We know age discrimination is illegal. We know it’s wrong. We know it doesn’t always bring in the best candidate for the job. But let’s take a look at some of the reasons why employers seek to avoid older workers. I requested info from employers to find out why they discriminated against older workers and actively recruited younger ones, and here are the most common responses:
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Cost.
We’re all aware of this one. Younger, inexperienced workers are usually cheaper through direct salary and related benefits costs. I’m not going to beat a head horse. We’re in a recession, we get it.
How to handle this: It’s too obvious to say seek positions at your salary range, but this is truly what you need to do. Realize and keep in mind that in many cases salaries have dropped. If you’re healthy as an ox, look like it and act like it. If your husband or wife hosts the family benefits, let them know you won’t be utilizing their benefits programs. When they ask for previous salary you can always say, “Well, unemployment pays me about $400 a week, so I hope you would be able to beat that!” Try to avoid salary discussion if at all possible if you think you may be above their range – the first to quote a number usually loses in the negotiation game and it’s easier to negotiate the further in the process you get.
They don’t want to deal with parents.
With parenting comes responsibility, including putting your family before work. They assume that your children will become sick or have other issues and you will miss time to take care of them. They also think you won’t be as willing to work overtime like your non-parental counterparts. Since it’s also a stereotype that women are usually the ones mainly responsible for childcare, this bias leans more towards women then men.
Katy, a copywriter for a web design company noted that they only hired very young males in the three years she worked there. “When they would hire women (only 2, including myself), one was well past the age of having children, and the other, myself, too young. The killer was that I was asked, by two different people in my interview, if I had kids and how old I was,” she says.
How to handle it: If you don’t have children and are always willing to work overtime, say so in your cover letter. If your kids are finally grown and out of the house, the same applies. Make sure your resume doesn’t scream “MOM” by having anything about being a 'stay at home' on your resume to explain gaps. Don’t be afraid to let the employer know if work and career development are the focus of your life right now.
Looks matter.
Let’s face it – we’re in America where beauty and youth is admired and even worshipped. “Sex sells” as they say. While it’s shallow, it’s not going to change anytime soon. Numerous studies have shown that better-looking, healthier people get hired faster and at higher salaries. While it’s shallow, it is still true in many cases as employers want someone they will be proud to have representing their company. Take the time to take care of yourself and make sure nothing stands out poorly such as facial hair, un-manicured nails, ratty shoes, bags under your eyes, etc.
How to handle it: Simple: Look your best and put together. Update your wardrobe, get a make-up counter makeover, exercise, eat right, get sleep, whiten your teeth, accessorize, etc. Make you sure you have an amazingly flattering professional headshot on websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn (as I mentioned in “Headshots are the new first impression”).
They want “energetic” and “enthusiastic”.
Sometimes older candidates are burned out on their careers (or the length of their job search) and don’t show the same level of excitement about opportunities as their younger counterparts. Energetic and enthusiastic people are thrilled to take on further responsibilities and challenges and assist where needed (and without immediately expecting additional compensation for it). High-energy people thrive in fast-paced and busy environments. You’ll see words such as “go-getter”, “proactive”, and “self-motivated” littering job descriptions – this is what they mean.
How to handle it: Don’t let yourself get burned out during an extended job search. Stay positive, excited, focused, and exude happiness! SMILE! LAUGH! Show your passion and excitement for the company and what it does, as well as the opportunity. (But fall slightly short of a couch-dancing Tom Cruise incident please.)
Technology skills.
Lets face it – you didn’t grow up with computers as a child the way kids have in the last 10+ years. They’re quick – real quick. It seems like 6 year olds can type 40 words per minute and by 12 they know HTML coding to update their MySpace page. Ahh, the times they have a-changed. Employers are scared you haven’t quite caught up. You’ll likely see ERP and CRM systems such as Oracle, SAP, and Salesforce as requirements in management and executive level positions. Everything is done on the computer today, and employers need people who are technologically advanced for more and more positions.
