Employment as a senior

[18hammers]

Well it has been 5 full months since my accident and I have recovered to the point that I can mostly walk without showing any indication of a limp, at least for a little while. The pain can be blistering but I can take it. I have decided to go back to work, I was not working before my accident for reasons but I need to earn, things are just getting more expensive and there are things I must finish doing to the house before I am to old.
 I have had a couple in person interviews and I know I lost my chance at the jobs when they seen my age, I look healthy enough, better than most my age but still I could see the disappointment they had. Another interview later this week. It is a big change from when I was A young man, got nearly every job I went for often hired on the spot back then. I can't hide this big bald head and the grey hairs.

[RE]

They better get used to seeing old folks at interviews, given the falling number of younger demographics.

What kind of jobs are you applying for?

RE

[18hammers]

One was at a Gun range/ campsite facility, keeping the grass mowed down on the range, and campsites with a drivable mower, police up the brass at the end of the shooting day, simple stuff.
Then at a waste handling facility, chemical waste. Operating zoom boom, fork lifts, Vac truck.
I wanted these jobs because they are close to home, and I get to stay out of the city.
I go in later this week to the city for another interview, I don't want this job (jobs) it is the other side of the city so not only do I have to drive to the city but through it at rush hour each day but I need the money and the city is where the jobs are, interviewing for either, Repair tech, service coordinator, or service manager.

[K-Dog]

Well it has been 5 full months since my accident and I have recovered to the point that I can mostly walk without showing any indication of a limp, at least for a little while. The pain can be blistering but I can take it. I have decided to go back to work, I was not working before my accident for reasons but I need to earn, things are just getting more expensive and there are things I must finish doing to the house before I am to old.
 I have had a couple in person interviews and I know I lost my chance at the jobs when they seen my age, I look healthy enough, better than most my age but still I could see the disappointment they had. Another interview later this week. It is a big change from when I was A young man, got nearly every job I went for often hired on the spot back then. I can't hide this big bald head and the grey hairs.

I don't bother with jobs in my former profession.  Part time professional jobs are hard to come by.  I work retail, and as long as I am in good physical shape getting a job is not hard despite my age.  I can tolerate the low pay since my expenses are also low and social security with the part time job puts me in good financial shape.

Young people have a hard time keeping jobs and showing up.  Employers know this.  A good work ethic comes with experience more than people care to admit.  There is age discrimination, but older employees are reliable employees.  Don't get discouraged.

[18hammers]

In for a second interview Monday, For the service tech job, mostly because It comes with a company truck that I get to drive home everyday, and that will save me just about 200km wear and tear on my trucks everyday. Plus saves me on fuel costs. I will be turning wrenches, I just don't know if the old body is up for it. I would like to get in a few years and that will set me up better.

[K-Dog]

In for a second interview Monday, For the service tech job, mostly because It comes with a company truck that I get to drive home everyday, and that will save me just about 200km wear and tear on my trucks everyday. Plus saves me on fuel costs. I will be turning wrenches, I just don't know if the old body is up for it. I would like to get in a few years and that will set me up better.

Good luck, getting a few years in is nice.

[TDoS]

I don't bother with jobs in my former profession.

Why didn't you stick with that one until the end? That's my plan, I like what I do, have no desire to be doing odds and ends later when I can do what I do best and have folks paying me for it until the bitter end. Or any time before that if I get cheesed off and want to go walk about. Health benefits and regular professional sized paychecks, inflow of interesting young folks to work with, etc etc.

Why bail early other than boredom, irritation at circumstances (always a good reason for an out), no need for the advantages of late in life professional benefits anymore?

[18hammers]

In for a second interview Monday, For the service tech job, mostly because It comes with a company truck that I get to drive home everyday, and that will save me just about 200km wear and tear on my trucks everyday. Plus saves me on fuel costs. I will be turning wrenches, I just don't know if the old body is up for it. I would like to get in a few years and that will set me up better.

Good luck, getting a few years in is nice.

Well the job is down to (old/experienced) me and a technically well educated ( young/less experienced) filipino fellow. I may know by Friday.

[K-Dog]

In for a second interview Monday, For the service tech job, mostly because It comes with a company truck that I get to drive home everyday, and that will save me just about 200km wear and tear on my trucks everyday. Plus saves me on fuel costs. I will be turning wrenches, I just don't know if the old body is up for it. I would like to get in a few years and that will set me up better.

Good luck, getting a few years in is nice.

Well the job is down to (old/experienced) me and a technically well educated ( young/less experienced) filipino fellow. I may know by Friday.

good luck

[18hammers]

Woke up to a phone call from the western Canada area rep for this company I have interviewed with. He wanted  a over the computer face to face meeting with me. Gave me a couple hours notice. I suspect he just wanted to see how old I looked. I am sure I am the oldest candidate for the position they have had apply. Fortunately, while I cant hide my bald head and grey hairs I look fit and strong. They seem to be seriously considering me. I made big changes to my health years ago, I walk 3 to 5 km a day with the dogs, gave up booze years ago, don't  smoke and try to eat healthy. It has made a big difference. They will make up their minds this week.

