Mind the Gap.

Can you have a gap year when you are 60+?

I ask as I'm just about to celebrate, if that's the right word (and it isn't), one.

This has been an unasked for and unwanted gap.

At the end of November I'll have been unemployed for 12 months. Now, I'm nothing if not a realist and I knew that finding a new job would take time, a whole lot of precious time, but not this amount of time. 

Still it's not been exactly an annus horribilus. We've had a great summer, I've painted pretty much all of the house, even stuff that didn't need painting, and the bills are paid. Sure there isn't a lot of money left for replacement stuff. That, of course, sits on the WIGAJ list. 'When I Get A Job'. A new WIGAJ list is created every time my role is made redundant and then we work slowly through them. Until the next time. Must be on version WIGAJ 32.0 by now. Or it feels like it anyway.

Mrs EoTP struggles valiantly on. Each time she approaches the 'I think I'd like to leave my job now and do something different after a short rest...' time, my role gets the axe. 

I've been reflecting at having an unexpected career in the bagging area and why I've failed to get a job. I am, of course, awesome just that prospective employers seem not to share my modest opinion. I'm too qualified, wrongly qualified, too old, too male, too tall, not tall enough, too thin, too fat. All of those simultaneously.  Oh I don't know what it is. I've always found a new role before so the only thing that has changed is that I'm a tad older and I can't help thinking that must be having some effect. Like when someone said to me 'You're too old' which was at least their honest opinion if not illegal, against my human rights and downright prejudiced. I just wish I'd had my voice recorder on my IPhone switched on at that point. Sadly it would be my word against theirs. Random tasering might be an answer to dealing with recruiters' prejudices. Just a thought.

I'm enjoying the course I'm on. I'm enjoying actually being able to leave the town for a purpose. Yesterday I even crossed two county borders to get to my destination. I felt delirious. I also got to speak with people who have good jobs, though I did feel a little envious. A lot envious. It's part of my investment in my continuous professional development, should anyone ask. Someone did and I proudly told them that I'm paying a not insignificant amount to be on this course which covers all this relevant stuff you are interviewing my about. She, the interviewer, just sniffed, ignored the answer and moved on (read my last blog to find out how I felt about that whole process). So that worked well then.

Where do I go from here? I've been urged to do something with my LinkedIn account and make it work much, much harder. It was a little unworked in the way marshy lowland fields are unusable and, in fairness, I did get two contacts from recruitment agencies after I'd had a serious fettle (if you want to know what to do there is plenty of very good advice on the web). I have decided to stop applying for any job where I stand a turkey's chance at Christmas and I'm not going to commute vast distances. I am also not going to anymore interviews where you have to put on a dog and pony show such as a submit written paper, do a presentation, write a sonnet in the style of Shakespeare, juggle with flaming brands, spin 30 plates on sticks and so on unless it is an essential part of the role. I'm not looking to become the CEO of Consolidated WhoHaa so just give me a fair, competency based interview.

Then offer me the job. 

Because I do mind the gap; all gap years need to end.