Tag: Job hunting

The job you want

If the salary was the same, what job would you be doing right now and why?

I’ve always said that I’d rather have a lower paying job that I enjoy than a higher paying job for which I struggle to get out of bed.

The salary isn’t important. If you don’t like the job, or the people you’re working with, you’ll struggle to get up every morning and eventually the salary will not seem as important and you’ll lose it, anyway.

The reality is that most jobs pay a living wage by law. The real problem isn’t the salary; it’s what we do with the salary. When we overspend, we go looking for a high paying job that we don’t like. Far better to live within the means provided by a lower paying job that we enjoy.

One of the things I’ve learned since I’ve retired is that we waste stress on work. Once we leave, someone else takes over. And they could have taken over long ago if we had left sooner. We are not as irreplaceable as we’d like to think.

So, the salary isn’t the important thing. It’s more about enjoying the life you can afford than striving for the one you can’t.

Autumn of My Life

utumn of my life.

No time for redundancy.

How will I find work?

Sadly, this is the experience of too many people, especially in the current economic climate. But when it comes in later life, the question goes through your mind, “Is my working life over?”

You don’t have to be all that old to have this experience, either. And, worst of all, it can come along totally unexpectedly. And you have no control over it.

However, at this age, one thing you have is experience and determination. So, rise up and meet the challenge head on. Don’t assume that you are of no value, just because someone terminated your employment. It may be difficult to be positive, faced with rejection after rejection. But remember, the more positive you are when being interviewed, the more likely you are to get the job.

Some years ago, I read, or heard, a great tip on interview technique:

Remember, the interviewer has more to lose than you have. You don’t have a job to lose. If he or she chooses the wrong candidate, they could find themselves out of work.

It’s great advice. And it works.