How to handle this: Show how technologically advanced you are, of course! Maintain a very active and complete LinkedIn page. Use Facebook for business networking. Have your own flashy website. If you have advanced computer skills, LIST THEM on your resume! If you really aren’t that great with computers, take classes and become great. Many are available free or at inexpensive rates through local libraries, adult education centers, and government programs. Be careful to list any software you know in your “computer skills” area and not in your “education” area if you’ve taken courses recently – that can be counterproductive as it shows that you needed an update instead of highlighting the skills you learned.
Overall flexibility.
A flexible attitude is essential in such a changing economic environment. Kathi Elster, author of ‘Working With You Is Killing Me’, hears this kind of request from employers regularly, “With the business climate so tough companies want to hire people that can be flexible - which means their job may change every three months, they may have to move cities, they may have to learn new technology and then turn around and train others. Older workers are looking for stability and longevity two things that so many companies can no longer promise.”
How to handle this: Elster continues, “Find ways to give concrete examples in your resume concerning skill level at adapting to new technologies. Announce in the header of your resume that you are flexible to move or work with a changing schedule. Try to show that your work experience is diverse (the old way was narrow), showing that you are cross trained in multiple disciplines.”
They are teachable and open.
Younger workers seem to “know their place” while being eager to learn how a company works and how they can grow there. A small marketing company owner concurred, “It’s partially based on a younger worker’s malleability, and it may be that a "more formed" individual is harder to shape. Older candidates come with years of experience, and in many circumstances, this is valuable and highly appropriate. In some cases, it can become an obstacle, especially if an employer has a highly structured system that requires adherence to that way of doing things.”
One young recruiter also chimed in, “I recently interviewed a very intelligent 54-year old man for a middle-management role who was very accomplished. However, he talked excessively during the interview, even cutting me off a couple of times, and was already pitching major process improvement changes for the company. He showed zero respect towards me and zero interest in what we wanted. He also brought up how he knew he could quickly work his way up from this role within the organization. It was the hiring manager who told me not to move forward with him. We ended up choosing a very eager yet less experienced candidate who we felt was a better personality match and willing to learn how our company did things.”
How to handle this: While presenting your expertise, don’t sound like a know-it-all or become overconfident. Stay humble and focus on what you can do for your potential supervisor, not the company as a whole (unless you’re applying for a role where this is valid). Ask lots of questions and listen completely. Show respect to anyone you meet, no matter what their level in the organization.
Youthful culture.
A company wants employees who fit its culture as much as their position. Google has been in the news various times in regard to age discrimination, yet they maintain the stance that their company culture is simply “innovative and fresh”. Yet, a quick look on LinkedIn will show that the median age for their employees is 29. Studies have proven many times that people tend to favor those like themselves, so find a culture that resembles you, and you’ll be a closer match to what they’re looking for. It’s also likely that you’d not enjoy being the minority in such a culture and leave prematurely.
How to handle this:Target companies who are a high culture match for you. Look employers up on LinkedIn.com under “Companies”. Most companies are listed, and LinkedIn usually provides a median age for a company’s employees. Also try to target companies that other past coworkers are working at.
A final note.
One recruiter I spoke with said he had been told by a COO that a candidate he had presented was “too old” for the job. When he asked the COO how old he was (knowing he was over 70) the COO stopped dead in his tracks and hired the candidate. She worked very successfully at the firm for over 5 years.
He continued, “There aren't many ways of overcoming the age discrimination prejudice, as their minds are already made up. If anything, it's the marketplace - if they are desperate, they often have to do something that otherwise they wouldn't. We call it ‘becoming flexible’. When they can't find anyone to squeeze into their job description, or who fits their wish list, they become flexible. But it isn't often that we can change their minds.”
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Comments
Everyone of your comments has been an issue in the workplace for centuries. Glad to see the younger generation is as superficial as all the reports indicate. NOT!
Richard, I’ll have you know that the comments I received from employers were plentiful and spanned various age groups, including older workers. People in your own age group are just as guilty of these stereotypes.
