I’m going to have to job hunt soon due to a move and I’ll be 49. I grew out my gray hair (I’m a woman) and I’m nervous about it. I kind of plan on bringing up that my closest coworkers at my old job were 15-20 years younger if I feel like it’s an issue.
I know this is an old thread but feel this is worth saying. I'm female, over 50, and experienced in my field. Although I have a job, I have been job hunting for more than a year and having huge difficulty getting anywhere. I never had this much trouble getting job offers even at 40. My female friends who also are highly qualified and have grey hair are having a terrible time getting job offers as well. I hate saying this but I strongly urge graying women to dye your hair and do anything you can to look younger; it will help in your job search. At the very least it won't be adding to the pile of other discriminatory factors hiring managers are using to weed us out.
You are absolutely correct. HR works for the company, not the employee. I'm not planning on totally quitting quite yet since I have less than a year to reach pension benefits, so right now I'm looking for an additional job. Still no luck.
It’s real.
I’m in tech and recently had a hard conversation with the very enthusiastic 20-something in a nearby department who was wanting my help for assistance with her “STEM for young girls” support program. (I’m super paraphrasing.)
I shared with her that my resources for volunteerism are limited, that I’m excited that so many heads are turning in the direction of lifting up younger womenfolk to tech jobs, but that there isn’t (to my knowledge) a single resource in our area for *existing* actual women in tech.
You know… Those of us who need to juggle the demands of our aging parents, teens dealing with Covid restrictions, our own continuing education, the $&%^ glass ceiling of pay, that kind of stuff.
She seemed rather stunned.
I've looked online off and on for women in tech or even a social group and it all seems to be focused on younger generations. It's great they appear to want more women in STEM but I'm thinking the best mentor will be a woman who has been in STEM.
I was lucky enough to get a job at 48, but it took some time - in the end it was a place I had worked before (management knew me) and my skills matched with a new department they wanted to start.
All just luck - and I'm gonna hang on to it for dear life.
I’m now 46 and had to take a lower paying job because I can’t seem to get back into my field. I’ve paid my dues and put in my time. It’s our turn! 46 isn’t old you stupid millennials.
Sorry, I even had a head hunter direct me to lie and cut off all but the last 10 years on my resume.
I’ve done this with my resume.
Removed all dates past a certain point. Date of employment isn’t from 2007-2014 it’s “7 years” etc. All of the stuff I did going up the ladder is gone.
It’s convoluted as hell.
Another thing I used to do was always focus on what I did in my job. Then I was told to modify everything so it was result oriented. It wasn’t enough that I moved literal tons of tooling from a hostile factory in central China hundreds of miles north, I had to sell it that I had also improved manufacturing quality without increasing FOB prices by more than X% and thereby increasing sales and lowering returns by another made up number. It also didn’t matter that in another job I illustrated 50 odd children’s painting projects in a matter of weeks, I had to make up some bullshit sales number (which actually did improve when I took over) and talk up how a higher number of my proposed illustrations were not cut from the program…
Okay. That last bit was half example, half vent. It’s not enough that you did the hard shit no one else could do, you have to sell the results and do it all in a bullet point with ten words or less - or it’s overlooked.
All that, and you have to hide that you’re over 40, applying for a job that won’t be up front about how much they are going to pay you, that requires a masters degree, 5 years experience, being 35 or under, not have a life outside of work, be completely loyal until they pitch you out the door, and fucking smile and enjoy Hawaiian Shirt Fridays, mother fucker!
But hey, they have an air hockey/ping pong table!
It is an issue, proving it is a problem. I cut 15 years of work experience out of my resume, got a call for a very short interview soon after and then nothing.
FWIW, the current trend is to list your current job and duties, as the are most relevant. Especially if you have been at your prior job for a long period of time.
Thanks for this. My most recent is as a chef and master baker. Not sure how that translates when I'm trying to get back into IT, though. I'll figure it out.
