For months I’ve concentrated on the job seeker. Today I would like to turn to the organization’s that those people are hoping to work for. Last night I gave an Interviewing training session to a group of people. It turns out that everyone there was older than 50. Since it was a small group, I let the conversation turn to the questions and concerns that many, if not most, older job seekers have.
Questions like this came up:
1. Why bring me in for an interview if you are hiring internally? (Is it because I am too old?)
2. I have good, solid skills and I make a good impression. Why don’t you seem interested when you interview me? (Is it because I am too old?)
3. You aren’t interviewing me. Why don’t you respond to my resume? (Is it because I am too old?)
4. What is it about my resume that turns you off? (Is it because I am too old?)
5. You have asked for my salary requirements and then you don’t respond to me. Why? (Is it because I am too old?)
You get the picture. These people are discouraged. They have kid’s in college and mortgages to pay. They can’t decide which credit card bill to pay this month and many have lost their health benefits and can’t afford COBRA. Let me tell you something that these folks wish that they could scream from the top of the mountain, “Give me a chance! I will not leave you when the economy turns around!” Of course they would like to work at something that they love, are skilled in and have a passion for, but they aren’t being given that chance to soar.
I heard it at an anniversary party this past weekend. I was talking to a man I haven’t seen in years and he confessed his frustration with the lack of employment possibilities for the 50+ worker. He said, “I am a 50 year old male and I have become face in the crowd. There are lots of other guys walking around with the same problem. I am working two part time jobs to make ends meet. I’m not looking to rush into another aggressive work environment. I just want to work, make a decent wage. What do I have to do?"
I can’t answer him or anyone with the same concerns. Their resumes look pretty good, their interview skills are fine. I just don’t get it. Maybe they aren’t working the networking angle.
Call me an idealist but quite frankly, I think it’s rude that corporations don’t respond to people. I realize that they have a lot going on and way too many people responding to one job posting. I think they are using the economy as an excuse. I also think requesting salary requirements and then not responding to the appplicant is just as inexcusable. The applicant is left wondering if their resume was poorly written or if their skill set wasn’t right. There is no reason to ignore the people who took the time to respond to the job postings. It sure seems like a waste of heartache ( and talent) to me.
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3 comments:
Interesting observations. It's amazing how companies discount the enormous value that an older employee can contribute to an organization. They bring kean business incite,knowledge,experience and the ability to train/guide the next generation of corporate leaders. Instead of finding ways to exit these folks out of corporate America, they should spend some time on harvesting thier talents
The job application process is so inhuman it is almost criminal...bots scan your resume for "hits" on the client's requirements list and if you don't match 100% your resume is passed by. There is no chance for a dynamic elder job seeker to impress a manager/recruiter with their personal dynamism and intelligence. How do you impress a robot? Add to that a job seeker's age, easily calculated from the required education history, and boom...even if you are a 100% match, it is the final whammy. Try knocking on doors and see what happens...security throws you out before you can get to the elevator bank. It is no wonder elder applicants despair of geting work
Hi,
I am 49 and trying to establish my own business here in Germany.
One reason is the experience I had in interviews and applying for jobs - which is very similar to yours as described above.
50 - is this old. Average life expectancy is close to 80. Retirement would be with 65 - another 15 years to go. Enough time to bring a 20 year old up to speed so s/he can really perform mid thirties.
So why companies don´t get it ?
I think it is the same mess which brought us into the current economical crises. Short sighted (driven by stock market and bonus systems), no ethic and moral, sorry - often too young, too much power, too many demands and stress combined with little experience and not yet fully established personality, confidence and empathy.
However, often "older" people stood and stand in the way of younger once, bloc instead of support and develop them. No wonder they are happy to pass by and have no desire to get "us" back -
besides, do you still believe a 40 year old manager likes to have an experienced employee who asks challenging questions. Only in theory it is a Yes, very very seldom in reality.
Enough lamenting - consider your talent, your experience, your knowledge and passion - think about how you can contribute and which price would be fair to ask for it. Think about areas you always wanted to explore. Go for it.
Last but not least - we "older" once have usually more patience, so don´t expect things happening over night and appreciate every little step of development. There is much more to be done.
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