.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 10:24 AM on May 3, 2011


I want to nth the temp agency idea. I have had great success with Robert Half, and got several banking positions with them some years ago. They also have a program that also provided benefits that I was in in the last 5 years, which was fantastic and guaranteed work or pay if they didn't have jobs for me. I'm not sure how exactly you get into it, but it was incredibly helpful for me.
posted by Zophi at 10:25 AM on May 3, 2011


She should really look into getting a position in a drug store. My mom is an assistant manager at a drug store (part of a large national chain) and she told me once that they like to hire older people because drug stores tend to have many elderly customers and they relate better to older employees.

In some drug stores, depending on local and state regulations, she could work as a pharmacy tech with a bit of training. Or she could work in the photo department, the health and beauty department, or as a regular cashier. It tends to be fairly pleasant, low key work, not as hectic as a regular grocery store might be.
posted by katyggls at 10:32 AM on May 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


I always see older women working in gift stores (that sell things like greeting cards and ornaments).
posted by WeekendJen at 1:08 PM on May 3, 2011


I don't know very much about the day-to-day tasks of a teller/loan specialist. I do know that in every place I've ever worked (which is in the nonprofit/university sector), there's been a desperate need for good executive secretaries.

It's not that the tasks require specialized knowledge -- calendar, booking travel, filing, correspondence, support stuff. The tough thing is finding someone who is content to be working on behalf of the boss, rather than looking to be a boss.

I saw so very many younger employees cycle through these positions, and it was rarely a good fit, because you need some years of work experience under your belt to be really good at keeping someone else organized and graciously handle the inevitable internal and external politics. Those who were really great took their first opportunity to stepping-stone themselves into their own leadership position, and who could blame them.
posted by desuetude at 1:23 PM on May 3, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'm a couple of years younger than your mom. I've heard good things about AARP offering help finding work, call your local office. Has she checked out programs at the local community college? Is the state employment office offering any training? She must be good at math, has she considered doing bookkeeping?

I went through a period of unemployment a few years ago and it really helped to get plenty of exercise and to do some volunteering. I worked at shelters for homeless people and at my local library, both very rewarding emotionally.

Retail can be tricky if you have to work on commission. My grandmother worked as a sales clerk at Macy's until she was 86 and loved it.

I wish her luck.
posted by mareli at 5:19 PM on May 3, 2011


Illinois Skills Match. IDES has people who are employer liaisons who try to get employers to look there when they need a job filled. She probably went through the motions when she filed for unemployment, because I think they make you do it, but it can't hurt to go through the entire [awful] site and check any skill that is even remotely applicable.

And try First Midwest Bank. They seem to be a nice place to work. There are a number of south(west) side teller positions open according to their website. (One of the sites I occasionally trawl to see if there are any jobs in my field open.)
posted by gjc at 6:19 PM on May 3, 2011


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