Lewis Minison and his wife moved from West Palm to Riverview because of his job and to be closer to their daughters, Laura and Dana. He moved in January, found a house and started working. By April, he received his termination papers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were one of the last few home closings right before the minor lockdowns began in March,” Minison said. “My letter stated that since I was one of the last ones hired, I was one of the first ones to be let go. The company didn’t know what their future would be due to the COVID scare, so they had to let me go.”
Minison is a little older in age and like many other slightly older Americans, found it extremely difficult to find a new job during the pandemic.
“I went on unemployment and applied for government healthcare,” Minison said. “I started looking for work and I’ve gotten more ‘no’ responses than any responses. I put my resume on all the big websites, like Monster and ZipRecruiter, but basically my age is a factor. I don’t mention my age when I’m being interviewed, but when employers look at my resume, they kind of figure out my age by asking questions like when did I graduate high school or how long I’ve been married.”
Minison did his best to shy away from these questions, but it always doesn’t work.
“I think it’s a shame that employers look at age and not experience,” Minison said. “I have 30-plus years in the technology field and I bring a lot of integrity to my career field.”
So, Minison decided to start his own computer repair business called Divine Computer Services.
“I’ve been doing a lot of social networking to get my business out there in the community and I’m learning how important social media is nowadays,” Minison said. “I’m learning new things and I’m hoping social media will help me get more customers for my business.”
To learn more about Minison’s business, Divine Computer Services, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Divinecomputerservices or call Minison at 954-548-6109.