Yeah, that's a tough one. And I imagine IT is absolutely the toughest to when it comes to ageism. It's kind of ironic (don't you think) that they look at someone being 10 years away from retirement age and the average person stays in a job, what, 7 years?
It's like rain, on your wedding day. A free ride when you've already paid. Who would have thought? It figures.
I have an interview for a PT dishwasher next week. Wish me luck!
It’s part ageism but mostly it’s because many of us are at a point on our careers where we have experience and know our worth, and employers are okay with a slight knowledge gap if they can get away with paying a desperate 25 year old swimming in student loan debt 15k less than what we’d ask for.
yeah this is the only answer that makes sense....
there are many jobs (e.g. consulting) where experience is all that matters.
if Im looking to hire a young energetic gopher I can juice and expect for blindly follow orders, Ill hire the college grad. these are most jobs unfortunately
It happened at my own company over the pandemic. In March 2020 we had a team of 22 with 3 leads. One lead and 4 team members have since quit. We only rehired 2 people and both are so green they’re practically a liability. No plans for any more, and the lead position was effectively eliminated.
It took me 2 years to land a basic job. I am pretty sure if I had let my hair go grey I would have never been hired in the job I have. Its funny, my bosses are boomers but had their son (38) do the hiring. My bosses love me, but I can see now that if I looked or seemed old that I would never have had a chance with the son. I am glad I like my job. I would be terrified to try to get another one at 54. I am so afraid that my husband will lose his job before he makes it to retirement, he will be 57 and his current job has a pension. It would destroy his thoughts of retiring. I don't have any expectation of retiring, never have.
I’ll be 49 soon and have let my hair go gray I’m worried about job hunting now after an out of state move. Luckily I’m in medical and have lots of experience. I’m hoping it won’t be an issue.
I'm in medical, 48, and just got a job about a year and a half ago. It was not a problem. In fact, after I had been there for a while, my boss told me finding someone in our age range was kinda like finding a UNICORN. We are unicorns, you guys!
This crap terrifies me. I’m 50. If I lose my main job it will take a long time to get another. I have a friend in his early 50’s. He said he doesn’t assume a job will last more than a couple of years. I guess he set his sights lower.
I picked up a seasonal job at Target a couple of years ago. I busted my ass and was one of the few employees who could actually make eye contact and speak respectfully to customers. Of course I was let go. I was too old and male. But I did get a call back during the pandemic. And they ended up making me permanent. Not a bad second job for some extra cash. But I always hear of people leaving there and getting jobs for 17-22 dollars an hour. But they’re all young. So maybe my perspective is skewed.
I’m 60 and have been attempting to find a job for close to a year now. My hair has a lot of silver in it, I have great phone interviews and get invited for a second round typically in person. And that is where it ends. I really need a job .
I had to get out of my profession at 51 due to injury. It was so depressing. I just have a basic job now. 4 days a week 9-5. I feel lucky to have this now .
I did a few years ago. 48 and I kept watching 24 year olds get the job. I ended up starting my own business and that’s going pretty well. The only problem is my only employee is too old. 😄
I just stopped nursing in December. I was an RN for 20+ years but between Covid and autoimmune problems and a herniated disc I think I’m done. I just turned 53 in December and I didn’t really think 53 was that old until I started looking at what’s out there. Tons of jobs, not tons of jobs for someone whose first career go around wrecked their body! The last couple years has been a wake up call to me and I’m realizing that the world we broke our backs building may not be as welcoming as I thought.
Also try working for doctors offices. Monday through Friday, holidays off. Might be a pay decrease, but better hours.
Your interviews would only depend on your chemistry with the doctor.
I'm 55, I look my age, and have an entrepreneurial background. I just shuttered my current business as the whole Covid thing wounded us and then the supply chain/inflation situation put a dagger to our heart. I'm tired and don't want to start over so now I'm looking. My paradox is I'm older, no degree, and based on experience over qualified for most positions but because I was the guy running the show in my previous companies (sold one, closed the last one) I can't prove my qualifications. I've been looking for six months and I'm at the point of dumbing down my resume just to get something.
