I am interested in experiences of those who, after spending many years here, tried to find work elsewhere in the retail industry. Did you have a problem with stale and outdated skills and how did you overcome it?
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Skills Gap? Umm, if you are 50+ years old, you are going to have an issue. It doesn't matter how well you did your job, or how skilled you are, you will have an issue. Companies want younger people with no backbone, or "slaves", that do not know any better. If you are a male - you are really screwed. If you are a female - make yourself look as good as you possibly can - learn to respect men a little more and best go find yourself a sugar daddy! New American way!
Working with people is a great skill and can be leveraged in any situation. Focus on your daily interactions with, co-workers, managers, and customers. I’m sure you accomplished a lot there. These are great transferable skills for so many jobs.
Technology ? How can one be behind with all the technology we personally have at hand. You have to be willing to learn
I agree that the skill set and lack of technology made it very hard to find a position. It took a long time.
There were two issues I had when I was let go (after 21 years). The first was all the skills and toolsets I used as a long time DT were so outdated positions elsewhere of the same nature I was not qualified enough for. I had little to no experience with the new technology and processes used elsewhere. The second issue, since I was with BBB for so long my salary was in a zone of not enough but also not what other employers wanted to pay me based on my experience being held back with the technology BBB has been using. If I was with another company as long as I was with BBB I would have been getting paid closer to what the same position is in the broader market does. At BBB I was grossly underpaid to say the least based on the time of my tenure. I am in the same boat with @1znj+1kwVI3zd needed to get a job in a different field making less than I was getting which was already not a good.
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I was with bbb 24 years and let go the last round.( Full time lead) I got out of retail, and making more than I was when I was forced to leave bbb at an entry level job in a different field…wish I would have “left” sooner.
I was an assistant manager for a number of years, left during the beginning of the MT era. I am now a sales manager for a manufacturer and doing significantly better. Better hours, pay, etc. Trust me, those retail skills can definitely be applied elsewhere!