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Looking for work at any stage of life can be daunting. However, if you’re in your 50s and 60s, you may face a unique set of challenges.
If you’ve been in one or two jobs for the majority of your career, there’s a chance you may be unfamiliar with a constantly evolving hiring process. And unfortunately, despite ongoing work to end age discrimination, it still exists in some workplaces.
So if you’re currently looking for employment, you may be interested in ways to make the job search process as smooth as possible and help yourself stand out from the crowd. Since 2017, global law firm Allen & Overy has been running a ReStart Employability Programme, which is designed to help over 50s from all different career backgrounds boost their chances of finding work. Those who’ve been unemployed for six to 12 months are eligible to apply.
To get a better understanding of how the programme can help, last year we spoke to Sam Longe-Thomas and Sab Gioia – two past participants of the programme who’ve since re-entered the workforce – about what they learnt and why they recommend taking part.
“There are plenty of people in their 50s and 60s that still have a lot to offer employers”
Fifty-nine-year-old Sab Gioia from Ilford is an experienced IT professional. When he left college in the 80s, he was employed by a multinational media company, where he stayed for over 30 years.
Sab tells us, “I had various roles within the company because they had great career progression – though I’ve always worked in an IT-related field.”
But despite being a loyal employee for over three decades, unfortunately in 2017 Sab was made redundant, and he’s been looking for suitable roles ever since…
“I’ve come to the conclusion that age is a bit of a barrier,” Sab says.
“I had some success obtaining first, second, and third-stage interviews. But in the initial stages, I could immediately tell that interviewers saw a silver top and had made up their minds based on my age and not my experience.
“I think this kind of thinking is very short-sighted because there are plenty of people in their 50s and 60s that still have a lot to offer employers.”
“I fancied a change and an opportunity to get more of a work-life balance”
Like Sab, Sam Longe-Thomas (53) has spent much of her professional life with the same employer. After working in various jobs, including some time spent with the local city council, Sam settled at the University of Nottingham, where she stayed for over 17 years.
Sam says, “I started off as an office temp, doing PA and secretarial work, and was then taken on full-time as an administrator. From there, I moved on to organising VIP events for the Vice-Chancellor’s Office, before working in graduate and student recruitment, where I’d organise and deliver events like graduate recruitment fairs, employer visits, and open days.”
However, Sam’s life underwent a big change when the pandemic hit. Like many employers during this time, the university was looking to save costs and put out an offer for staff to take voluntary redundancy.
“I fancied a change and an opportunity to get more of a work-life balance,” Sam tells us. “So I accepted the offer and left the university in July 2020. I was busy spending quality time with my family over the next few months, as well as doing refurbishing projects, baking, and selling things online. You know, the kinds of things that lots of people did during COVID to keep busy and earn some cash.”
At some point during this time, Sam spotted some information about Allen & Overy’s ReStart Employability Programme on the Rest Less website and decided to enrol.
“The fact that the ReStart programme was being run by Allen & Overy convinced me that it would [...] be very good for me”
After looking into the programme, Sab wanted to enrol due to its focus on the challenges his age demographic might face when looking for work.
“It seemed that they understood the needs and psyches of people over 50,” Sab says. “The course is specifically designed for those who’ve perhaps only had one or two employers in their lifetime and are looking to get back into the workplace.”
Sam also agrees that one of the things that drew her to the programme was the fact that it was tailored to people of her age and older. Although, working with graduate recruiters, she’d also had dealings with Allen & Overy before…
“The fact that the ReStart programme was being run by Allen & Overy convinced me that it would be very well organised, have lots of value, and be very good for me.”
“[The course] has a well-thought-out, structured programme that has proven to be successful. Participants are provided with one-to-one coaching with an accredited coach – I know from personal experience how useful this can be, having utilised this resource when returning to work after an extended career break.”
– Jo Elliot, a volunteer for the programme and Sam’s assigned mentor
What were some of the programme highlights for Sab and Sam?
The ReStart Employability Programme runs over a period of 13 weeks and consists of a series of workshops which take place online and at Allen & Overy’s office in London. It includes guest speaker talks and one-to-one guidance spanning a range of different topics – from how to build your own professional brand to crafting the perfect CV.