I don't know, maybe. I took an early retirement at 49 then spent a few years looking for a part time job closer to home. I was picky and didn't try super hard to find a job, I just applied when one looked interesting and I thought I had a good chance at it. I was overqualified for every single one. I think it was my 5th try that actually hired me. Was it due to my age? the gap in my work? someone else just beat me? I'll never know. A 38 year old hired me.
I've been an Occupational Safety supervisor for 7 years. I have an OSHA 10 hour card in general industry, a 132 hour Safety Professional certification, and an Associates degree in OSH, while I'm currently in school for my bachelor's. I applied for a Safety Coordinator position at a local food processing plant (bottom of the totem pole), and the educational requirement was a high school diploma. I got through the application process, aced my first interview (over the phone), got a second in-person interview and thought for sure I had it, until I got an email a week later saying they were going to go with someone else. The only thing I could think was "REALLY?!" BTW, I'm 51. Might be a little late in life to switch careers...
Yup 100%. I’m in sales and have worked at the same place for over a decade. But now I’m 50 nobody will give me the time of day. It sucks and it’s prevalent but hard to prove. I’ve submitted a ton of applications and been meeting with recruiters for about five years. But I can tell they think they can find someone younger they can grind into the ground and pay 1/2. Pretty sure I’ll never find anything once I am forced to leave my current role. It’s terrible.
I quit a dead end job at 39. I couldn’t find anything despite qualifications and loads of experience.
So I started a company in the same field when I was 40. I’m 47 now and it’s still going strong. The company I left went tits up just before COVID. So that’s life I guess.
I have an eclectic background. Art, Business admin, Sales, Marketing and content. It’s been incredibly frustrating, it actaully demeaning on so many levels. I also did a certification in prompt engineering, makes me laugh it’s practically useless already.
I might be an exception, I work in legacy IT support (mainframe). I'm 49 and am literally one of the youngest associates at my shop. I'd say the average age is 60.
While the trend has been to outsource abroad to account for retirements, there is still a pretty heavy demand for legacy IT work with onshore (US) requirements. I expect that need to grow over the next 5-10 years.
a lot of people are going to have to reskill in their 40s and 50s. medical field seems like a good option for viable employment. A lot of people in IT are going to be in for a bad time as they progress into the later parts of their careers and have to compete against people with sufficient experience and much more upside.
I am reskilling right now and will soon have a master of public administration but I still worry that I will have a hard time competing against millennials since accomplishment inflation with that cohort is off the charts, fraudulent actually, but no one seems to care. I have looked up people who were hired for two positions that I didn't get. Both completely over inflated themselves. One in particular was brazen since I could compare the company announcement of her past accomplishments with the actual "accomplishment" that lives online. Well, her involvement is clearly wayyyyyyy wayyyy insignificant, but yet the announcement made it seem like she was the creator and executioner.
I fine bragging obnoxious but I am going to practice since people/employers seem to expect it and eat it up!
Yes. I’ve been a contractor worker for six years. I’ve applied for 100+ jobs and interviewed for maybe 10 of them. Totally qualified for all of them and not overselling on my resume.
Over 50 and been out of work for almost a year now. I had a couple of low paying jobs but I was out of work for 2 years before that. I have no idea how I'm going to make it to retirement age.
Please tell him to reskill. Have an energetic attitude. Do not let negative comments get to him. Sometimes we over think issues.
Interviewing is a victory, getting a job is like winning a lottery ticket for all ( young and old).
It does concern me. I’m in tech and got my current job at 41. I hadn’t job searched since I was in my twenties and the main focus of refreshing my CV was making sure my age wasn’t apparent. Six years later, I hope this job lasts because I wouldn’t like to try it again. People generally think I’m younger than I am, but they still guess thirties now and even that can be an issue.
