by Das Brain
I read an article recently about people who are in their fifties looking for work that get passed up because of their age. Employers are choosing the younger workers over the older potential applicants even though this practice of ageism is illegal. Age discrimination is illegal when it comes to hiring practices, but very often this type of discrimination is very hard to prove in court and because of this it is commonly practiced by individuals who are in the position of power to hire employees.
Unfortunately, there is an unspoken prejudice against workers over 50. That is a sad truth of this modern society we live in. When a manager is considering applicants for hire, and an older person comes along, that older person usually doesn’t come to mind as the ideal candidate. Very often hiring managers who are younger than the older applicants think about the older individual as their parents and many managers wouldn’t want to be supervising their parents.
I spoke to a friend about this subject a few days ago, and she said that when she hires individuals for a position age is definitely a factor. She is a supervisor at a major canadian bank financial management division and she mentioned that she would usually lean towards a younger job applicant because the younger person is likely to be more “hungry” or work harder. Does this mean that workers over 50, do not work harder than younger workers?
Is this perception correct? Personally, I don’t think that it is morally right, and it is a stereotypic view of older workers, because there are older workers out there who can outperform their younger counterparts in many cases. However, many people in the hiring position fall prey to ageism and the discriminatory view of job applicants over the age of 50 and that is unfortunate.
Appearance matters and according to experts in employment, job applicants who look older are subject to age discrimination. In the job interview process, first impressions are very important so the best thing you can do if you are older than 50, is to prepare yourself. Before the interview process get a good nights sleep and make sure your outfit and hair is up to date. Make yourself look younger and be more energetic.
Other things that you can do if you are over the age of 50 is de-emphasize your age. You can do this on your resume by not listing the dates of your education and also not going back more than 15 years of job experience. The goal here is to draw attention away from the fact that you have been in the work force since 1970’s. The most important thing according to employment experts is to establish a good rapport with the interviewer and once you do this you may lessen the age prejudice.
One advantage that older workers have is experience. Another avenue you can take to the job interview process if you are over 50 is to promote the fact that you’ve been there and done that successfully and that when hired can hit the ground running and contribute to the bottom line of the company faster than a younger worker. Also, as a person over 50 you can get into the education field as a trainer or as a teacher of some sort. As a teacher or trainer your experience and age will be valued and work for you rather than against you.
For younger readers of this post, you will have to realize that one day you will be fifty years old and you may be a target of ageism or age discrimination by potential employers. Fortunately, do have plenty of time to prepare for that day. Here are some actions that you can take. Keep yourself healthy, looking young by exercising regulary, keep weight off and your face looking young (anti-wrinkle cream). Also, as you approach the age of 50, you may want to try start a side business at the age of 40 or 45 and slowly grow it. If this business generates enough profit to replace your income then you will have less of a worry if you are ever let go from your employer.
In conclusion, I just have to say that if is unfortunate that this type of discrimination is evident in our modern society, but at the same time it shouldn’t come as a shock either as our current modern society is very superficial and material and that is a harsh reality. Maybe one day older workers and older people in our society would be viewed as more valuable rather than as a burden.
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