Discrimination's parents are Fear and Ignorance. Megan, as your report shows, companies and their younger employees are openly biased against older workers, and as such are breaking numerous state and federal laws and their own company policies. The so-called cost is merely a smoke screen, as many research studies demonstrate that older workers cost less - more productivity, less absenteeism, etc. With younger you often get eager and naive, rather than energetic and enthusiasm...certainly a willingness to put in long hours, whereas an older worker has different priorities and/or responsibilities at the end of the day.
Megan, Keep talking about it. The more folks are aware of the issues, the higher the probability ageism will diminish. Someday, younger employers will accept the fact that with any luck, they too will be over 50 and employed.
In the meanwhile, I am writing an ongoing series on job search for those over 50. Age discrimination is real and the pragmatic job seeker will learn how to manage the reality and minimize the affects on their own job search. Part three can be found at my Seattle Examiner column, Seattle Executive Careers Examiner.
Rita Ashley, Job Search Coach
The bias in your article is indicative of the bias and discrimination seen in the work force and in hiring - but not with all companies. The fact that you would put a picture of a wrinkled, gray woman who looks 80, whatever her age, shows your bias, and doing that just contributes to the problem. We "older" employees do not look like that these days - at least most of us do not. I am always assumed to be 10-15 years younger than my age. Many of us are as fluent with technology as some young people. And the fact that you talk about us missing work because of children and families shows your own bias and that of much of your generation that anyone over 35 must be "old." Many of us are 50 or older with grown children and far fewer entanglements - and hence distractions from work - than people 20-40. But again - we cannot genralize. There are lazy, inept older workers and lazy, inept younger ones. This is why companies should judge each person and not lump everyone into an age group
The comments I've heard from many employers is that the biggest problem they have, even in this recession, is finding people who show up for work every day, on time, and work for the whole day. Some of the younger workers I've met fit that stereotype, unfortunately. As an "older worker" (I'm 52), I have a long history of being responsible, coming to work every day and taking my job seriously, yet this year I was unemployed for over 6 months. My kids are grown, I work without complaining, and I am dependable. I am still frustrated with the situation, and unsure what, if anything I can do about it. BTW, my last employer picked a younger worker who was recently released from prison over me. Not helpful for my ego, that's for sure.
"...'Sex sells' as they say. While it’s shallow, it’s not going to change anytime soon. Numerous studies have shown that better-looking, healthier people get hired faster and at higher salaries. While it’s shallow, it is still true in many cases as employers want someone they will be proud to have representing their company..."
Don't forget, as you mentioned, "sex sells," so it's also still true that in some cases employers want someone they will want to have sex with.
For example, suppose two managers are trying to fill a position: one of them wants someone who can do the actual work, and the other one hopes to coerce sex out of the new employee too. The latter needs to see photos as well as resumes in order to narrow down the list. If he or she can't see applicants' photos ahead of time, then how is he or she supposed to discourage the other manager from interviewing (and maybe even hiring!) someone that he or she wouldn't want to have sex with?
Megan – nice job tackling a very real issue with eyes wide open. Ageism, often disguised behind the label “overqualified” is not new, and is prevalent because it is in a weird way right for business. The very traits you list: cost, freedom from competing responsibilities, looks, energy and enthusiasm, technology skills, flexibility and teachability, while possibly repugnant when used to exclude older candidates, do indeed represent many of the characteristics required of employees in a successful enterprise. The injustice of course takes place when these characteristics are assumed without validation in younger candidates, and overlooked without exploration when it comes to older workers. In fact, I suspect the real reason behind older candidates’ frustration with the resume “vacuum”, unreturned phone calls and unanswered emails is that companies want to avoid even the slightest pretext of acting out of age discrimination and the potential legal exposure.
Megan,
You need to be aware of what the law says in regards to this.
Employers cannot ask age specific questions, nor are they allowed to ask if you have kids or not.
Your article is slanted and borderlines upon huberis and would be better served had you offered advise on what can be done to avoid such biased interviews.