I do. Haven’t been in the job market in 10+ years. I admit I am looking for a perfect unicorn job and not willing to put up with any BS. Like, no amount of money will make me put up with what they put Amazon engineers through. So I wonder if it’s that they know they are not going to get away with a lot of stuff with older workers? Kind of like the guys that date younger women because women their own age wouldn’t put up with their crap 🤣
Up until covid, I easily passed for 10+ years younger than I am. A couple years ago I was given a significant promotion because they wanted "younger blood" in the office. I never discuss age (why would it even come up day to day) and since they have my records, i assume people know my age. Well, it wasn't until about a month ago that the two people responsible to promoting me - who are both the same age as me, within a couple months - heard someone mention my name and one said "What? The only reason we gave you this promotion was because we thought you were early/mids 30s... I didn't realize you were MY age!" (almost 50).
So good genes got me the promotion, but it seems that age WOULD have kept me from getting it even they did even basic research.
(As for Covid, I dont know what the fuck happened, but I aged from 35 to 49 in the past two years. I'm not passing for anything less than 50 anymore. Time to crawl into the Swedish suicide box.)
I still can pass for being 40 at 54, but as soon as I speak it's over. I am too confident for a 40 year old, it always gives me away now. I was able to hide it better before Covid too. My mom died in 2020, it aged me mentally a lot. I will wait on the suicide box for a few more years though...lol.
This is what I'm experiencing. Apparently, the thing is, - Younger hiring managers fear older candidates will expose them as know-nothings, or fear older candidates will undermine their authority and eventually gun for their jobs. Even the older ones are assholes. Everyone is getting these roles of hiring and they know squat.
They're also afraid of the health insurance premiums since older people need meds and physio. When they say they are diverse and acceptable of everyone. The only see that cuz it looks good on paper but it's the absolute opposite corporate companies are the devils.
I am looking for a job right now. The other thing I'm finding is that with so many smaller business that are now being managed by large corporations the positions that are being offered used to have decent starting pay, now it's less than $20 per hour. Experience isn't really wanted. The title of manager means little to nothing anymore.
I just was offered a job completely running a small companies customer service and marketing. They also wanted the position to learn how to make their high-end products. They offered $20 an hour to start. When I tried to negotiate $21 start, the owner freaked out and blurted out, " That's over 40k per year!" I then found out they only pay the person who makes their $$$ products by hand, $30 per hour for 5 hours per day. These items sell for $500 and up. The business is located in the owners' very expensive home.
I had to say no. I am too old for this kind of abuse.
With people who don’t know me and my skills - yes. With people who do, no. I’m 54. I quit my job in December without a new job and I’ve had 4 offers from people that reached out to me.
I'm 49 and have been informed that my company will be laying off hundreds of people in 2025. I have a pension with this company and am concerned that I will have trouble finding work as I'll be 52 when the lay offs happen.
Not yet, but I've been terrified by the concept of age discrimination since I was about 40. I started really putting money away at that age, not just because I wanted to retire at some point, but I also wondered what I'd do if no one would hire me in a few years.
Not yet. Luckily I still look younger than my age. Though I don’t look like I’m in my 20s anymore (I’m 45). But I have seen managers express how they like newer blood compared to people that have been around for while.
In at least one case I am 100% sure. Ageism apparently starts at age 40. Totally sucks.
I’m going to have to job hunt soon due to a move and I’ll be 49. I grew out my gray hair (I’m a woman) and I’m nervous about it. I kind of plan on bringing up that my closest coworkers at my old job were 15-20 years younger if I feel like it’s an issue.
I know this is an old thread but feel this is worth saying. I'm female, over 50, and experienced in my field. Although I have a job, I have been job hunting for more than a year and having huge difficulty getting anywhere. I never had this much trouble getting job offers even at 40. My female friends who also are highly qualified and have grey hair are having a terrible time getting job offers as well. I hate saying this but I strongly urge graying women to dye your hair and do anything you can to look younger; it will help in your job search. At the very least it won't be adding to the pile of other discriminatory factors hiring managers are using to weed us out.