[TDoS]

Woke up to a phone call from the western Canada area rep for this company I have interviewed with. He wanted  a over the computer face to face meeting with me. Gave me a couple hours notice. I suspect he just wanted to see how old I looked. I am sure I am the oldest candidate for the position they have had apply. Fortunately, while I cant hide my bald head and grey hairs I look fit and strong. They seem to be seriously considering me. I made big changes to my health years ago, I walk 3 to 5 km a day with the dogs, gave up booze years ago, don't  smoke and try to eat healthy. It has made a big difference. They will make up their minds this week.

Good luck!

It being Canada, what % of your paycheck do they let you keep nowadays?

[18hammers]

Woke up to a phone call from the western Canada area rep for this company I have interviewed with. He wanted  a over the computer face to face meeting with me. Gave me a couple hours notice. I suspect he just wanted to see how old I looked. I am sure I am the oldest candidate for the position they have had apply. Fortunately, while I cant hide my bald head and grey hairs I look fit and strong. They seem to be seriously considering me. I made big changes to my health years ago, I walk 3 to 5 km a day with the dogs, gave up booze years ago, don't  smoke and try to eat healthy. It has made a big difference. They will make up their minds this week.

 
Good luck!

It being Canada, what % of your paycheck do they let you keep nowadays?

I can't say with certainty, I will look up the tax rate and post it below. I can't say because it has been 24 years or so that I worked as a wage slave, I ran my own business until 2015 and I paid little in tax because, first the company bought me everything, literally. Trucks, meals, computers, booze, clothes, gas and I had a bookkeeper and a accountant that were very good at what they did, I only remember from the yearly sit down that my greatest costs were not tax related it was warehouse leasing costs, and fuel, insurance, truck costs, and maybe employee costs. Those were the big three. I was audited once by rev Canada, not a fun experience but my book keeper and accountant had done a great job.

Up to $53,359 of income is taxed at 15%
Income between $53,359 and $106,717 is taxed at 20.5%
Income between $106,717 and $165,430 is taxed at 26%
Income between $165,430 and $235,675 is taxed at 29%
Above $235,675, income is taxed at 33%

The above is federal income tax, then provincial tax is added but it small, from 5% to 10% depending on the province, though just by contributing to a RRSP you can bring you're tax rate down, often into a lower bracket. From memory you are allowed to contribute a lot to you're RRSP to save on taxes, I remember doing that when a wage slave.

[18hammers]

I did not get that job (but wait) it went to the younger less experienced guy. It was my age, tough to be looking for a job in your 60's. So I started looking for other jobs last week, found a few but did not hear back, Then I got a call today from this company that had hired the other guy. They are making a position for a province wide trouble shooter and wanted to know if I would like to try and build that position up.
 I said sure, it's not like other opportunities are knocking on my door. It means traveling further away from home than I like but it is what it is. Company vehicle and a hourly rate that I earned 24 years ago. Got to pay my dues and work my way up again. Looks like I start Monday.

[K-Dog]

That's great news.  I don't know how social security is in Canada, but making a fraction of what I used to make is working out ok for me.  My social security with the pittance I earn lets me slowly grow savings instead of drawing them down.  Which must happen eventually.

Finances aside, I hope it turns out to be a great bunch of people.

[18hammers]

Well its only been a couple weeks, the body is adjusting, long days, it is a major clusterfuck with IT not getting my truck laptop linked in with corporate system and company cell linked in with both. I did not realize what a large multi national they are, fingers in everything, division I am in is equipment repair, working as a on site electro-mechanic for the service of a line (lines) of equipment they sell.
 Some interesting stuff and some ho-hum boring. I am to specialize in their battery driven systems. AGM banks, lead acid banks, and I seen my first large lithium polymer battery system today being installed into a large riding unit.
I found out they reconsidered me and found a way to make a position for me due to a couple reasons. During the interview I was just casually talking about the battery types I seen in the warehouse, mentioning cell chemistry, voltage charging/discharging parameters and the importance of setting the charging profile right.
 I must have seemed like a genius to him (interviewer) as on my 2nd or 3rd day there one of the guys came up to me and said that they had fired a previous guy they were training as he went out to perform a PM on a piece of customer equipment and in going through the check list one item was to check the specific gravity of the battery bank, this unit had AGM's in it. He should have crossed that item out and went onto the next...he didn't do that. I was told he got a drill and started drilling into the batteries to find a way to test the acid.
The other thing that caused them to make me a position was when the guy asked me how I was with mechanics/mechanical. Not having any credentials I could only describe some of the things I had build for industry and without pictures he wasn't impressed, don't blame him, people bullshit. Then I remembered I had one small project I had done for myself maybe 20 years back that was up on the net and I could show him. Now that I work there I hear he talked about that for days after. Mine is John's homemade digger, the best looking one there. https://www.oilyhands.co.uk/Build_your_own_digger.htm  Anyway, I am a working drone now, head down, mouth shut, just give me my pay and no one gets hurt.