I recently returned from 2 yrs in Shanghai, China as a "Trailing spouse". I made my way as an accent/presentation coach and joined the American Chamber of Commerce and other International professional organizations. I met many International (American & European)hiring managers, HR folks and similar professionals. Who were the most prevalent Expat professionals? Older professionals. I was told that the younger profs were less likely to accept the opportunity, Less flexible and more frightened to go alone. The young professionals brought their spouses and very young children, worked crazy hours and struggling wives/mothers. HR folks told me that the younger professionals were more likely to cost the company the most (housing & intrnt'l schools are costly -$15-25,000/yr per child) and the most likely to fail at the assignment. So! Who did they view as more reliable, flexible and capable of learning in a very foreign environment? An older professional. This needs to be studied.
Based on my experience, in Italy many company hire people doing discriminations because the age. I'm talking about companies are i.e. no hiring people older than 26 years. Apparently, the motivation is because they think older people would not be able to come out from the job's duties assigned, because working hours and hierarchy pressure are really difficult.
Anyway, in the same branch companies abroad and for the same position there are no discrimination about age. If one person is older than the other they take a look on the CV and they look experience maybe the person as done and however they do not block the applications for people older than...
It is also strange, because just inside Europe, there are countries where you should put your pictures and age on your CV and others where it is forbidden attached the picture or indicate the age.
Sorry, I forgot to sign my opinion here the last below.
Alberto Davanzo.
I was just laid off for the 2nd time in a row from a high-tech firm. I have a family and mortgage and all the other 'trappings,' although I would call those necessities instead, such as health costs and utilities, college expenses, etc.
The propensity to cut out the middle-aged, middle-class workers is undermining our society. It's apparent in the forclosures, the dismal savings for college and retirement, and the angst that is plaguing many families now.
What I find paradoxical is that I'm trying to get my sons to college, to graduate and get jobs that could turn out to be a source of displacement for older workers - the very ones who are trying to supply our society with young, educated, driven workers, willing to work for less.
I would gladly step aside for the younger Joes and Janes, if the failsafes were in place to keep the middle-class surviving and thriving. But they're not. We let the market dictate who thrives, who survives, and who dies out.
There is REAL age discrimination out there, even for those of us in our mid to late 40's. It is nationwide and blatant. Until we really do begin trying to prosecute the offenders, I think this will continue for some time. There are laws against age discrimination, but it is difficult to prove and the law truly has not teeth. Companies are doing themsleves and their country a diservice by not hiring a variety of age groups. Older workers can mentor younger workers and seriouls mistakes can be avoided, while saving the comapny much money
I was let go 12 days before age of 60 due to reorganization and elimination of my position RIF. At exactly 300 days Flowserve advertised and hired another person 15 years younger. It was not only the age also religion.
welcome to the real world of reality. if you're retired, then you got away with all your earned bucks. but if you're still working and no longer young anymore, bad advice is to dress and look young when it doesn't really fit your daily image. granted there are some hottie looking older people still employed, but these are the few who figured it all out. you can't really go into today's job market and reflect your older generation you came from. it doesn't work this way. if you came from the 60's or 70's like I did growing up, expect the grim discrim from a twenty something babe or hip dude. if you're much older now and can't find your way back to the workplace somewhere by now or just totally lost in current streams, then it's a bye bye cause. but they will hire some very young busty type and not some old droop from a time since long gone. you become old is probably because you decided your looks are goner days and decided to follow the old herd.
Doesn't the government see how much money they could save if they put a stop to companies discriminating because of age. A lot of people would work longer instead of jumping on Social Security to barely survive.
I had a prime example of the above today when I took my driver's license and SS Card into Human Resources. The HR person actually snapped her head around when she looked at my driver's license. She did not know my age until she saw the license. This was only a temporary job, but it was obvious this would be my last day working there.
After I came home, the Temporary Agency called me and said the company would not be needing me anymore. (they had decided to go in a different direction) Sound familiar?
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