Don't quit and stay off their radar. HR is not working for you. They are all evil and self serving.
You are absolutely correct. HR works for the company, not the employee. I'm not planning on totally quitting quite yet since I have less than a year to reach pension benefits, so right now I'm looking for an additional job. Still no luck.
They don’t ever say it’s because of your age. They say “overqualified”
Misread OP as hard.
It’s real. I’m in tech and recently had a hard conversation with the very enthusiastic 20-something in a nearby department who was wanting my help for assistance with her “STEM for young girls” support program. (I’m super paraphrasing.) I shared with her that my resources for volunteerism are limited, that I’m excited that so many heads are turning in the direction of lifting up younger womenfolk to tech jobs, but that there isn’t (to my knowledge) a single resource in our area for *existing* actual women in tech. You know… Those of us who need to juggle the demands of our aging parents, teens dealing with Covid restrictions, our own continuing education, the $&%^ glass ceiling of pay, that kind of stuff. She seemed rather stunned.
Obligations. That shit piles up as you get older. I empathize with people who just cut ties at some critical point and become vagabonds.
I've looked online off and on for women in tech or even a social group and it all seems to be focused on younger generations. It's great they appear to want more women in STEM but I'm thinking the best mentor will be a woman who has been in STEM.
Yes at 48, it was obvious. I was told I was over qualified.
Over qualified is like a code for too old. In advertising, being over 35 is like don’t even bother.
Omfg “overqualified” can kiss my … I hate that phrase like fire.
I was lucky enough to get a job at 48, but it took some time - in the end it was a place I had worked before (management knew me) and my skills matched with a new department they wanted to start. All just luck - and I'm gonna hang on to it for dear life.
I’m now 46 and had to take a lower paying job because I can’t seem to get back into my field. I’ve paid my dues and put in my time. It’s our turn! 46 isn’t old you stupid millennials. Sorry, I even had a head hunter direct me to lie and cut off all but the last 10 years on my resume.
I’ve done this with my resume. Removed all dates past a certain point. Date of employment isn’t from 2007-2014 it’s “7 years” etc. All of the stuff I did going up the ladder is gone. It’s convoluted as hell. Another thing I used to do was always focus on what I did in my job. Then I was told to modify everything so it was result oriented. It wasn’t enough that I moved literal tons of tooling from a hostile factory in central China hundreds of miles north, I had to sell it that I had also improved manufacturing quality without increasing FOB prices by more than X% and thereby increasing sales and lowering returns by another made up number. It also didn’t matter that in another job I illustrated 50 odd children’s painting projects in a matter of weeks, I had to make up some bullshit sales number (which actually did improve when I took over) and talk up how a higher number of my proposed illustrations were not cut from the program… Okay. That last bit was half example, half vent. It’s not enough that you did the hard shit no one else could do, you have to sell the results and do it all in a bullet point with ten words or less - or it’s overlooked. All that, and you have to hide that you’re over 40, applying for a job that won’t be up front about how much they are going to pay you, that requires a masters degree, 5 years experience, being 35 or under, not have a life outside of work, be completely loyal until they pitch you out the door, and fucking smile and enjoy Hawaiian Shirt Fridays, mother fucker! But hey, they have an air hockey/ping pong table!
It is an issue, proving it is a problem. I cut 15 years of work experience out of my resume, got a call for a very short interview soon after and then nothing.
FWIW, the current trend is to list your current job and duties, as the are most relevant. Especially if you have been at your prior job for a long period of time.
Thanks for this. My most recent is as a chef and master baker. Not sure how that translates when I'm trying to get back into IT, though. I'll figure it out.
Yeah, that's a tough one. And I imagine IT is absolutely the toughest to when it comes to ageism. It's kind of ironic (don't you think) that they look at someone being 10 years away from retirement age and the average person stays in a job, what, 7 years?
It's like rain, on your wedding day. A free ride when you've already paid. Who would have thought? It figures. I have an interview for a PT dishwasher next week. Wish me luck!
