Still ahead of her time

They've got the skills, they've got the experience, and with all the self-confidence that comes with age, they've got the job, says Diana Cambridge

OVER 50 and jobhunting in London?

Computer-literate?

Then you couldn't be in a better city for prospects.

Government initiatives and a changing view of the over-45s has opened up more office opportunities - with computer training if you need it.

More and more employers are already displaying their commitment to new anti-agediscrimination laws, which take effect in 2006.

Nationwide, for example, conducts all its first interviews by phone, allowing it to focus exclusively on job-hunters' skills and not their age.

The company also plans to raise retirement age to 70.

"Older workers perform better. In our appraisal system, 40 per cent of people over 50 received a score of excellent, compared with nine per cent of the under-20s," reports Melanie Fyons, diversity manager of Nationwide.

"Retirement does not appeal to me. I want to go on working as long as I can," says Beryl Keen, 70, who works for the payroll manager of the Big Brother TV production company.

All her colleagues are in their 20s.

"I had done a lot of payroll by hand in the pre-computer days, which means you really understand tax and everything to do with pay," she says.

Keen worked for a kitchenware wholesaler for 19 years until the company closed. Then she temped until she was offered her current job a year ago.

"It means I have extra money for clothes and travel, as well as my pension.

My husband is 70 and also works for two days a week as an accountant," says Keen, adding, "I would hate to be at home all the time."

After working as the headmaster's secretary at a Wiltshire boarding school for 10 years, Barbara Davidson moved to London.

She was on the job market again at 51.

"It's important not to think old, and to have confidence in yourself. I signed up with Part Time Careers, who specialise in older job hunters."

Her current "wonderful" job is being a PA to a woman of 87 in a luxurious house near Regent's Park. "She is involved in a great deal of charity work. I know she prefers to have an older person working for her. I have shorthand - an oldfashioned-skill which many employers like.

"There are lots of jobs like this, as PA to private employers, in London," says Davidson, now 55.

Michael Jolly retired from a record administrator post in aviation, but now has a job as a filing clerk for a legal firm. He admits that although the work is less challenging, the position is "highly congenial".

Jolly, 61, says that the senior partner he works for is the same age. "He wanted to hire someone of the same generation as him, and it has worked well," says Jolly, who has no plans to retire.

Julia Richardson's tip to staying youthful in the office is "make the most of living in London". She is a personnel manager who has been made redundant three times.

At 54, she now has a parttime administration job with an accountancy firm in Islington. "There is no social stigma about being made redundant - it's happened to everyone," she says.

She advises: "Don't put your age on your CV.

Employers can get an idea of your age group by seeing that you have grownup children. You can keep energy up by going out in London - concerts, art galleries, shows. That way, you always have things to talk about at the office."

If you have been away from work but have been a voluntary worker, that could propel you into a paid job.

Pauline Treen, 58, was at home for 20 years, bringing up her family. In her spare time she ran a choir and presented a charity concert at the South Bank for the North London Hospice.

"Through this, I got to know people working at the Hospice," she says. "They offered me a job running the fundraising department including six charity shops. I was then 50."

Though she has an assistant who handles paperwork, she is keen to improve her own computer skills. "They are vital and I only wish mine were better," she says.

Top tips

Don't talk down to younger co-workers Dress well - no cardis or carrier bags Keep up with skills and do computer courses Choose agencies which specialise in mature staff Be confident - no need to mention your age, even as a joke Voluntary work aids your job- hunting When doing your CV, remember to value your experience and achievements, as employers certainly do.

Don't include your age, but do date your education at the end of it. Break down jobs into responsibilities and tasks and condense interests down to one line

Job seekers address book Wrinklies Direct 0870 600 1921 Forties People 020 7329 4044 Part Time Careers 020 7437 3103 www.hairnet.org details of IT training for over-50s www.fiftyon.co.uk online jobs details Pitman training 0800 220 454 (IT and office skills training with discounts for Individual Learning Account cardholders) New Deal for 50-plus offers tax-free benefits, a training grant, jobsearch skill coaching and help with interview costs. Call Employment Service Direct 0845 6060 234 for details

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