Getting a job when you are more than 40

I am good at many things: translating, book keeping, data entering, filing, communication, writing, dealing with human resources, leading teams, training people and a full list which is included in my CV.  I've worked for Multinational Companies, for small and large companies, for radio stations, government offices and so many others.

Why can I do so many things?  Just because I became a mother when I was very young and I had to raise my three children without any aid or help so I learnt to be creative and to adapt myself to any job I could get.  Therefore, if any recruiter asked: "can you do this?"; I always replied "I can learn very fast so I am sure I will be able to do it well in a week and very well in a month".
 

I am 47 years old and that seems to be out of any normal range for getting a job now.
 

Last year, I was able to work on a project together with a 21-year-old undergraduate student from MTU; we built a water treatment plant which demanded time, effort and extreme outdoor conditions.  Not many people could keep my pace out there in the wild except for this amazing young woman I had to work with.
 

I can do whatever you want with a computer or with most software, I can find anything and anybody on internet, I can do research and use technology in a way many younger people cannot do.
 

I am still willing to learn and I do read and study what interests me.  I am open-minded and ready to adapt myself to new settings.
 

I can travel as often as necessary, I can move wherever there is work, I can drive for hours without getting tired or sleepy.
 

Nevertheless, most ads would state “up to 35 or 40”; just a few ads would have a range up to 45.  Does that mean if you are unemployed and you are over 45, you should consider yourself as retired?  What a shame!  I know many people who dream of not working any more.  I love work, I am passionate about work and I could not enjoy life without working.
 

If you are experienced, talented and skillful, don’t you deserve the chance of an interview?  Yet, many recruiters would not even take the time to say thanks for applying or if they do (which is quite rare), they would politely avoid telling you why your application does not meet their needs.
 

I’ve been a recruiter myself and I’ve always tried to go beyond standards and written limits, because each person is unique and labels are only an elegant way of discriminating.

Susana Lorenzo
DNI 16997610
Unemployed
Working on my own whenever it is possible
Looking for a job since July 2011