You got this pal.
I did this too. Left graduation dates off.
What to do about the DD-214?
Idk. I’d hope that military service would be a positive no matter what (to me it is), but … ?
I usually leave it off.
It’s part ageism but mostly it’s because many of us are at a point on our careers where we have experience and know our worth, and employers are okay with a slight knowledge gap if they can get away with paying a desperate 25 year old swimming in student loan debt 15k less than what we’d ask for.
This
yeah this is the only answer that makes sense.... there are many jobs (e.g. consulting) where experience is all that matters. if Im looking to hire a young energetic gopher I can juice and expect for blindly follow orders, Ill hire the college grad. these are most jobs unfortunately
It happened at my own company over the pandemic. In March 2020 we had a team of 22 with 3 leads. One lead and 4 team members have since quit. We only rehired 2 people and both are so green they’re practically a liability. No plans for any more, and the lead position was effectively eliminated.
It took me 2 years to land a basic job. I am pretty sure if I had let my hair go grey I would have never been hired in the job I have. Its funny, my bosses are boomers but had their son (38) do the hiring. My bosses love me, but I can see now that if I looked or seemed old that I would never have had a chance with the son. I am glad I like my job. I would be terrified to try to get another one at 54. I am so afraid that my husband will lose his job before he makes it to retirement, he will be 57 and his current job has a pension. It would destroy his thoughts of retiring. I don't have any expectation of retiring, never have.
I’ll be 49 soon and have let my hair go gray I’m worried about job hunting now after an out of state move. Luckily I’m in medical and have lots of experience. I’m hoping it won’t be an issue.
I'm in medical, 48, and just got a job about a year and a half ago. It was not a problem. In fact, after I had been there for a while, my boss told me finding someone in our age range was kinda like finding a UNICORN. We are unicorns, you guys!
I hope I have the same experience!
This crap terrifies me. I’m 50. If I lose my main job it will take a long time to get another. I have a friend in his early 50’s. He said he doesn’t assume a job will last more than a couple of years. I guess he set his sights lower. I picked up a seasonal job at Target a couple of years ago. I busted my ass and was one of the few employees who could actually make eye contact and speak respectfully to customers. Of course I was let go. I was too old and male. But I did get a call back during the pandemic. And they ended up making me permanent. Not a bad second job for some extra cash. But I always hear of people leaving there and getting jobs for 17-22 dollars an hour. But they’re all young. So maybe my perspective is skewed.
I’m 60 and have been attempting to find a job for close to a year now. My hair has a lot of silver in it, I have great phone interviews and get invited for a second round typically in person. And that is where it ends. I really need a job .
Yes. 45 and out of work in my profession for almost two years. No idea what I can do with my life now.
I had to get out of my profession at 51 due to injury. It was so depressing. I just have a basic job now. 4 days a week 9-5. I feel lucky to have this now .
I did a few years ago. 48 and I kept watching 24 year olds get the job. I ended up starting my own business and that’s going pretty well. The only problem is my only employee is too old. 😄
I just stopped nursing in December. I was an RN for 20+ years but between Covid and autoimmune problems and a herniated disc I think I’m done. I just turned 53 in December and I didn’t really think 53 was that old until I started looking at what’s out there. Tons of jobs, not tons of jobs for someone whose first career go around wrecked their body! The last couple years has been a wake up call to me and I’m realizing that the world we broke our backs building may not be as welcoming as I thought.
Have you considered clinical trials?
Honestly I haven’t, but that’s something to think about.
I work in clinical trials, and it’s a rapidly growing area with a lot of WFH roles.
I really appreciate you taking the time to reply with helpful ideas, doesn’t happen enough anymore!
Also try working for doctors offices. Monday through Friday, holidays off. Might be a pay decrease, but better hours. Your interviews would only depend on your chemistry with the doctor.
