Age discrimination
I am a 52 year old female looking to make a change in my career. I have been selling industrial type supplies for the same company for 24 years and would like to do something different. My experience includes account executive and sales management positions within this company. I make a positive first impression and feel I can transfer my selling and people skills into any product line I represent. Am I naive to think that I am not going to experience age discrimination as I approach potential employers? I still have a good 15 years to work and am very capable. I just assume that I will be hired because of my qualifications and the value of my experience. Am I crazy? I am open to any feedback. Thank you in advance for your input. HR here. Age Discrimination is alive and well in America and you would be taking a chance to embark upon some other line of work. While it is illegal so is drunk driving and laws don' t stop either one from happening. Now there are certain professions and selling may be one, that are age resistant but other professions are definitely geared towards the young and often, ones qualifications and experience have little to do with it. In other words, I can be an old librarian but I can' t be an old stripper. That' s just how it works. There is a board for this under On the Job Boards and you can read some of the many posts to see how much of an issue it really is.
Thanks for the feedback. It just didn't occur to me that I might have a problem with the age thing. People tell me I don't "look" 52 more like my late 30's, early 40's so maybe that will help. I know there are all kinds of tricks interviewers do to get you to inadvertently spill the age "beans". I also have an 11 year old daughter so maybe if the question comes up about family that will help make them think I am younger than I am. I'll post an update to let you know what happens. Hopefully my confidence and experience will trump those less experienced youngsters and I will prevail. Go forth and find out! Lots of older workers get jobs. Especially at levels and in fields where experience is considered a plus. Don' t quit your day job until you have another in hand, but go out looking with the attitude that you WILL find a good fit! Also, you can post your resume (minus name, address, phone) over on the resume board and get some good (free) help on ways to make a career transition. Figure out what you' re interested in doing and tailor your resume for that. Today some companies are looking at hiring older workers because they are known for working hard. In my case, I have hired several sales managers who are 55 and 57 years old. They were victims of corporate downsizing BUT they were very, very good sales people. These two sales people were in my top 5 sales category last year bringing in some $12 and $16 million in convention business. I would hire an older person over a younger person because my history shows that these people will work hard and rarely do they give management any problems. I have yet to see or hear of any worker in my company over age 45 who are problem employees.
Thank you for the encouragement. I hope that there are other decision makers that feel the way you do and give those of us who are in the "50's club" an opportunity to prove ourselves. With workers staying in the workforce longer, hiring managers need to see the value of experience and longevity. My mother worked as a substitute high school english teacher until she was 86 years old. She is still alive and well at 91. We should all be so lucky. Age discrimination is alive and well!! In two of my most recent interviews the hiring manager (or the hiring manager' s supervisor) explicitly stated that the "company" was seeking a candidate that would "best fit in" with the department. By "best fit", that meant AGE! For one company, the average age of employees in the department was 25, for the other it was 26. For one of those companies, the hiring manager, the hiring manager' s supervisor and HR all specifically mentioned my age in relation to the department! HR has to know that age discrimination is illegal, but unless you video tape the interview, what proof do you have? In today' s market if you are a 40-something (or older), you are automatically rejected. I' m not a salesman, nor have any interest in sales. About the only time my age has worked to my advantage has been for my part-time position as a adjunct business instructor at a local college, but without a PhD I' m not qualified for a permanent teaching position. Does anyone have any legitimate solutions/suggestions for this age-related bias? What I would like to know is, why does age matter anymore anyway? It's not like they are ever going to pay you a pension when you retire anyways. At your age, you could conceivable work for them for 20 or more years. So I don't understand why age even matters anymore! Anybody have any ideas on this one? Is it just along the lines of stupid interview quesitons that jsut rehash because they can't think of anything better to saus I hear all kinds of excuses like:
Of course, all of this is nonsense but that is how most companies operate. In my case, to me, it is easier to hire and keep older workers. They are stable, they do not call in sick as often as younger workers and they are excellent mentors and trainers because most of them have already experienced business! | |
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