Part-time work for Senior (Roanoke, Lynchburg: Home Depot, employment, schools)

[NHSuz]

Hello all,

My husband and I retired to Lynchburg VA in 2012. But, I find I would like to go back to work part-time.
My most recent background was as a computer programmer using Visual Studio (.net)
I have some desktop publishing experience as well. Having said that, I would be interested in an area related to gardening or photography as well.
So, where does a senior citizen start to look for part-time work in this city in this economy?
I'd appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction.

Thank you.

Suzanne Chappell

[Jimrob1]

I look at the Roanoke forum from time to time and thought I'd answer this, since I can relate to seniors and part-time jobs. Though I live 600 miles or so away, its the same for seniors on this subject no matter where you live. Many people will not hire us because of our age. It doesn't matter how capable you are, physically fit or dependable. Its a disgrace how bad it is. If your lucky to get an interview. You will know immediately when the interviewer disqualifies you because of your age. It's like a sudden jolt and you know they don't want you, but are stuck interviewing you. They will end the interview in moments.

You end up using your instincts on where to look. You ask other seniors about employment, when you see them holding jobs at places you do business at. I ended up taking 2 part time jobs just recently. One is with a Security Company just checking employee ID's and issuing visitor passes. I also took a seasonal job with Dollar Tree thru the holidays. These are not great jobs or all that interesting, but they give me some income to supplement Social Security. I literally could not find anything else, and I have skills and I am retired from the Veterans Administration.

Some of the companies known for hiring seniors are WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, CVS and Walgreens. Walmart and HomeDepot have Gardening sections. Photography I would call around to local photography studios or inquire about Walmart's. You can also contact the AARP office, if there is one in your region. AARP has programs that will match skills you have with local employers that will hire seniors. You are only allowed to work so many hours a month thru the program. So hopefully AARP has that type of office in your area, there is none where I live for some reason.

I don't want to sound dismal about it, but it can be very difficult for retirees to find work period even in a good economies. You will probably like many of us find yourself looking for work in places you never dreamed of working. I hope for you it will be a good experience and you find employment easily.


Best of Luck

[glenninindy]

Have you tried Liberty University there?

[NHSuz]

No, I have looked at some of their openings, but found only full-time.
I'll look at part-time, though.
Thank you.

[NHSuz]

Jimrob1

>>Some of the companies known for hiring seniors are WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target, CVS and Walgreens. Walmart and HomeDepot have Gardening sections. Photography I would call around to local photography studios or inquire about Walmart's. You can also contact the AARP office, if there is one in your region. AARP has programs that will match skills you have with local employers that will hire seniors. You are only allowed to work so many hours a month thru the program. So hopefully AARP has that type of office in your area, there is none where I live for some reason.

I don't want to sound dismal about it, but it can be very difficult for retirees to find work period even in a good economies. You will probably like many of us find yourself looking for work in places you never dreamed of working. I hope for you it will be a good experience and you find employment easily.


Best of Luck[/quote]

Thank you very much for your advice.
I've just started on my search. So, I'll follow your advice on where to look.

Thank you.Suzanne

[theluckygal]

Sometimes roanoke/salem civic centers have career fairs for part-time/full-time jobs. With your background in computers you can apply for desk jobs at banks, hospitals, schools, colleges, libraries. I am sure they would have some part-time administrative jobs that require computer skills. Highlight your skills in Microsoft Office tools like excel, powerpoint, word in your resume. Try to network with people in your community to find out any open positions at their workplace. Word of mouth works best here.

[Waterfront]

Suzanne - You may want to check out Indeed.com and search for VISUAL STUDIO. It appears there are several consulting firms with open positions in the Lynchburg area.

Good luck with your search. I found it impossible to find any 'light-duty' IT-related work in Roanoke because I had no local work references there. So I agree with TheLuckyGal's statement "word of mouth works best here". Perhaps your computer experience and your interest in gardening and photography could get your foot in the door with a local web/paper publisher.

[NHSuz]

Originally Posted by theluckygal

Sometimes roanoke/salem civic centers have career fairs for part-time/full-time jobs. With your background in computers you can apply for desk jobs at banks, hospitals, schools, colleges, libraries. I am sure they would have some part-time administrative jobs that require computer skills. Highlight your skills in Microsoft Office tools like excel, powerpoint, word in your resume. Try to network with people in your community to find out any open positions at their workplace. Word of mouth works best here.

Lucky Girl,
Thank you for the tips. I haven't tried banks or libraries yet. The hospitals only seem to be need 'assistant' positions with medical certifications. But, I'm just getting started!

Suzanne

[NHSuz]

Originally Posted by Waterfront

Suzanne - You may want to check out Indeed.com and search for VISUAL STUDIO. It appears there are several consulting firms with open positions in the Lynchburg area.

Good luck with your search. I found it impossible to find any 'light-duty' IT-related work in Roanoke because I had no local work references there. So I agree with TheLuckyGal's statement "word of mouth works best here". Perhaps your computer experience and your interest in gardening and photography could get your foot in the door with a local web/paper publisher.

Waterfront,
Thanks for your suggestion of my checking on a local web/ paper publisher.
It's worth a try.

Suzanne