Age discrimination is an undeniable fact of our lives. Young people are never taken seriously as customers, clients, health patients, philosophers, business developers, etc. On the other hand, media, entertainment, advertising and marketing adore youth. And one thing is sure: their "young" status is going to change. Discrimination of older people even more pervasive and they don't even have a benefit of hoping for improvements.
The problem is particularly acute in human resources. The age discrimination is at its worst when you are searching for a job, or expecting layoffs, or know you may be deemed too expensive.
According to a research quoted in The Gale Group's Small Business Encyclopedia, over 52% of surveyed executives admitted that age is one of the key factors in job searches for people 47 years old and up. What do I think about that number? The other 48% lied. Age is ALWAYS a factor. For one or another reason, when we hire people we take their age into consideration. So, we should accept that, when the tables are turned, we will be treated the same way.
I have to own up to the fact that while wearing the CFO's hiring hat, I automatically estimate the age of applicants. I don't care about their age per se. I do it to quantify their accomplishments against the length of their careers. It helps with assessing their work ethics and personal ambitions.
Other hiring managers and recruiters don't even have a justification like that. They just go, "Too old," and send the resume into Trash. With the job security becoming a myth of long-forgotten times, more and more middle aged people will be forced to enter the circles of job search hell. This possibility practically hangs over everyone's head in the world of vulnerable small-size businesses.
Having that in mind, I would like to share with you an extremely useful The Ladders' article on adapting your job search, your professional "brand" and your resume to your age: Job Search in Your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
By the way, is it just me, or have you also noticed the funniest thing (I am not laughing) that's happening in our media? The "official"economists, major newspaper analysts and politicians are trying to convince us that the recession has ended months ago and we are "recovering". Yet, every article or post related to job search and HR issues contains a phrase "especially in this economy" and you can almost hear the author's sad sigh.
I think the old terminology of recession, recovery, economic conditions have lost their meaning. People just don't want to admit it to themselves, because, as I frequently say, they are afraid of changes, especially changes for the worse. The phrase "this economy" gives a false hope of a better future. The truth is - we live in a NEW REALITY. This is the "recovered" state. Things are only going to get more difficult. Everyone should be prepared to face job search ordeals in their 50s, 60s, and beyond.