Big Bertha got the job, and not me
Interview tips Newsflash:
Big Bertha was hired this week due to her hairstyle and looking older.
The news came earlier this morning on CNN that all old ladies have a better shot at employment than regular employees.
Thanks for the responses, harsh or not, they are all important. Yeah and I agree with some of the posters that non profits make mountains out of mole hills. They are designed in this fashion because they are receiving someone else's cold hard cash to continue to run. So in order for someone to get your money, you have to be on the up and up right?
I have never seen so much RED TAPE since working for a non profit. I think they are somewhat jokes anyways. I do not plan on working for one again I can promise you that.
It has been hard out there applying and interviewing but I will not give up until I am hired. :)
Thanks Interview tips Mark for the information on a career coach. I am going to look into that!
I have some questions:
How did the person hired have her hair styled? Were you told that she was selected because of her age and/or hairstyle? Is it even remotely possible that her experience and skills were superior to yours?
Were you watching CNN the news network, or is there a Comedy Nonsense News network? If it was CNN, please let me know what employers are hiring "all older ladies" rather than "regular employees." Does that mean that "older ladies" are not "regular"? Not all "older ladies" are irregular. If they are, over-the-counter laxatives can help them become more "regular." Do you have a mother? Is she "regular" or irregular?
I am an "older lady," but assure you I am very regular! Don't even need to eat those prunes every day, or use my cane and orthotics in my shoes, dearie.
And also very competent at what I do, and can work circles around many people half my age. So perhaps "belle" lost out on a job to another old grey-haired Bertha like me, not because she looked, dressed, and acted older, but because she was more experienced and had a better attitude. Imagine that!
I worked for two nonprofits:
The first one was The Crisis Center in our area and I liked the job very much, the people, their mission, the work, everything. I was the receptionist/secretary for fifteen months but finally the job was discontinued. Since I did not have the skills to move up in the organization (they wanted a grant writer with college degrees above my community college two-year degree which I earned in 1963), they let me go. Besides - they were overhauling the phone system and changing all their phone numbers and procedures.
It was a very long commute for me (about 45 minutes on I-95), and that was the only disadvantage to working there.
The second nonprofit is a very well-known organization. It started out as a temporary job, but I did not make the grade after seven weeks. I think the clincher was when my boss asked to me to clean her office which was a mess with papers all over the place and stacks of old files and other junk which she was reluctant to throw out. She wanted me to organize everything and set up files. I was overwhelmed when I saw her office! I would not touch it with a ten-foot pole and although I did not have the nerve to tell her this, my facial expressions and body language probably spoke volumes. I guess I did not want this job badly enough to make some concessions. I also had no idea that I would be asked to clean her office; I resented this demand, but the boss has a right to ask us to do anything as long as it's not unhealthy or dangerous.
That was the end of nonprofits for me. That second nonprofit left a bad taste in my mouth.
If "Bertha" is more qualified than "Danielle" for that job because of educational background, technical skills, and experience, she deserves to get the offer. Age should not have anything to do with anything, but it does unfortunately!
You will find and keep the job you deserve!
Bunzo
"If "Bertha" is more qualified than "Danielle" for that job because of educational background, technical skills, and experience, she deserves to get the offer. Age should not have anything to do with anything, but it does unfortunately!"
Right you are, Bunzo! And it can work the other way, too. An "older" person may lose out to a younger one; our OP here, based on this and a previous thread, seems to think that it only works the other way around. It should always come down to competence and match for the job. Unfortunately, age can and does enter into it at times.
I have worked for two non-profits, currently employed by the second. These jobs are the proverbial "double-edged" sword. The people, the enthusiasm and passion for the mission, and the intellectual stimulation are better than almost any for-profit I've ever worked for. And in both positions I've had quite a bit of flexibility schedule wise. The down side to both has been that the resources are typically stretched so thin that they cannot hire enough support staff, and there is more work, for less pay, than can be done in the agreed-upon hours. That's why I left the first non-profit (I was hired for 20 hours a week, but they really needed someone for at least 30). And, though I really love my job now, it may end up being "too much" for the pay level. I love the work I do, and the people I work with, but the trade off for what I give up and what I spend to work vs. what I gain from it has to be there. With non-profits, I think this is always a tight balancing act, for everybody who works for one.
Anne Marie--I hope you did not misconstrue my message about the laxatives to mean I agree with her. I am also an "older" lady--52. I don't not typically respond to messages on these boards in the sarcastic tone I did to Ms. bellball. Her "platform/rant" complaining that employers only want to hire "older women--big Berthas" in this job market was so absurd I could not help myself. The suggestion that employers favor older women with certain hairstyles went beyond absurdity. But for a great stylist/colorist, I would have my share of grey; I don't color to hide the grey, I just never cared for my "natural" color after my childhood blond turned to dishwater. I have many friends with gorgeous grey hair. They too, are highly competent and talented at their jobs. I digress, however. I have been searching, in vain, for a job for over 3 years. With my education, (BBA Finance & JD) experience, and excellent interpersonal skills, there is no objective reason I have not been hired; it is my age; during my 30s I looked 20 something, in my 40s, I could pass for 30s, now I am over 50, and I look my age. I do not use a cane, hearing aid, or other assistive device, none of which should be an impediment to employment. (Now and then, however, I do turn to laxatives for "regularity" but that has been a problem since my 20s)
I wish all employers viewed big Bertha as the incredible treasure she is; her vast wisdom, maturity, experience and work ethic equip her to be their greatest asset.
EEO, on the contrary I totally agree with you, and completely understood the sarcasm, thus my equally sarcastic, though not as humorous as yours!
I'm 52 as well, and don't quite look it, yet, which I guess is a good thing at this stage of my life. Like you, I always looked much younger than I was, and that could be both a good and a bad thing. However, I don't really think my age has ever entered into a decision in whether I was offered a job, whether I may have looked "too young" or "too old." I like to think the decision has always been based on my experience and qualifications.
I'm going to make a big assumption here and say that you are likely perceived as "overqualified" based not on your skills, but on what employers want to pay... At 52, you are not "over the hill," but over the wage wish list for employers, who could very well need/want someone with your experience, but who will assume, rightly or wrongly, that you will not work for what they will pay. THAT is something I have run across as I get older and gain more experience, and my DH has as well.
Could that be the issue & not your age?