I Had a Job Interview at the Age of 65

I was astounded at what happened and still can't believe it

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for being here. I have had a very busy week. Having celebrated my milestone birthday of 65 back in March, I had thought about kicking back, or even retiring, but it was just a fleeting thought. It went as quickly as it came.

When I was in my twenties, anybody over the age of 60 (I know, it seems preposterous now) to my mind, was old. Huh! How dare I? Now that I have reached that decade, I now understand what a sixty-something can bring to the table. From my perspective, I have many years of experience both in the professional world as a legal secretary and as a writer, and from other perspectives, of being a wife, mother, sister and friend.

I wish I could add daughter to that list, but sadly both my parents passed away in their very early fifties. It’s hard to believe that I have outlived them both by a decade and a half.

My Reason for ‘Changing Jobs’

So, for one reason and another, I need a change at work. Being self-employed is great, but, if the work dries up, no money hits my bank account. Bad news. I’m sure I am not the only one who has noticed a significant spike in the cost of living over the past couple of years. Here in the UK, my shopping bill has almost doubled, and eating out has been relegated to being for special occasions only. It is incredibly expensive. Even a lunchtime meal for two people can cost almost £100. Not so long ago, that would have bought you a meal in a very fancy restaurant. Even café bills can make your eyes water. But I am fortunate that I can afford these ‘luxuries’ as I continue to work.

This brings me back to my wanting to turn my self-employed status into being ‘employed.’ This means that I will get paid for several weeks’ holiday a year, including Bank Holidays, receive sick pay and have job stability. Those are things that I miss being a freelancer. I need that stability in my financial life. Cue job search and subsequent invitation to attend an interview. At my time of life. Who would have thought?!

The Job Search

I Googled ‘jobs near me’ and, having carefully input legal secretary, was miffed to see delivery driver, pharmacist and chef pop up. AI is not all that it’s cracked up to be in these circumstances. I trawled through the dross and eventually whittled down three jobs near me. I was astounded and felt incredibly fortunate. Not only were they for legal secretary positions, but also in the sector that I particularly enjoy, Private Client. Previous internet searches spasmodically over the years rarely flipped up one, let alone three!

I pinged off the first e-mail attaching my CV or resumé for all my American friends, which, miraculously, was up-to-date and looking pretty impressive (even though I say so myself). Come on, after 48 years of working, it should look good! Even though I had to condense three jobs into one sometimes to fit all my experience onto three pages.

The CV or Resumé

Being a writer helps when composing a CV (which, by the way, stands for Curriculum Vitae, which is Latin for “course of one’s life”). I never knew that! I tailored it specifically to the firm that I was applying to, highlighting my strengths, knowing that that’s what they were looking for. The e-mail left my sent box at 12:02 on a dull, rainy Friday and my mobile rang at four o’clock in the afternoon, inviting me for an interview. I was impressed! This firm was switched on but more than that, they obviously liked what they saw on my CV.

In the intervening days, I kept looking, as I didn’t want to put all my eggs in one basket. Besides, I have learned over the years that it’s always good to have a backup plan. Cue Plan B put into action. I spotted another job, a little further away this time, but it was a perfect fit and the salary was higher than the other job. So, I pinged off an e-mail at 06:30 and received a phone call at 08:40 from the recruitment agency.

The lady I spoke to was most impressed and told me that my CV was fantastic. We were off to a good start. She asked what my current pay rate was and told me that she could get me much more, due to my extensive experience. She was going to get my CV out there and she was confident that she could get me a perfectly matched, well-paid job. I came clean and said that I had an interview for the following day so if she did arrange any interviews, it would have to be sooner rather than later. My thinking was that if the firm I was interviewing with offered me the job, I didn’t want to keep them waiting before I gave them an answer. This meant, of course, that I would have to be honest and open with them. I would have to tell them that I had another interview lined up because the recruiter was adamant that this would happen fairly quickly. She would get back to me asap.

The Interview

Interview day arrived and I was a little nervous, but kept telling myself that if I didn’t get the job, I already had one, which pays well, is flexible and, I enjoy the work. So, it was a win-win situation. And, on the assurance of the legal recruiter, I would have other interviews to attend.

