Comment And 16 years at the same job... (Score 1) 306
A guy in his 60's with only a couple past jobs and 3 years recent unemployment doesn't look like a really great resume. It looks like he got laid off, and refused to look at any job that wasn't up to his level or out of his comfort zone for a few years, and then finally after a while got a (completely useless) A+ cert. It looks like he's desperate for some relevance. I haven't seen his resume, obviously, but it would give me pause -- even if I didn't know he was older. The "many false starts" deal is worrisome too. Though it's entirely likely I'm reading too much into a few sentences.
Either way, I know a lot of folks from way back when (I'm in my mid-40's) thought that longevity at a place meant something, but it's deadly. You tend to get really good at only those things which were used at that company -- and that includes the culture as well as the tech. It's not an age question, either. If the submitter had moved around every 4-5 years (or even twice) during that last 16 he'd be 100% more employable. As it is he just sort of looks like an "empire builder" with deep but narrow experience who was forced out.
That said, I'd network the shit out of myself, call old vendors/suppliers/contacts/co-workers/whatever and try consulting or freelancing. There's got to be someone in or outside his old company that needs a hand somewhere.
-B
Either way, I know a lot of folks from way back when (I'm in my mid-40's) thought that longevity at a place meant something, but it's deadly. You tend to get really good at only those things which were used at that company -- and that includes the culture as well as the tech. It's not an age question, either. If the submitter had moved around every 4-5 years (or even twice) during that last 16 he'd be 100% more employable. As it is he just sort of looks like an "empire builder" with deep but narrow experience who was forced out.
That said, I'd network the shit out of myself, call old vendors/suppliers/contacts/co-workers/whatever and try consulting or freelancing. There's got to be someone in or outside his old company that needs a hand somewhere.
-B