“One of the main things that stood out for me was the work on LinkedIn,” Sam tells us. “We listened to a presentation from an expert. I found this very useful because I have a LinkedIn account but I hadn’t really done anything with and it was pretty stagnant. I received lots of hints and tips, which helped me to look back at my profile and see what it said about me and what it didn’t.
“We also had a session that focused on different personality types – introverts, extroverts, that sort of thing. And during that session, I had a lightbulb moment relating to why my relationships with certain people in previous roles had been the way that they were.”
Reflecting on his experience of the ReStart programme, Sab says, “The speakers and people running workshops all understood what we were going through. This was partly because they were of a similar age, but also because some of them had gone through career changes due to redundancies.”
“The ability to recognise that the skills you already have are of value and transferable, and, hopefully, a renewed sense of purpose [are some of the most important things that someone can expect to get out of the programme].”
– Jo Elliot, Senior Project & Work Allocation Manager
The ReStart Employability Programme offers invaluable one-to-one mentoring…
One of the things that sets the Allen & Overy ReStart Employability Programme apart from other courses designed to help people rejoin the workforce, is the level of one-to-one support and guidance that you receive. This is especially true when it comes to their dedicated mentors, who offer specialist advice on things like CV and cover letter writing, as well as setting tasks and keeping you accountable.
Sam says, “Having a really lovely coach was so helpful. Jo worked with me to put together the application for the job that I’m in now. She was really encouraging, down to earth, and had a great sense of humour. I’m very grateful for all her support.”
“The highlight [of volunteering for the programme] was finding out that [Sam] had been successful in interviewing for her dream job. I was delighted for her and it was a testament to the effort she had put in throughout the programme.”
– Jo Elliot, Senior Project & Work Allocation Manager
The course is an opportunity to meet like-minded people with similar experiences…
Sab agrees with Sam that the personal support you receive throughout the programme is extremely helpful…
“Being unemployed is quite a lonely experience,” Sab explains. “So it’s always nice to talk to your mentor about what you’ve been up to and the jobs you’ve applied for – as well as getting hints and tips.
“My mentor was an IT man like me. Allen & Overy try very hard to match you to the right person and make sure your mentor has a knowledge and appreciation of what you’ve been doing for the last 30 years or so.”
Since finishing the ReStart Employability Programme in 2020, Sab has stayed in touch with his mentor – but that’s not the only person he’s kept up with…
“I made a whole bunch of new friends through the course. One of the other participants even set up a WhatsApp group where we could all communicate and arrange meetups.
“Up until the ReStart programme, I was on my own for two years. I didn’t have contact with anyone. But all of a sudden, I now have 20-plus people that I can talk to, not just about work, but anything. We’re currently trying to arrange a meetup for Christmas.”
Final thoughts…
Since participating in the Allen & Overy ReStart Employability Programme, Sab and Sam have both found employment. With the help of the course and her dedicated mentor, Sam landed a role as a Global Student Experience Administrator at Nottingham Trent University.
Sam says, “I’ve been in my role now for 17 months and I’m very happy there. I’m still learning a lot and the international atmosphere that comes with the role is where I feel most at home. My colleagues are great and I have a very switched-on line manager. So I don’t have any plans to go anywhere!”
At the time of our interview, Sab was working part-time at an Amazon facility centre while he was studying to update his professional qualifications.
He says, “One of the main things I learnt from the programme was how to broaden my horizons. Up until that time, I was only accepting IT jobs. But I was taught that I should perhaps consider doing other work in order to finance my objective of getting back into the IT world.”
Since our chat, Sab’s been offered a six-month contract with an IT company working as a Project Manager. And he attributes the guidance he received from the programme as playing a big part in this achievement.
“I would 100% recommend the Allen & Overy ReStart Programme. Just do it because, as I’ve said, they understand what people in our age group who’re looking for work are going through. So if you can, yes, attend!”
To find out how you can sign up for the Allen & Overy ReStart Employability Programme in 2024, take a look at the link below…
Have you been inspired by Sab and Sam’s stories? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.