Should I mention my age? My husband said that I should. Not to mislead them. I countered that they might not want me as they might think I would leave in a year or two. He shrugged. I was undecided about what to do. I was always taught that honesty is the best policy but, sometimes, I have also learnt that not telling the whole truth can also be beneficial. I decided that if they asked me, I would be truthful. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t volunteer it. That is not what happened!

Smartly dressed, hair and make-up done, I was interview-ready. I was met by a friendly receptionist who dealt with me very professionally. As I sat sipping a glass of chilled water, I wondered what it would be like to work there. So far, so good.

The partner I would be working for, if I was successful, greeted me with a warm, friendly smile and a handshake. She was lovely and my first impressions were that we would get along just fine. I was told that she would be interviewing me together with a guy from HR. When I was shown into the interview room it was just the two of us. Then I spotted an open laptop on the meeting table and there he was, on Teams, waiting for us.

The interview lasted for over an hour. They asked me questions, I asked them questions. I liked the ethos of the firm and felt as though I could happily work for them, given the opportunity.

The longer we chatted, the more at ease I felt. After I explained my reasons for applying for the position, this led me to mention my age. I heard my husband’s words ringing in my ears. “Be honest with them.’ So I was.

The lady interviewing me was genuinely surprised and said she thought I was ten years younger. I thanked her and reassured her and the HR guy that I wasn’t going to be going anywhere soon; I had always intended to work beyond my retirement age. My husband worked until he was 70. Not because he had to, but because he had no reason not to. He loved running his own business and thought that 70 was a good cut-off point. If that applies to me, then I have another good 5 years left in me yet. Hopefully, many more after that when it comes to my writing.

A Senior Partner was invited to meet me and we had an informal chat, although we all know that that means it’s pretty formal. Anyway, I think I had a good interview and my credentials speak for themselves. A lifetime of working in busy offices around the world, taking minutes of meetings and, doing all those things that I love about being a secretary. All I had to do now was wait.

The Outcome

Post-interview, I know they liked me and wanted to employ me, but the crux of the matter was, were they prepared to pay what I was asking? I went home and relayed the very positive experience to my husband. He told me that he thought I should accept the position if they offered it to me, despite the lower salary than the job further away. I mulled things over and waited. It was the weekend. They said they would let me know on Monday.

Monday dragged, although the office I work in was demonic. At 4:15 pm I decided to call them. They said they hadn’t had a chance to get back to me. I was disappointed with their offer, even though I had got the job. I knew that I was worth much more than they were offering.

In the meantime, I received a message from the Legal Recruitment company saying they had arranged an interview for the following day. The company was keen to have me on my terms regarding my preferred working hours of 4 days a week. Good start, I thought.

After another relaxed and enjoyable interview, I received a phone call offering me the job as I had barely got inside the door at home. I told the Office Manager who interviewed me that I was going to mull things over and would give her my decision in the morning.

I thought long and hard about which firm to work for. On balance, the office furthest away was much more amenable to my working flexibly for 4 days a week and also, after my probationary period, I could transfer to an officer close to home. Perfect. Decision made.

Why I was Astounded

For some reason, even though ageism, sexism and any other forms of prejudice have long been outlawed in this country, and quite rightly so, I couldn’t help thinking that my age would go against me. I reassured the interviewers that my health was great and my mental agility was excellent too.

I was thrilled that two quality firms were offering me a job at my time of life and it was something that I had not expected.

I e-mailed the other firm to decline their offer and received a phone call asking why I had declined. Although it was an awkward call, the HR guy was grateful that I had picked up the call and thanked me for my honesty. In the event, he said they would have offered me more, but, as I told him, I had made my decision and didn’t want to get into a bidding war where I played one firm off against the other. I had made my decision and I would stick to it.

At the end of the call, he said that if I changed my mind or if my circumstances changed, to please get in touch, and I told him that I would.

The moral of the story is, go for it, whatever age you are. And whatever it is you are going after! You may be pleasantly surprised, as I was. It bolstered my ego and boosted my confidence no end, and I am looking forward to starting my new job. Another new phase in my life.

My Writing

If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy of my debut novel, there’s still time. Publication date is the end of August, which you can read all about here and you can pre-order it at Waterstones, Foyles or WHSmith.

Already it has received some great reviews which have blown me away!

Oh, and just in case my debut novel does become a bestseller, then I will give up my day job. I did mention that in my interview. But it was very tongue-in-cheek.

Take care,

Rosy.