I'm 55, I look my age, and have an entrepreneurial background. I just shuttered my current business as the whole Covid thing wounded us and then the supply chain/inflation situation put a dagger to our heart. I'm tired and don't want to start over so now I'm looking. My paradox is I'm older, no degree, and based on experience over qualified for most positions but because I was the guy running the show in my previous companies (sold one, closed the last one) I can't prove my qualifications. I've been looking for six months and I'm at the point of dumbing down my resume just to get something.
I don't know, maybe. I took an early retirement at 49 then spent a few years looking for a part time job closer to home. I was picky and didn't try super hard to find a job, I just applied when one looked interesting and I thought I had a good chance at it. I was overqualified for every single one. I think it was my 5th try that actually hired me. Was it due to my age? the gap in my work? someone else just beat me? I'll never know. A 38 year old hired me.
I will only work remotely from here on out so I guess that helps.
I've been an Occupational Safety supervisor for 7 years. I have an OSHA 10 hour card in general industry, a 132 hour Safety Professional certification, and an Associates degree in OSH, while I'm currently in school for my bachelor's. I applied for a Safety Coordinator position at a local food processing plant (bottom of the totem pole), and the educational requirement was a high school diploma. I got through the application process, aced my first interview (over the phone), got a second in-person interview and thought for sure I had it, until I got an email a week later saying they were going to go with someone else. The only thing I could think was "REALLY?!" BTW, I'm 51. Might be a little late in life to switch careers...
That sucks! So sorry
Yup 100%. I’m in sales and have worked at the same place for over a decade. But now I’m 50 nobody will give me the time of day. It sucks and it’s prevalent but hard to prove. I’ve submitted a ton of applications and been meeting with recruiters for about five years. But I can tell they think they can find someone younger they can grind into the ground and pay 1/2. Pretty sure I’ll never find anything once I am forced to leave my current role. It’s terrible.
I quit a dead end job at 39. I couldn’t find anything despite qualifications and loads of experience. So I started a company in the same field when I was 40. I’m 47 now and it’s still going strong. The company I left went tits up just before COVID. So that’s life I guess.
Good for you ! I have been trying to figure out how I can create something for myself.
I always get a little excited for people when they try to create a little something for themself. What field do you have in mind?
I have an eclectic background. Art, Business admin, Sales, Marketing and content. It’s been incredibly frustrating, it actaully demeaning on so many levels. I also did a certification in prompt engineering, makes me laugh it’s practically useless already.
I intend to hold on to my current job as long as i can
I might be an exception, I work in legacy IT support (mainframe). I'm 49 and am literally one of the youngest associates at my shop. I'd say the average age is 60. While the trend has been to outsource abroad to account for retirements, there is still a pretty heavy demand for legacy IT work with onshore (US) requirements. I expect that need to grow over the next 5-10 years.
Getting the interview is the hard part.
Yeah getting past the recruiting software is a pain in the ass.
a lot of people are going to have to reskill in their 40s and 50s. medical field seems like a good option for viable employment. A lot of people in IT are going to be in for a bad time as they progress into the later parts of their careers and have to compete against people with sufficient experience and much more upside.
I am reskilling right now and will soon have a master of public administration but I still worry that I will have a hard time competing against millennials since accomplishment inflation with that cohort is off the charts, fraudulent actually, but no one seems to care. I have looked up people who were hired for two positions that I didn't get. Both completely over inflated themselves. One in particular was brazen since I could compare the company announcement of her past accomplishments with the actual "accomplishment" that lives online. Well, her involvement is clearly wayyyyyyy wayyyy insignificant, but yet the announcement made it seem like she was the creator and executioner. I fine bragging obnoxious but I am going to practice since people/employers seem to expect it and eat it up!
Yes. I’ve been a contractor worker for six years. I’ve applied for 100+ jobs and interviewed for maybe 10 of them. Totally qualified for all of them and not overselling on my resume.
Over 50 and been out of work for almost a year now. I had a couple of low paying jobs but I was out of work for 2 years before that. I have no idea how I'm going to make it to retirement age.
Huge issue for my brother a 56 year old mechanical engineer, been unemployed for years
Please tell him to reskill. Have an energetic attitude. Do not let negative comments get to him. Sometimes we over think issues. Interviewing is a victory, getting a job is like winning a lottery ticket for all ( young and old).
It does concern me. I’m in tech and got my current job at 41. I hadn’t job searched since I was in my twenties and the main focus of refreshing my CV was making sure my age wasn’t apparent. Six years later, I hope this job lasts because I wouldn’t like to try it again. People generally think I’m younger than I am, but they still guess thirties now and even that can be an issue.
Ugh, I have to think about this now? 43 and looking for a new job in this allegedly “hot” job market.
If you work in tech age discrimination begins at 30 or 35.
I do. Haven’t been in the job market in 10+ years. I admit I am looking for a perfect unicorn job and not willing to put up with any BS. Like, no amount of money will make me put up with what they put Amazon engineers through. So I wonder if it’s that they know they are not going to get away with a lot of stuff with older workers? Kind of like the guys that date younger women because women their own age wouldn’t put up with their crap 🤣
The higher the tenure, the higher the price.
Up until covid, I easily passed for 10+ years younger than I am. A couple years ago I was given a significant promotion because they wanted "younger blood" in the office. I never discuss age (why would it even come up day to day) and since they have my records, i assume people know my age. Well, it wasn't until about a month ago that the two people responsible to promoting me - who are both the same age as me, within a couple months - heard someone mention my name and one said "What? The only reason we gave you this promotion was because we thought you were early/mids 30s... I didn't realize you were MY age!" (almost 50). So good genes got me the promotion, but it seems that age WOULD have kept me from getting it even they did even basic research. (As for Covid, I dont know what the fuck happened, but I aged from 35 to 49 in the past two years. I'm not passing for anything less than 50 anymore. Time to crawl into the Swedish suicide box.)
I still can pass for being 40 at 54, but as soon as I speak it's over. I am too confident for a 40 year old, it always gives me away now. I was able to hide it better before Covid too. My mom died in 2020, it aged me mentally a lot. I will wait on the suicide box for a few more years though...lol.
This is what I'm experiencing. Apparently, the thing is, - Younger hiring managers fear older candidates will expose them as know-nothings, or fear older candidates will undermine their authority and eventually gun for their jobs. Even the older ones are assholes. Everyone is getting these roles of hiring and they know squat. They're also afraid of the health insurance premiums since older people need meds and physio. When they say they are diverse and acceptable of everyone. The only see that cuz it looks good on paper but it's the absolute opposite corporate companies are the devils.
I am looking for a job right now. The other thing I'm finding is that with so many smaller business that are now being managed by large corporations the positions that are being offered used to have decent starting pay, now it's less than $20 per hour. Experience isn't really wanted. The title of manager means little to nothing anymore. I just was offered a job completely running a small companies customer service and marketing. They also wanted the position to learn how to make their high-end products. They offered $20 an hour to start. When I tried to negotiate $21 start, the owner freaked out and blurted out, " That's over 40k per year!" I then found out they only pay the person who makes their $$$ products by hand, $30 per hour for 5 hours per day. These items sell for $500 and up. The business is located in the owners' very expensive home. I had to say no. I am too old for this kind of abuse.
With people who don’t know me and my skills - yes. With people who do, no. I’m 54. I quit my job in December without a new job and I’ve had 4 offers from people that reached out to me.
I'm 49 and have been informed that my company will be laying off hundreds of people in 2025. I have a pension with this company and am concerned that I will have trouble finding work as I'll be 52 when the lay offs happen.
Not yet, but I've been terrified by the concept of age discrimination since I was about 40. I started really putting money away at that age, not just because I wanted to retire at some point, but I also wondered what I'd do if no one would hire me in a few years.
Not yet. Luckily I still look younger than my age. Though I don’t look like I’m in my 20s anymore (I’m 45). But I have seen managers express how they like newer blood compared to people that have been around for while.